How popular is the baby name Antonietta 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 Antonietta.

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Popularity of the baby name Antonietta


Posts that mention the name Antonietta

How did Lido “Lee” Iacocca get his name?

Lee Iacocca as Ford vice president at age 39.
Lido “Lee” Iacocca

Businessman Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca was born in Pennsylvania in 1924 to Italian immigrants Nicola “Nick” Iacocca and Antonietta Perrotta. Lee Iacocca went on to become the president of Ford Motor Company from 1970 to 1978 and the CEO of Chrysler Corporation from 1978 to 1992.

So where did the first name Lido come from?

Before his marriage, Nick and one of Antoinette’s brothers had visited Venice, Italy, enjoying the grand and beautiful Lido Beach. To Nick, the spot was perfect. So was his new son, hence the name Lido.

“Lido Beach” refers to the Lido di Venezia. The word lido means “shore” or “beach” in Italian.

And what drove Lido Iacocca to shorten his already-short first name to “Lee”?

Early on in his career…

“As part of my job, I had to make a lot of long-distance calls. In those days, there was no direct dialing, so that you always had to go through operators. They’d ask for my name, and I’d say “Iacocca.” Of course, they had no idea how to spell it, so that was always a struggle to get that right. Then they’d ask for my first name and when I said “Lido,” they’d break out laughing. Finally I said to myself: “Who needs it?” and I started calling myself Lee.”

Which name do you prefer, Lido or Lee?

Sources:

  • Collins, David R. Lee Iacocca: Chrysler’s Good Fortune. Ada, OK: Garrett Educational Corp, 1992.
  • Iacocca, Lee and William Novak. “Iacocca: An Autobiography.” Reader’s Digest Jul. 1985: 79.
  • “Sports Car for the Masses.” Life 17 Apr. 1964: 51-52, 54.

Image: © 1964 Life

Where did the baby name Nedda come from in 1919?

Actress Barbara Castleton, who played Nedda in the movie "Heredity" (1918)
Barbara Castleton

The rare name Nedda first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1919:

  • 1921: unlisted
  • 1920: unlisted
  • 1919: 6 baby girls named Nedda [debut]
  • 1918: unlisted
  • 1917: unlisted

Why?

My guess is a silent film.

The movie Heredity, which came out in August of 1918, featured a main character named Nedda Trevor. She was played primarily by actress Barbara Castleton. (The child-version of Nedda was played by Madge Evans.)

The film is now lost, but, according to one contemporary description, Nedda was

…a descendant of a famous family who, in the time of Charles the First, had rendered a great service to this monarch and were accorded signal honors. Reverses having overtaken the Trevors, Nedda is compelled to seek employment in a factory. She charms the son of the millionaire owner of the plant, but will not marry him because of the difference in their financial standing. Her mother is mysteriously murdered and through circumstantial evidence she is arrested for the crime. The story is dramatic and forceful and full of surprises.

The story (originally entitled “The Blood of the Trevors”) was written by Maravene Thompson.

The Italian name Nedda is a diminutive of Antonietta (which itself is a diminutive of Antonia). What are your thoughts on the name?

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