How popular is the baby name Ambrose in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Ambrose.
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When you think of politician Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), what comes to mind?
Probably the political portmanteau gerrymander, which was mockingly coined by a newspaper cartoonist in 1812.
But Gerry was one of the founding fathers of the United States.
He signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He refused to sign the Constitution, though, because it didn’t include a Bill of Rights. He promptly helped draft and pass a Bill of Rights (i.e., the first ten amendments) while serving as a member of the inaugural House of Representatives.
He went on to serve as the eighth governor of Massachusetts (1810-1812), and died while in office as the fifth vice president of the United States (1813-1814) under James Madison.
Hundreds of baby boys were named after Elbridge Gerry. Most were born in Gerry’s home state of Massachusetts. The rest came from nearby states, particularly Maine (which was part of Massachusetts from the 1650s to 1820). Some examples…
As a Civil War-era congressman, he drafted the Legal Tender Act that allowed the Union to print paper money not backed by either gold or silver. (Legal Tender is also a baby name, btw.)
Did you know that The Walt Disney Company has a birthday coming up?
On October 16, 2023, Disney will mark its 100th anniversary. (I learned this while working on last month’s post about Davy Crockett.)
Let’s celebrate the upcoming centennial with more than 100 Walt Disney-inspired baby names. Just to make things interesting, all of the names below refer to Disney-related people, places, things, and events from the pre-television era.
Walter, Walt, and Elias Walter, Walt, and Elias for animator and businessman Walter Elias “Walt” Disney, who was born in 1901. His middle name was passed down from his father, Elias C. Disney. Here are the popularity graphs for Walt, Walter, and Elias.
Kaycee Kaycee for Kaycee Studio, Walt’s first animation studio. It was named after its location, Kansas City — “K.C” for short. Here’s the popularity graph for Kaycee.
Newman Newman for the Newman Laugh-o-Grams, Walt’s first animated films, which aired exclusively at the Newman Theater in Kansas City starting in early 1921. Here’s the popularity graph for Newman.
Jack Jack for the Laugh-o-Gram shorts Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer, both from 1922. Here’s the popularity graph for Jack.
Goldie Goldie for the Laugh-o-Gram short Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, also from 1922. The name Goldie was used again (for an elf) in the future Disney short The Golden Touch (1935). Here’s the popularity graph for Goldie.
Alice Alice for the Alice Comedies, a series of short films in which a live-action girl named Alice interacts with cartoon characters in an animated landscape. The first short, the unfinished Alice’s Wonderland, was created in Kansas City. Here’s the popularity graph for Alice.
Alice in “Alice’s Wild West Show“
In the summer of 1923, after Walt’s second studio (Laugh-o-Gram) went bankrupt, Walt moved to Los Angeles, California.
Margaret Margaret for businesswoman Margaret J. Winkler, who agreed to distribute Walt’s proposed Alice Comedies series. The contract was signed on October 16, 1923. Here’s the popularity graph for Margaret.
Roy Roy for Roy O. Disney, who, with Walt, co-founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (later The Walt Disney Company) upon the finalization of the distribution deal. Here’s the popularity graph for Roy.
Virginia Virginia for child actress Virginia Davis, who originated the role of Alice. Her family relocated to California so that she could appear in 14 more films. Here’s the popularity graph for Virginia.
Margie and Lois Margie and Lois for child actresses Margie Gay and Lois Hardwick, who played Alice in later films. Here are the popularity graphs for Margie and Lois.
Julius Julius for Julius the Cat, a recurring character in the Alice Comedies. Here’s the popularity graph for Julius.
Pete Pete for Peg Leg Pete, a villain who first appeared in Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925). He has since become Disney’s oldest recurring character. Here’s the popularity graph for Pete.
Kathleen Kathleen for artist Kathleen Dollard, the studio’s first hire. Here’s the popularity graph for Kathleen.
Oswald Oswald for character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who was created in 1927 (by Universal Pictures) to star in a new series of animated films, the first 26 of which were animated by Walt’s company. Here’s the popularity graph for Oswald.
Oswald in “Rival Romeos“
In 1928, the businessman who owned the rights to Oswald decided to create his own animation studio and produce the Oswald cartoons himself. He even hired away several of Walt’s animators.
It was a major setback, as Walt’s studio had already created more than two dozen successful Oswald films. But Walt refused to give up. Soon enough, he came up with an idea for a new character — a mouse!
Mickey and Minnie Mickey and Minnie for characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. They technically first appeared in the short Plane Crazy (May 1928), but their first wide-release appearance was in Steamboat Willie. Here are the popularity graphs for Mickey and Minnie
Willie Willie for the short Steamboat Willie (Nov. 1928). One of the first cartoons to synchronize sound and animation, it was an immediate hit. The name Willie was used again in the future Disney short Willie the Operatic Whale (1946). Here’s the popularity graph for Willie.
Charlotte Charlotte for seamstress Charlotte Clark, who designed and sold the first Disney-approved Mickey Mouse dolls. Here’s the popularity graph for Charlotte.
Charlotte Clark doll label
Walt’s studio not only continued making Mickey Mouse films, but also began another series of films, Silly Symphonies, which introduced a slew of new characters.
