How popular is the baby name Christine 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 Christine.

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Popularity of the baby name Christine


Posts that mention the name Christine

Where did the baby name Hud come from in 1964?

Detail of poster for movie "Hud" (1963)

The unusual name Hud first appeared in the baby name data in 1964:

  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: 6 baby boys named Hud
  • 1964: 9 baby boys named Hud [debut]
  • 1963: unlisted
  • 1962: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The Western Hud (1963), which was set on a failing cattle ranch in Texas. The movie starred Paul Newman as unscrupulous Hud Bannon, son of ranch owner Homer Bannon (who, in contrast to his son, was very principled).

Hud’s character, despite being despicable, was embraced by audiences. Newman himself later said, “The kids thought he was terrific. His amorality just went right over their heads; all they saw was this Western, heroic individual.”

According to TV and film historian Christine Becker,

[T]he willingness of 1960s audiences to increasingly accept and even revel in antiheroic characters signaled a hallmark societal change as counterculture sensibilities grew across the country.

Hud was nominated for seven Academy Awards and ended up winning three — two for acting, one for cinematography.

The movie was based on the novel Horseman, Pass By (1961) by Larry McMurtry.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Hud?

Sources:

  • Becker, Christine. “Paul Newman: Superstardom and Anti-Stardom.” New Constellations: Movie Stars of the 1960s, edited by Pamela Robertson Wojcik, Rutgers University Press, 2012, pp. 14-33.
  • Hud – Wikipedia

Where did the baby name Teenamarie come from in 1985?

Teena Marie's album "Starchild" (1984).
Teena Marie album “Starchild”

Speaking of Tinamarie…the very similar name Teenamarie first appeared in the U.S. baby name data exactly three decades later, in 1985:

  • 1987: unlisted
  • 1986: unlisted
  • 1985: 7 baby girls named Tennamarie [debut]
  • 1984: unlisted
  • 1983: unlisted

That was the year the song “Lovergirl” [vid] by R&B singer Teena Marie (born Mary Christine Brockert) peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

While the name Teenamarie was a one-hit wonder on the baby name charts, Teena Marie herself was not a one-hit wonder on the music charts; she released dozens of successful singles over the course of her career.

The name Teena also saw a spike in usage in 1985.

(Teena saw its highest usage in the mid-1950s, perhaps thanks to both the comic strip Teena and the fashion label Teena Paige. In both of those cases, the name Teena was based on the relatively new term “teenager.” The usage was also no doubt influenced by the rise of Tina.)

Which spelling do you like better, Tinamarie or Teenamarie?

Name quotes #55: Lehia, Onix, Hoku

double quotation mark

From a 2016 article about Pokémon baby names:

I cross-referenced the Social Security Administration’s annual baby name records with all 151 original pocket monsters back through 1995, the year the Pokémon franchise was created. Five species of Pokémon have proven to be appealing baby names for U.S. parents: Tangela, Abra, Paras, Onix, and Eevee.

From an article about Hawaiian names in Maui Magazine by Kalehiaikealaikahiki “Lehia” Apana:

I’ve told the story of my name countless times: My mother was in Tahiti on a canoe-paddling trip and became very sick. Upon visiting a local doctor, she was shocked to learn that she was pregnant. Returning home, she asked Hokulani Holt, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and close family friend, to name her baby. The name Aunty Hoku gave me, Kalehiaikealaikahiki, translates as “the skillful fisherman on the pathway to Tahiti.”

In Hawaiian belief, one’s name is so important that many parents ask someone fluent in the language, with a deep understanding of the culture, to determine what their baby will be called. But not every child receives a Hawaiian name the way I did. For example, a name can appear through a vision or sign (inoa ho’ailona), or be given in memory of an event (inoa ho’omana’o). However it is chosen, one’s name is a prized possession, to be passed on only with the explicit permission of its owner.

Which “feminine blend” name do you like best?

In his book The American Language, writer Henry Louis Mencken used the phrase “feminine blend” to describe a female name created by blending two other names together.

Here are the feminine blends he lists:

  • Adelloyd (Addie + Lloyd)
  • Adnelle (Addison + Nellie)
  • Adrielle (Adrienne + Belle)
  • Armina (Ardelia + Wilhelmina)
  • Bethene (Elizabeth + Christine)
  • Birdene (Birdie + Pauline)
  • Charline (Charles + Pauline)
  • Leilabeth (Leila + Elizabeth)
  • Lunette (Luna + Nettie)
  • Marjette (Marjorie + Henrietta)
  • Maybeth (May + Elizabeth)
  • Olabelle (Ola + Isabel)
  • Olouise (Olive + Louise)
  • Romiette (Romeo + Juliette)
  • Rosella (Rose + Bella)

If you had to use one of the above in real life, which one would you choose?

Source: Mencken, H. L. The American Language. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1919.