How popular is the baby name Denise 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 Denise.
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In December of 2015 — the day before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — a baby boy born to Jim and Denise Gracie of Woburn, Massachusetts, was named Ryker Jedi.
Instead of saying “Congratulations” to the couple, hospital staff has been saying “May the force be with you.”
According to Star Wars creator George Lucas, the Jedi are “warrior-monks who keep peace in the universe.” The name Jedi has been popping up in the U.S. baby name data since 2002, and its highest usage so far was 32 baby boys in 2016.
Coincidentally, the baby’s first name, Ryker, can be connected to a character in a similar sci-fi franchise: Will Riker from Star Trek.
The baby name Toosdhi first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1969:
1973: unlisted
1972: 7 baby girls named Toosdhi
1971: unlisted
1970: unlisted
1969: 5 baby girls named Toosdhi [debut]
1968: unlisted
Where did it come from?
It’s not a variant of Tuesdee, which happened to debut the same year.
Instead, Toosdhi is one of the dozens of baby names that debuted thanks to minor television characters (e.g., Ibe, Alethea).
In Toosdhi’s case, the character was featured on a single episode of the action-adventure TV series It Takes a Thief (1968-1970).
Toosdhi and Alexander from “It Takes a Thief”
In “To Catch a Roaring Lion,” which first aired on the very last day of 1968, main character Alexander Mundy (played by Robert Wagner) is sent to the fictional African country of Zambutiko to recover a set of ancient scrolls. In Zambutiko, Mundy meets Toosdhi Mboto (played by Denise Nicholas). After introducing herself, Toosdhi spells out her unique name:
“I’m Toosdhi.”
“Well, this is the first time that Monday’s ever going to follow Tuesday.”
“As with your name, it’s spelled differently. T-o-o-s-d-h-i. Toosdhi Mboto. My identification.”
“I don’t think I can read this out here, the sun is so bright. Why don’t we go to some dark spot, with rum in it.”
“I will be your personal guide while you’re here, Mr. Mundy.”
“You can call me Al.”
The name made a second appearance on the national list in the early ’70s, likely because of reruns, but hasn’t been back since.
What are your thoughts on the name Toosdhi?
P.S. From 1969 to 1974, Denise Nicholas played the part of a high school guidance counselor on the TV series Room 222.
The ground-breaking ’80s sitcom focused on the Huxtables, a well-off African-American family living in New York City. It starred Bill Cosby as Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable.
The show ran from 1984 to 1992, and was the top-rated program in the nation for five consecutive seasons (1985, ’86, ’87, ’88, and ’89).
And it influenced a whole bunch of baby names, such as…
Rudy & Keshia
Rudith “Rudy” Huxtable, the youngest child in the family, was played by Keshia Knight Pulliam. The baby name Keshia entered the girls’ top 1,000 the year after the show premiered:
Also in 1985, the rare name Rudy rose in usage, and the variant spelling Rudi popped up in the U.S. baby name data (as a girl name) for the very first time.
Vanessa Huxtable from “The Cosby Show“
Vanessa & Tempestt
Vanessa, the second-youngest Huxtable child, was played by Tempestt Bledsoe. The baby name Vanessa saw its highest-ever usage during the years the show was on:
1989: 6,955 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 50th)
1988: 7,515 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 41st)
1987: 7,345 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 43rd)
1986: 7,367 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 43rd)
1985: 7,562 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 42nd)
1984: 7,153 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 45th)
1983: 6,383 baby girls named Vanessa (ranked 49th)
And the baby name Tempestt debuted on the charts the year after the show premiered:
The name Tempest also got a boost during the last half of the ’80s.
Theo Huxtable from “The Cosby Show“
Theo & Malcolm-Jamal
Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, the family’s middle child (and the only male in the house besides Cliff), was played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The baby name Theo nearly tripled in usage the year after the show premiered:
Usage of the baby name Malcolm also began to rise in the mid-’80s, and the baby name Malcolm-Jamal (rendered Malcolmjamal by the SSA, which leaves off hyphens) debuted in the baby name data two years after the show premiered:
(Where did actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner get his name, btw? He was named after civil rights activist Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.)
Clair Huxtable from “The Cosby Show“
Phylicia
Huxtable mother Clair was played by actress Phylicia Rashad. The baby name Phylicia entered the top 1,000 for the first time two years after the show premiered:
1990: 257 baby girls named Phylicia (ranked 787th)
1989: 265 baby girls named Phylicia (ranked 744th)
1988: 286 baby girls named Phylicia (ranked 679th)
1987: 290 baby girls named Phylicia (ranked 649th)
1986: 213 baby girls named Phylicia (ranked 789th)
So now here’s the question: Does The Cosby Show beat Family Ties in terms of impact on the baby name charts? Cosby clearly affected a greater number of names, but is that enough to offset the massive rises of both Mallory and Alex?
P.S. Did you know that Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy Huxtable were loosely based on Cosby’s real-life children, named Erika, Erinn, Ennis, Ensa, and Evin?
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