Horace Horace for character Horace Horsecollar, who first appeared in the short The Plowboy (1929). Here’s the popularity graph for Horace.
Adeline Adeline for “Sweet Adeline,” the song that Mickey (and a pair of alley cats) performed for Minnie in the short The Karnival Kid (1929). Mickey Mouse spoke his first words in this cartoon. Here’s the popularity graph for Adeline.
Clarabelle Clarabelle for Horace’s love interest, Clarabelle Cow, who first appeared in the short The Shindig (1930). Here’s the popularity graph for Clarabelle.
Pluto Pluto for Mickey Mouse’s dog, Pluto the Pup, who first appeared in the short The Chain Gang (1930). His name, inspired by the recently discovered planet Pluto, was first used in The Moose Hunt (1931). Here’s the popularity graph for Pluto.
Vance Vance for actor Vance “Pinto” Colvig, the original voice of both Pluto and Goofy. Here’s the popularity graph for Vance.
Fifi Fifi for Pluto’s love interest, Fifi the Pekingese, who first appeared in the short Puppy Love (1933). Here’s the popularity graph for Fifi.
Donald Donald for character Donald Duck, who first appeared in the short The Wise Little Hen (1934). Here’s the popularity graph for Donald.
Clarence Clarence for actor Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck. Here’s the popularity graph for Clarence.
Morty and Ferdie Morty and Ferdie for Mickey Mouse’s nephews, Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, from the short Mickey’s Steam Roller (1934). Here are the popularity graphs for Morty and Ferdie.
Clara Clara for character Clara Cluck, the operatic chicken who first appeared in the short Orphan’s Benefit (1934). Here’s the popularity graph for Clara.
Peter and Polly Peter and Polly for characters Peter and Polly Penguin from the short Peculiar Penguins (1934). The name Peter was used again in the future Disney short Peter and the Wolf (1946). Here are the popularity graphs for Peter and Polly.
Bianca Bianca for artist Bianca Majolie, the studio’s first female employee in the Story department (as opposed to the Ink and Paint department). Here’s the popularity graph for Bianca.
Max and Toby Max and Toby for characters Max Hare and Toby Tortoise, rivals first featured in the Oscar-winning short The Tortoise and the Hare (1935). Here are the popularity graphs for Max and Toby.
Ambrose (or Butch) Ambrose (or Butch) for the kitten named Ambrose (who aspired to be a bandit called “Butch”) in the short The Robber Kitten (1935). Here are the popularity graphs for Ambrose and Butch.
Jenny Jenny for Donald Duck’s burro, Jenny, who first appeared in the short Mickey’s Polo Team (1936). The name Jenny had also been used in the unrelated 1935 short Who Killed Cock Robin? Here’s the popularity graph for Jenny.
Elmer and Tillie Elmer and Tillie for characters Elmer Elephant and Tillie Tiger from the short Elmer Elephant (1936). The name Elmer had also been used in the unrelated 1934 short Mickey Plays Papa. Here are the popularity graphs for Elmer and Tillie.
Mortimer Mortimer for character Mortimer Mouse from the 1936 short Mickey’s Rival. (Did you know that Walt’s original name for Mickey Mouse was “Mortimer Mouse”? His wife Lillian convinced him to use the name Mickey instead.) Here’s the popularity graph for Mortimer.
Monty and Abner Monty and Abner for characters Monty Citymouse and Abner Countrymouse from the Oscar-winning short The Country Cousin (1936). Here are the popularity graphs for Monty and Abner.
Donna Donna for Donald Duck’s first girlfriend, Donna Duck, from the short Don Donald (1937). Here’s the popularity graph for Donna.
Hortense Hortense for the insatiable ostrich Hortense in the short Donald’s Ostrich (1937). Here’s the popularity graph for Hortense.
Snow Snow for Snow White, the lead character from the studio’s first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). This was the first animated feature in history “to receive a wide, Hollywood-style release.” Here’s the popularity graph for Snow.
Seven Seven for the seven dwarfs from Snow White. Here’s the popularity graph for Seven.
Marge Marge for dancer Marge Champion, the real-life model for Snow White. She was also the model for other Disney characters, including the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. Here’s the popularity graph for Marge.
Adriana Adriana for actress and singer Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White. Here’s the popularity graph for Adriana.
Lucille Lucille for actress Lucille La Verne, the voice of the Evil Queen from Snow White. Here’s the popularity graph for Lucille.
Moroni Moroni for actor Moroni Olsen, the voice of the Magic Mirror from Snow White. Here’s the popularity graph for Moroni.
Larry and Frank Larry and Frank for songwriters Larry Morey and Frank Churchill, who created the song “Someday My Prince Will Come” for Snow White. Here are the popularity graphs for Larry and Frank.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie for Donald Duck’s nephews, who first appeared in the short Donald’s Nephews (1938). Here are the popularity graphs for Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Tailor Tailor for the Mickey Mouse short Brave Little Tailor (1938). Here’s the popularity graph for Tailor.
