How popular is the baby name Astreia 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 Astreia.

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Popularity of the baby name Astreia


Posts that mention the name Astreia

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

  • (none yet)

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: Dec. 2023]

Where did the baby name Astrea come from in 1978?

The character Astrea from the animated TV series "The Space Sentinels" (1977).
Astrea from “The Space Sentinels

In 1978, the names Astria, Astrea and Astreia all debuted in the U.S. baby name data, and the name Astra saw its then-highest-ever usage (unsurpassed until 2020):

AstraAstriaAstreaAstreia
198055..
19791714..
197825†24*9*6*
197719...
19769...
*Debut, †Peak usage (up to that point)

What caused this sudden interest in the name Astrea?

A Saturday morning cartoon called The Space Sentinels (originally titled The Young Sentinels). It premiered in September of 1977, and the main characters were a trio of teenage superheroes that represented three different racial groups:

  • Mercury (Asian), “the amazing athlete who can match the speed of light”
  • Astrea (African-American), “able to assume any living form”
  • Hercules (white), “empowered with the strength of a hundred men”
The characters Hercules, Mercury and Astrea from the animated TV series "Space Sentinels" (1977).
Main characters of “The Space Sentinels

Astrea (pronounced ASS-tree-uh) was one of the few African-American superheroes on television around this time. (The Super Friends character Black Vulcan was another.)

Like Hercules and Mercury, Astrea’s name was taken from a figure in ancient mythology: the Greek goddess of justice, Astraea.

Though I’ve chosen the spelling Astrea for this post — because “Astrea” is the most common alternative spelling of “Astraea” — I have to admit that I don’t know which spelling was used in the cartoon. None of the episodes I watched on YouTube displayed the character’s name on-screen.

Speaking of episodes, not very many exist: only 13 aired before The Space Sentinels was cancelled. Was the mixed-race cartoon too ahead of its time to survive?

So which of those three debut spellings do you like best: Astria, Astrea or (one-hit wonder) Astreia?

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