How popular is the baby name Ardoth 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 Ardoth.

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Popularity of the baby name Ardoth


Posts that mention the name Ardoth

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Apr. 2024]

Where did the baby name Ardoth come from in 1933?

Ardoth Schneider after winning a race (circa 1930)
Ardoth Schneider after winning a race

The rare name Ardoth was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1933:

  • 1935: unlisted
  • 1934: unlisted
  • 1933: 6 baby girls named Ardoth [debut]
  • 1932: unlisted
  • 1931: unlisted

What gave the name a boost that year?

My guess is female jockey and trick rider Ardoth Schneider.

She’d been winning races since the late 1920s, so her name — often misspelled “Ardath” — had been mentioned in the newspapers before.

But 1933 was the year she was declared Sweetheart of California Rodeo:

While thousands cheered themselves hoarse at the western arena [in Salinas] this afternoon as the spectacular 22nd annual rodeo got under way, the 1933 Sweetheart crown was placed over the lustrous, black locks of winsome Ardoth Schneider, 23, of Long Beach.

Following the win, various photos of Ardoth — typically astride or beside a horse — began popping up in the newspapers. And I think the photos (as opposed to the mere mentions) are what made the difference.

As the new “Sweetheart,” she went on a tour of Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador with a letter of introduction from President Roosevelt that described her as California’s “finest outdoor girl.”

What are your thoughts on the name Ardoth? Would you use it for a modern-day baby?

P.S. For several months during the winter of 1928, Ardoth was in Japan performing for the coronation of Emperor Hirohito. Twice a day, she jumped her Shetland pony Betty off a 40-foot platform into a pool of water “to entertain the enthusiastic Japanese crowds.”

P.P.S. Tuesdee is another female jockey-inspired baby name I discovered in the data…

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of USA: Female Jockeys Competing In Turf Classic Race (1930) by British Pathé

What gave the baby name Ardeth a boost in 1930?

Illustration of Ardeth Carroll from the Winona Republican-Herald (Jun. 1930)
Ardeth Carroll

From 1929 to 1930, the baby name Ardeth saw a dramatic rise in usage — dramatic enough to boost the name into the U.S. top 1,000 for the first time.

  • 1932: 55 baby girls named Ardeth [rank: 954th]
  • 1931: 58 baby girls named Ardeth [rank: 912th]
  • 1930: 121 baby girls named Ardeth [rank: 629th]
  • 1929: 38 baby girls named Ardeth
  • 1928: 27 baby girls named Ardeth

What caused the spike?

The Gladys Johnson story Girl Unafraid, which was serialized in newspapers across the country during 1930.

The story’s main character was Ardeth Carroll, “a Titian-haired, amber-eyed” shop-girl who fell in love with a man named Ken Gleason. The problem? Ken was already engaged to wealthy Cecile Parker.

According to an advertisement for the serialization,

The silent struggle between these proud modern women, with Ardeth pitting her beauty, her wit and her courage against Cecile’s wealth and influence, makes one of the most thrilling love stories ever published.

What are your thoughts on the name Ardeth?

P.S. The similar name Ardoth popped up several years later for an entirely different reason…

Sources:

  • “Girl Unafraid.” Journal and Courier [Lafayette, Indiana] 14 Aug. 1930: 3.
  • “Girl Unafraid.” Winona Republican-Herald 14 Jun. 1930: 8.
  • “Woman vs. Woman” [Advertisement]. Oregon Statesman 20 Sept. 1930: 2.
  • SSA

Image: Clipping from the Winona Republican-Herald (14 Jun. 1930)