Ferdinand Ferdinand for the pacifist bull Ferdinand from the Oscar-winning short Ferdinand the Bull (1938). Here’s the popularity graph for Ferdinand.
Wilbur Wilbur for Goofy’s pet grasshopper, Wilbur, from the short Goofy and Wilbur (1939). Here’s the popularity graph for Wilbur.
Gus Gus for the gluttonous goose Gus in the short Donald’s Cousin Gus (1939). The name Gus was used again (for a mouse) in the future Disney movie Cinderella. Here’s the popularity graph for Gus.
Dickie Dickie for child actor Richard “Dickie” Jones, the voice of the lead character from the studio’s second feature-length film, Pinocchio (1940). Here’s the popularity graph for Dickie.
Blue Blue for the Blue Fairy, the character who brought Geppetto’s puppet to life in Pinocchio. Here’s the popularity graph for Blue.
Evelyn Evelyn for actress Evelyn Venable, the voice of the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. Here’s the popularity graph for Evelyn.
Cleo Cleo for Geppetto’s pet goldfish, Cleo, from Pinocchio. Here’s the popularity graph for Cleo.
Leigh and Ned Leigh and Ned for songwriters Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, who created the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” for Pinocchio. Here are the popularity graphs for Leigh and Ned.
Cliff Cliff for actor and singer Clifton “Cliff” Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. Here’s the popularity graph for Cliff.
Daisy Daisy for Donald Duck’s second girlfriend, Daisy Duck, who first appeared in the short Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940). Here’s the popularity graph for Daisy.
Fantasia Fantasia for the studio’s third feature-length film, Fantasia (1940). The movie’s title comes from the musical term fantasia, which refers to a musical composition without a traditional or fixed form. Here’s the popularity graph for Fantasia.
Fred Fred for animator Fred Moore, who redesigned Mickey Mouse for the character’s feature-length film debut in Fantasia. Here’s the popularity graph for Fred.
Leopold Leopold for conductor Leopold Stokowski, who conducted the classical music in Fantasia. Here’s the popularity graph for Leopold.
Giles Giles for character Sir Giles, the elderly knight from the studio’s fourth feature-length film, The Reluctant Dragon (1941). Here’s the popularity graph for Giles.
Timothy Timothy for the character Timothy Q. Mouse from the studio’s fifth feature-length film, Dumbo (1941). Here’s the popularity graph for Timothy.
Bambi and Faline Bambi and Faline for characters Bambi and Faline from the studio’s sixth feature-length film, Bambi (1942). Here are the popularity graphs for Bambi and Faline.
Tyrus Tyrus for Chinese-American animator Tyrus Wong, whose sketches inspired the impressionistic style of Bambi. Here’s the popularity graph for Tyrus.
Retta Retta for animator Retta Scott, the first female animator to receive screen credit on a Disney animated feature (Bambi). Here’s the popularity graph for Retta.
José José for character José Carioca, the dapper parrot who first appeared in the studio’s seventh feature-length film, Saludos Amigos (1943). Here’s the popularity graph for José.
Pedro Pedro for character Pedro, the anthropomorphic mail plane from Saludos Amigos. Here’s the popularity graph for Pedro.
Chip and Dale Chip and Dale for characters Chip and Dale, the mischievous chipmunks who first appeared in the short Private Pluto (1943). Here are the popularity graphs for Chip and Dale.
Pablo Pablo for character Pablo, the warmth-seeking penguin from the studio’s ninth feature-length film, The Three Caballeros (1945). Here’s the popularity graph for Pablo.
Pauline Pauline for character Pauline from the short Duck Pimples (1945). Here’s the popularity graph for Pauline.
Cedric and Esmeralda Cedric and Esmeralda for characters Cedric and Esmeralda from the short A Knight for a Day (1946). Here are the popularity graphs for Cedric and Esmeralda.
Henry and Grace Henry and Grace for characters Henry and Grace, the feuding newlyweds from the studio’s 10th feature-length film, Make Mine Music (1946). Here are the popularity graphs for Henry and Grace.
Lulubelle Lulubelle for character Lulubelle from the studio’s 12th feature-length film, Fun and Fancy Free (1947). Here’s the popularity graph for Lulubelle.
Anita Anita for singer Anita Gordon, the voice of the Golden Harp in Fun and Fancy Free. Here’s the popularity graph for Anita.
Alfred and Elma Alfred and Elma for husband-and-wife wildlife filmmakers Alfred and Elma Milotte, who created Disney’s True-Life Adventures documentary series, starting with the Oscar-winning On Seal Island (1948). Here are the popularity graphs for Alfred and Elma.
Jeremiah Jeremiah for character Jeremiah Kincaid from the studio’s 14th feature-length film, So Dear to My Heart (1949). Here’s the popularity graph for Jeremiah.
Danny Danny for Jeremiah’s pet lamb, Danny, from So Dear to My Heart (1949). The lamb was named after champion racehorse Dan Patch. Here’s the popularity graph for Danny.
Bobby Bobby for child actor Robert “Bobby” Driscoll, who played Jeremiah in So Dear to My Heart. Bobby also played the part of Jim in Treasure Island. Here’s the popularity graph for Bobby.
