How popular is the baby name Calizza 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 Calizza.

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Popularity of the baby name Calizza


Posts that mention the name Calizza

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 Velveeta come from in 1957?

Small part of a retro Velveeta advertisement (1960s).
Retro Velveeta box (from an 1960s advert)

We may not be able to stop the Cheesepocalypse, but, while we’re waiting it out, we can talk about how Velveeta isn’t just a product name — it’s also a baby name!

The name Velveeta first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in the 1950s:

  • 1960: unlisted
  • 1959: 6 baby girls named Velveeta
  • 1958: 5 baby girls named Velveeta
  • 1957: 7 baby girls named Velveeta [debut]
  • 1956: unlisted
  • 1955: unlisted

I’ve actually found people named Velveeta born as early as the 1930s and as late as the 1980s, but it’s no surprise to me that the 1950s is when usage rose high enough for the name to pop up in the data. The product was being marketed heavily in the middle of the century, with television commercials and full-page ads in major magazines touting the product’s versatility and healthiness. (Today, Velveeta is actually a symbol of ’50s foods.)

So where does the word “Velveeta” come from?

The product was invented in the late 1910s by Swiss-born cheese-maker Emil Frey. The Kraft-Phenix company (later just Kraft) ended up acquiring the processed cheese spread and naming it “Velveeta” for its velvety consistency.

Velveeta was introduced nationally in the late 1920s, right around the start of the Great Depression. Here’s a Velveeta ad from 1929 telling people about the “delicious new cheese product.”

What do you think of the name Velveeta?

Do you know anyone with the name? How do they like it?

(Other food product baby names I’ve blogged about so far include Calizza, Dijonnaise and Oleomargarine.)

Sources: A Cheesy Meltdown: Kraft Warns Of Velveeta Shortage, And it was all yellow

Where did the baby name Calizza come from in 1986?

Calizza from Pizza Hut (mid-1980s)
Calizza from Pizza Hut

Here’s a baby name that might make you hungry: Calizza. It appeared on the U.S. baby name data in 1986 but never again, making it a true one-hit wonder.

  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted
  • 1986: 8 baby girls named Calizza [debut]
  • 1985: unlisted
  • 1984: unlisted

Calizza, like Dijonnaise, can be traced back to a new food product and (more importantly) the associated marketing campaign.

In this case, the food product was Pizza Hut’s Calizza, a six-inch “Italian turnover” on the lunch menu. It came in two varieties: Italian Sausage and Five Cheese. The name “Calizza” was a portmanteau of the words calzone and pizza.

It was introduced nationally in early 1986 with the help of three “wacky, tacky” commercials featuring an Italian mother and son. Here’s one of them:

If you’re curious to try a Calizza, you’re out of luck — Pizza Hut unceremoniously discontinued the Calizza a few years after introducing it. But you could always give this fan-created 3 Cheese Calizza recipe a shot.

Source: “Pizza Hut Introduces Calizza Via Chiat/Day.” Adweek 10 Mar. 1986.

Where did the baby name Corelle come from in 1971?

Did your family own a set of Corelle?

Corelle dishware was introduced to consumers in 1970 by Corning Glass Works of New York. The product was aimed at middle-class Americans who wanted “a long-desired middle ground between paper plates and good china.”

The original marketing made sure to emphasize that a Corelle dish was translucent “like fine china” and “even rings like fine china.” But Corelle wasn’t fine china — it made from a lightweight, durable tempered glass product called Vitrelle (which was originally intended for first-generation television screens in the 1940s). This made it easy to handle, hard to break, and very affordable.

Popular Corelle patterns included Butterfly Gold, Old Towne Blue (above), Woodland Brown, and the wonderfully retro Spring Blossom Green. Clever hook-handles on the cups not only allowed for compact stacking, but also kept “your husband’s big fingers away from the bowl, so they can’t get burned.”

But enough with the nostalgia…what does all this have to do with baby names?

Well, the year after Corelle hit the market, the baby name Corelle appeared in the U.S. baby name data for the first and only time:

  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: 5 baby girls named Corelle [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

This means that the Corelle marketing campaign not only boosted sales, but also boosted the brand name onto the baby name charts.

And this wasn’t an isolated case — there are many other examples of historical marketing campaigns inspiring American parents to name their babies after brands and products (such as Finesse, Jordache, Calizza, Monchel, L’erin, and dozens of perfumes).

What do you think of the baby name Corelle?

For you, is the association with vintage dishware a pro or a con? ;)

Sources: Corelle.com – History, Here’s why these plates make millions of people nostalgic, History of Stylish and Durable Dishware, SSA

Images from a 1974 magazine advertisement for Corelle Livingware by Corning.