Luana Luana for child actress Luana Patten, who played Tildy in So Dear to My Heart. Here’s the popularity graph for Luana.
Marceline Marceline for the town of Marceline, Missouri. Though set in Indiana, So Dear to My Heart was strongly influenced by Walt’s childhood experiences in Marceline. Here’s the popularity graph for Marceline.
Melody Melody for the studio’s 13th feature-length film, Melody Time (1948). Here’s the popularity graph for Melody.
Bill and Sue Bill and Sue for characters Pecos Bill and Slue-Foot Sue from Melody Time. Here are the popularity graphs for Bill and Sue.
Angus and Thaddeus Angus and Thaddeus for characters Angus MacBadger and J. Thaddeus Toad from the studio’s 15th feature-length film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). Here are the popularity graphs for Angus and Thaddeus.
Brom and Katrina Brom and Katrina for characters Brom Bones and Katrina Van Tassel, also from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Here are the popularity graphs for Brom and Katrina.
Cinderella Cinderella for the lead character from the studio’s 16th feature-length film, Cinderella (1950). Here’s the popularity graph for Cinderella.
Ilene Ilene for actress and singer Jacqueline Ruth “Ilene” Woods, the voice of Cinderella. Here’s the popularity graph for Ilene.
Verna Verna for actress Verna Felton, the voice of the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. Here’s the popularity graph for Verna.
Treasure Treasure for the studio’s 17th feature-length film, Treasure Island (1950). This was Disney’s first entirely live-action movie. Here’s the popularity graph for Treasure.
Jim Jim for character Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island. Here’s the popularity graph for Jim.
Humphrey Humphrey for character Humphrey the Bear, who first appeared in the short Hold That Pose (1950). Here’s the popularity graph for Humphrey.
Disney’s pre-television era ended in December of 1950, when NBC aired Walt Disney’s first TV production — a Christmas special called One Hour in Wonderland, hosted by Walt himself.
Which of the names above do you like best?
P.S. Today happens to be the 68th anniversary of Disneyland, which opened in 1955 on July 17.
From an early 2023 Anaheim Ducks video in which former football player Troy Aikman addresses his namesake, hockey player Troy Terry (b. 1997):
How cool are we to have the name Troy, first of all. Now I know why your parents named you Troy, so it makes me feel really proud. But what makes me feel even prouder is the fact that the Ducks organization has given me the honor to let you know that, for the second consecutive year, you my friend are an NHL All-Star.
If you really, really know me, and you want to get under my skin a little bit, you go with Wardell. So there’s three options there. There’s Stephen, which is — I kind of know what the relationship is. If you go Wardell, that means we go way back.
The pitch meeting, according to Steph’s father Dell, who was present, kicked off with one Nike official accidentally addressing Stephen as “Steph-on” […] “I heard some people pronounce his name wrong before,” says Dell Curry. “I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised that I didn’t get a correction.”
It got worse from there. A PowerPoint slide featured Kevin Durant’s name, presumably left on by accident, presumably residue from repurposed materials. “I stopped paying attention after that,” Dell says. Though Dell resolved to “keep a poker face,” throughout the entirety of the pitch, the decision to leave Nike was in the works.
From a 2016 article about Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo:
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was named, in part, after Ronald Reagan, president of the United States at the time of his birth [in 1985] and his father’s favorite actor. “My parents named me after him because they both liked this name and thought it sounded strong,” he tells me. “I know that my father admired him.”
From a 2013 ESPN interview with football player Frostee Rucker:
How did you get the name Frostee?
“My pop [Len] was a DJ while he was in the military and they called him DJ Frost because they said he was cold on the spins. [They called him] Frost, Frostee all that. No matter what he named me they were going to call me Little Frost anyway, so they named me Frostee.”
[…]
What was it like growing up named Frostee?
“It sucked growing up really because kids at Christmas time and teachers, and me being African American, it just didn’t all come together but about [the] time I came to high school it became a household name in Orange County (Calif.).
“It’s just benefited [me] from then. It’s always caught peoples’ eye in the paper and they wanted to know more. So I don’t know if I’ll name my kid that if I ever have one but at the same time being unique isn’t bad either.”
“We’re always going to be compared, but we’re the Black sisters not the Williams sisters,” [mom Gayal Black] said.
[…]
“Alicia got her name ‘Tornado’ when she was 3 and playing out of her mind,” she said. “We couldn’t believe how amazing she was and we knew then we had a champion. When the next one was born, we knew she could do it, too, and so her [legal] name is Tyra Hurricane.”
But raising champions was only a part of the strategy.
“I have a marketing degree . . . and I knew I needed to do something for them to stand out, and we thought it was cute,” Gayal said. “[Tornado didn’t like her name] a few years ago. Kids tease you. But now they understand it’s marketing and it’s very big to say a storm blew through the US Open.
“Ivan Ivan Ivan” (typo)
From a 2022 article in Sporting News about young Czech hockey player Ivan Ivan:
Ivan Ivan, a Czechia forward who has the same first and last name, took the hockey world by storm last December when he was on the team’s roster at the canceled World Juniors. While a graphic from December stating that his name was Ivan Ivan Ivan caused a stir, it’s unfortunately just Ivan Ivan.
From the 2015 essay “Why I converted to Islam” by basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis “Lew” Alcindor):
The transition from Lew to Kareem was not merely a change in celebrity brand name — like Sean Combs to Puff Daddy to Diddy to P. Diddy — but a transformation of heart, mind and soul. I used to be Lew Alcindor, the pale reflection of what white America expected of me. Now I’m Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the manifestation of my African history, culture and beliefs.
[…]
The adoption of a new name was an extension of my rejection of all things in my life that related to the enslavement of my family and people. Alcindor was a French planter in the West Indies who owned my ancestors. My forebears were Yoruba people, from present day Nigeria. Keeping the name of my family’s slave master seemed somehow to dishonor them. His name felt like a branded scar of shame.
[…]
Some fans still call me Lew, then seem annoyed when I ignore them. They don’t understand that their lack of respect for my spiritual choice is insulting. It’s as if they see me as a toy action figure, existing solely to decorate their world as they see fit, rather than as an individual with his own life.
From a 2014 11 Freunde tweet about World Cup-winning German soccer player Mario Götze:
Dieser Moment, in dem du dachtest: Wenn er den macht, nenne ich meinen Sohn Mario.
…Translation:
This moment, in which you thought: If he makes it, I call my son Mario.
You’re not a real Mets fan unless you name your kid Shea.
Over the weekend, David Wright and his wife, Molly, had a baby girl. Her name: Olivia Shea Wright. Clearly, Wright has a fondness for the stadium where his Mets career began. So much so that he made his daughter part of a decades-old trend that seems to ebb and flow along with the success of the team.
(Shea Stadium was the home of the New York Mets from 1964 to 2008.)
Some other things we noticed: 10 percent of the list falls into the “Tech & Geek” category, which includes names inspired by Computing (“Paige Not Found,” “Syntax Terror,” “Ctrl Alt Defeat”) fonts (“Crimes New Roman,” “Give ‘Em Hell Vetica”); Chemistry (“Carmen Die Oxide,” “ChLauraform”); and Philosophy (“Blockem’s Razor”).
There seemed to be a bit of destiny attached. Her middle name, Ka-polioka’ehukai, means Heart of the Sea.
“Most Hawaiian grandparents name you before you’re born,” she says. “They have a dream or something that tells them what the name will be.” Hawaiians also have a knack for giving people rhythmic, dead-on nicknames, and for young Rell they had a beauty: Rella Propella.
“My godmother called me that because I was always moving so fast,” says Rell. “To this day, people think my real name is Rella. Actually I was born Roella, a combination of my parents’ names: Roen and Elbert. But I hated it, and no one used it, so I changed it to Rell.”
From a 2017 interview [vid] with professional basketball player Isaiah Thomas (who was, at that time, a star player for the Boston Celtics):
My dad is from Los Angeles, California. He’s a big Laker fan. And he made a wager that if the Detroit Pistons beat the Lakers [in the 1989 Finals] he’d name his son Isiah Thomas. […] My mom, she grew up in church, and she liked the name but she wanted it spelled the biblical way, that’s why my name is spelled slightly different than the older Isiah Thomas.
(Thomas was born in February, but the Finals weren’t until June. Sports Illustratedclarifies that the bet was made before the birth — and well before the Finals — but that, by the time the baby arrived, Thomas’ father had “had warmed to the idea of his very own Isiah.”)
From the same interview [vid], former Detroit Pistons player Isiah Thomas getting a kick out hearing his own name being chanted at the Boston Garden:
It’s so beautiful [laughs]. I love it. I love it that, you know, and even though they’re not chanting my name, to hear them chant “MVP” and they’re talking about Isaiah Thomas in the Boston Garden — it’s just awesome.
From a recent article in the Akron Beacon Journal about rookie football player Isaiah Thomas:
Thomas, 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, was named after the Hall of Fame basketball player Isiah Thomas. The Detroit Pistons star was his father’s favorite player and his mother loved the name because of what it represents in the Bible.
His dad wanted Thomas to be a basketball player, and Thomas said he won two state championships at Memorial High School in Tulsa. But there was never any debate over which sport Thomas would play.
With a first name as iconic as Kobe Bryant’s, who needs a middle name with an interesting story? Well, Kobe Bryant does. His middle name — Bean — is a touching tribute to his father, Joe Bryant. Because of his high energy and ability to jump (guess Kobe must have inherited that particular skill), his father was nicknamed “Jellybean.” Luckily, Kobe’s parents didn’t go for the full candy-coated name and instead just dubbed him Kobe Bean Bryant.
From a late 2021 article about college football by AP journalist Stephen Hawkins:
Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant […] changed his number for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl against No. 1 Alabama on Friday.
Yes, Bryant is named after the late NBA great, even with the different spelling of the first name.
For the playoff game, Bryant switched from the No. 7 he had worn throughout his Cincinnati career to No. 8, one of the two numbers the basketball Hall of Fame player wore while winning five NBA titles over his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“My parents loved Kobe Bryant and my brother does too,” the Bearcats cornerback said. “So I was named for Kobe Bryant. It’s just spelled differently”
From an article about the name of Olympic swimmer Leisel Jones:
“Leisel was a very rare name when I was born in 1985… When I was born actually, my doctor said to my mum ‘you cannot call her Leisel because that’s not a name… You’re going to regret that one day,'” the Olympic swimmer said.
“And they absolutely did.”
The 32-year-old also went on to say having a unique name isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when no one can spell it right.
“The only problem with my name is it’s spelt L-E-I-S-E-L — and everyone spells it wrong. Everyone spells it as L-I-E-S-E-L,” she said.
“So that is a bit painful, it’s a bit annoying. But I do love my name and I love that it’s different.”
Preparing for the fall season, the offensive coordinator for University of Washington’s football team realized his team had a small problem. It went by the name Jacob.
The Pac-12 Huskies had four quarterbacks named Jacob or Jake (plus a linebacker named Jake and a tight end named Jacob).
From a 2015 article about British professional boxer Tyson Fury in The Guardian:
Yep, he is named after Mike Tyson, and yep, Tyson Fury is a perfect name for a boxer. Fury was born prematurely and only weighed one pound. “The doctors told me there was not much chance of him living,” said his father, John Fury. “I had lost two daughters in the same way who had been born prematurely. They told me there was not much hope for him. It was 1988, Mike Tyson was in his pomp as world heavyweight champion, and so I said, ‘Let’s call him Tyson’. The doctors just looked at me and smiled.”
She was named after the official island flower of Oahu — the ilima — recognizable for its delicate yellow petals.
“It was considered a flower for royalty,” Macfarlane said during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, “because it would take hundreds of flowers to make a lei, they’re so paper thin.”
By the turn of the century, the Bob-to-Rob transition had been essentially complete. No Major Leaguer has gone by Bob since journeyman reliever Bob Howry retired in 2010. There are dozens of Robs, Robbys and Bobbys currently in the Minors working their way up the ladder, but no Bobs to be found.
With a name like Ryder, practicing golf at a young is no accident. Ryan Carlson says, yes, his son’s name is inspired by the Ryder Cup, but he didn’t expect he’d be such a natural. Shortly after he began to walk, Ryder began swinging a plastic golf club, quickly learning how to hit balls.
From the book Becoming Something: The Story of Canada Lee (2004) by Mona Z. Smith:
Canada Lee was born in New York City on March 3, 1907, and christened with the mellifluous if somewhat daunting name of Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata.
[…]
The first time the leather-lunged [fight announcer Joe] Humphries got ready to introduce Lee, he looked down at his notes and saw a peculiar name: “Canegata, Lee.” Flummoxed by those alien syllables, Humphries tossed away the card with a snort and introduced the young fighter as “Canada Lee.”
Everybody liked the transmogrification, including Lee, and it stuck.
If you do a Google search for the name Bruno Banani, you will get the German underwear company of that name. But it’s also the name of the first Winter Olympian from Tonga. Born Fuahea Semi, the Tongan rugby player and luger went by Bruno Banani to court sponsorship from the company. It was part of a deal endorsed by the Tongan royal family to enable the athlete to afford training in Germany with the world’s best lugers. The company insinuated that the name was just a coincidence that led to the sponsorship, but that story unraveled quickly. It wasn’t “just” a hoax; Semi legally changed his name to Bruno Banani. The International Olympic Committee decided that even though using a sponsor’s name is in bad taste, Banani is the name on his passport, so he will be the lone athlete representing Tonga at Sochi in the luge event.
From a 2018 interview with basketball player LeBron James [vid]:
I still regret giving my 14-year-old my name […] When I was younger, obviously, I didn’t have a dad. So, my whole thing was, like, whenever I have a kid, not only is he gonna be a junior, but I’m gonna do everything that this man didn’t do. They’re gonna experience things that I didn’t experience, and the only thing I can do is give them the blueprint, and it’s up to them to take their own course.
(LeBron, Jr., is nicknamed “Bronny” — no doubt to differentiate son from father, but perhaps also to take some of the pressure off. Here’s a post about how LeBron James has affected baby names over the years.)
From a 1987 Sports Illustrated interview with basketball player Fennis Dembo:
With apologies to World B. Free, Shaquille O’Neal and, yes, even God Shammgod, when it comes to staking a claim to basketball’s alltime name, Fennis Dembo enjoys Jordanlike distance from the pretenders. “I’m always a bit stunned that people still remember me,” says Fennis, whose mother, Clarissa, selected his name, along with that of his twin sister, Fenise, as a declaration that after 11 children, her childbearing days were finis. “I tried to set up an E-mail account, but two other guys–basketball fans, I guess–were already using my name in their address.”
Maternity hospitals reported another 30 new-born babies named Diego Armando, raising the count to 140 so far.
(Maradona died in November of 2020. Soon after, the Naples city council unanimously voted to change the name of the city’s stadium from “Stadio San Paolo” to “Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.” (CBS Sports))
When St. Louisans Alyssa and Dan Hoven call out the name of their 3-year-old son in public, the heads around them instinctively turn.
“Oh my God yeah, so many times,” Alyssa said. “If we’re out to eat, we’ll be like, ‘Vladi’ or ‘Vlad,’ and people are like, ‘Did you name him after Vladimir Tarasenko?’ It starts a ton of conversations, and when we tell them ‘Yes, we did,’ they get all excited and scream, ‘Let’s go Blues!'”
From a 2016 article about babies being named after Maple Leafs players in the Toronto Sun:
Leaf great Ron Ellis still exchanges Christmas cards with a man who was named Ron Ellis Lucas in his honour for his play during the 1960s.
From an interview with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask at Rivals.com:
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask returns Saturday to his home state of Texas, where he will play on the field he was named after.
His parents both went to Texas A&M, so he grew up an Aggies fan.
[…]
His father, Michael Trask, and mother, Melissa Charba, both attended the school in the late 1980’s. When they welcomed their second son on March 6, 1998, his first name came from A&M’s football stadium.
“My mom and dad were Aggies, so they named me after Kyle Field,” Trask revealed Monday. “My whole family is full of Aggies.”
From a 2014 article about high school basketball player Terance Mann in the Boston Globe:
The inevitable question that the Tilton School’s 6-foot-5-inch, 190-pound shooting guard has heard countless times before: Are you named after that Terence Mann?
“Most people think it’s from the movie ‘Field of Dreams,'” which featured a character portrayed by actor James Earl Jones, explained the junior, who, when not attending the boarding school in New Hampshire, lives in Lowell with his mother, Daynia La-Force, and 15-year-old brother, Martin. “But my grandma’s name is Terancia, and they named me after her.”
From an article about professional baseball player Nick Solak in the Dallas News:
Nick Solak is named after a sports bar.
[…]
Back in the 1980s, Nick’s Sports Page sat on the triangular plot of land where Chicago Road and Lincoln Avenue intersected in Dolton, Ill., one of those working-class suburbs on the South Side of Chicago. The exterior featured shaker shingles, chocolate-stained diagonal sheathing and baseball bats for door handles. On Feb. 5, 1985, it hosted Carlton Fisk Night, where patrons could meet the White Sox catcher, whose work ethic screamed South Sider, even if he actually grew up in New England.
Nobody recalls if South Siders Mark Solak or Roseann, née Pawlak, took home Fisk’s autograph, but they did take home each other’s phone numbers. Four years later, they were married. And when they were about to start a family in 1995, Nick — OK, officially, Nicholas — was the clear choice for a boy. They both liked the name. Plus, it had sentimental value as a nod to their South Side roots.
From an interview with Brazilian soccer player Oleúde José Ribeiro (translated from Portuguese):
Q: But, after all, is your name, Oleúde, inspired by Hollywood or not?
A: No, no, it was just a brilliant idea from my parents (laughs). Like it or not, this story always helped me, it drew the attention of reporters… the late Luciano do Valle always asked listeners to guess my name, saying that it was the capital of cinema, it had a lot of impact at the time. This Hollywood thing has become a legend, but it has nothing to do with it.
From an October 2022 episode of the Merloni, Fauria & Mego podcast, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (born in 1999) answering a question about whether or not his mom had a crush on Bailey Salinger from Party of Five when she chose to name him after the character:
Her and my dad I guess were together, so I can’t — I don’t think she’ll publicly say she had a crush on him. … I think she said that she liked that he was the main character, I guess she was pregnant with me at the time, so … I guess that’s how I got the name.
From a post about distance swimmer Diana Nyad at the blog Having a Word:
On August 31 2013, record-breaking long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, aged 64, became the first person ever to swim the 110 miles of open water from Havana, Cuba, to Florida. She swam this distance in 53 hours and without the aid of a shark cage.
While this is a truly impressive feat of endurance and determination (this was her fifth attempt), what struck me was that with a name like Nyad she couldn’t have done anything else.
Nyad sounds like naiad – naiads in Greek mythology were water nymphs or spirits. That’s cute, I thought. Then I noticed that naiad is an anagram of her first name – Diana. Cue dramatic chords So, could this just be coincidence or is something else in play?
So the man named after Derek Jeter by his baseball-crazed mother — even though his father is a Red Sox fan — had never actually met Derek Jeter?
It finally happened last week in a random encounter on a road in South Florida — sort of.
“This last week, I was driving, me and my brother were driving to go to [the] train,” said Downs. “We’re in traffic. My brother sees this Range Rover pulling up. He was like, ‘Oh my God, is that Jeter?’ He honks and I wave at him.
“I’m doing training with Raul Ibanez, [Jeter’s former teammate]. I called Raul and said, ‘Tell [Derek] Jeter that the kid he was waving at was Jeter [Downs].’ So then he told him that and it was pretty cool that I met him that way.”
From a recent Miami Herald article about high school football player Rowdy Beers:
There’s buzz about Beers at FIU [Florida International University].
The buzz started when Panthers coach Mike MacIntyre announced on Dec. 21 that FIU had signed the player with “the best name in college football.”
That would be 6-5, 225-pound tight end and Colorado native Rowdy Beers, who is from Littleton, which is nine miles south. of downtown Denver.
[…]
“As a kid,” Beers said, “any time I told my name to a new authority figure, they thought I was being disrespectful.”
[…]
Beers, who was named after three-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Rowdy Gaines, had right shoulder surgery on Dec. 29 but is expected to be ready by mid-May.
(Rowdy Beers also has three R-named siblings: Rocky, Raegan, and Rylie. Rowdy Gaines, however, is only nicknamed “Rowdy.” He was born Ambrose Gaines IV in 1959 — the year the baby name Rowdy debuted in the U.S. baby name data thanks to Rawhide.)
Cale was named after Cale Hulse, who played for the Calgary Flames when [their father] Gary was doing some business with the team. Taylor is named after Colonel George Taylor of the Planet of the Apes movies, a take charge guy, portrayed by Charlton Heston, who was thrust into a leadership role. (Just for the record, Heston’s politics and ardent support of the National Rifle Association are not shared by the Makar family. “Oh my god, that’s the opposite of us,” Gary said.)
[Another source clarifies that Cale’s first name is short for Caleb. Cale noted in this interview [vid] that he was nearly named “Kurt Russell Makar, after the actor. […] I dodged a bullet there, I think.”]
From the book Why Soccer Matters (2015) by late soccer legend Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento):
When Dondinho met my mother, Celeste, he was still performing his mandatory military service. She was in school at the time. They married when she was just fifteen; by sixteen she was pregnant with me. They gave me the name “Edson” — after Thomas Edison, because when I was born in 1940, the electric lightbulb had only recently come to their town. They were so impressed that they wanted to pay homage to its inventor. It turned out they missed a letter — but I’ve always loved the name anyway.
(“Dondinho” was the nickname of Pelé’s father, João Ramos do Nascimento.)
…and, regarding the nickname Pelé:
Growing up, I hated that damn nickname. After all, it was a garbage word that meant nothing. Plus, I was really proud of the name Edson, believing it was an honor to be named after such an important inventor.
(The nickname did come in handy, though. He “started thinking of “Pelé” almost as a separate identity” in order to cope with his sudden celebrity. “Having Pelé around helped keep Edson sane,” he said.)
From an interview with Australian surfer Kyuss King in Stab Magazine:
Yeah, music is definitely a massive part of my life, from listening to it to playing it! And metal is 100% at the top of my genre — there’s nothing like headbanging to some chunky riffs. Yeah, I was named after the band Kyuss. It was my dad’s favorite band through the ’90s. Funny story, my dad actually had the song Green Machine blasting in the hospital while my mum was in labor with me haha. I guess I kinda came into the world to that kind of music.
From a 2022 article about baseball player Zebulon Vermillion in the New York Post:
Zebulon Vermillion, as he has to explain to just about everyone he meets, was born in Vail, Colo., not too far from the Rocky Mountains and a summit known as Pikes Peak. His parents, the outdoorsy type, read that the apex was named after Zebulon Pike, and it stuck with them.
Vermillion’s last name is Nordic and middle name — Cassis — French, after a fishing port in Southern France. His mother, who is trilingual, loves the city.
From an article about Dutch soccer player Denzel Dumfries, who helped the Netherlands knock the U.S. out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament:
[Denzel Dumfries] was named after none other than no-nonsense movie icon Denzel Washington, star of films such as “Remember The Titans,” “Training Day” and “Courage Under Fire.”
“I don’t have [any] connection with the United States, but, yes, I was named after Denzel Washington,” Dumfries said. “My parents gave me that name. I am incredibly proud of it, because Denzel Washington is a really strong personality who voices his views on certain issues, and I am incredibly proud to be named after someone like that.”
And finally, a bevy of B-names from basketball player Bradley Beal’s “About Brad” page:
Born on June 28, 1993, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, by Bobby and Besta Beal, there was little doubt that Brad would eventually be an athlete. Both parents played sports for Kentucky State — Bobby was a football player, Besta a basketball player.
[…]
There were four other people in Brad’s family who were instrumental in his development as an athlete, and ultimately, as a young man. His two older brothers, Bruce and Brandon, and his younger brothers, the twins Byron and Bryon.
Ambrose Everett Burnside was general in the Union Army throughout the American Civil War.
After the war, he served as the governor of Rhode Island for three single-year terms (1866-1869) and as a U.S. Senator from 1875 until his death in 1881.
Several hundred baby boys — most born during the war — were named in Burnside’s honor. Some examples…
A handful of boys conveniently born into Burnside families were simply named “Ambrose” or “Ambrose E.” (like Ambrose Everett Burnside, b. 1860).
Here’s how one newspaper summed up Ambrose Burnside’s life a few days after he died:
He was not remarkably brilliant as a statesman, but he was eminently successful as a leader of fashion, and the style of whiskers to which his name has been given will probably exist among the dandies long after his breech-loading rifle [the Burnside carbine] and record as a Senator are forgotten.
His distinctive facial hair — bushy side-whiskers with a clean-shaven chin — was initially known as “burnsides.” At some point, the syllables switched places and the term morphed into “sideburns.”
“Death of Senator Burnside.” Silver State [Winnemucca, NV] 15 Sept. 1881: 2.
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