How popular is the baby name Deshannon 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 Deshannon.

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Popularity of the baby name Deshannon


Posts that mention the name Deshannon

Where did the baby name Deshannon come from in 1969?

Jackie DeShannon album "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (1969).
Jackie DeShannon album

Right around the time the name Shannon was seeing a steep rise in usage, the name Deshannon debuted in the U.S. baby name data:

Girls named ShannonGirls named Deshannon
197210,965
[rank: 22nd]		14
197112,651
[rank: 21st]		12
197013,548
[rank: 22nd]		13
196910,448
[rank: 31st]		12*
19686,402
[rank: 53rd]		.
19673,446
[rank: 101st]		.
19662,992
[rank: 120th]		.
*Debut

The influence? Singer Jackie DeShannon, whose biggest hit, “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” peaked at #4 on Billboard‘s “Hot 100” chart in the summer of 1969.

But this wasn’t DeShannon’s first hit. She’d already seen success with the Burt Bacharach song “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” which had peaked at #7 in the summer of 1965.

So it seems that sudden trendiness of “Shannon” was the x-factor that prepared expectant parents to see more name-potential in “DeShannon” the second time around.

The singer’s birth name was Sharon Lee Myers. She went through various stage names before settling on “Jackie DeShannon.” “Jackie” was chosen because it was gender-neutral, while “DeShannon” was created out of two earlier ideas: “Dee,” which, by itself, made the full name too close to ones already in use (like Sandra Dee and Brenda Lee), and “de Shannon,” which was often written incorrectly.

DeShannon also had a successful career as a songwriter, working with performers like Jimmy Page and Marianne Faithfull. In 1982, she received the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “Bette Davis Eyes,” which she had co-written with Donna Weiss. (The song was a 1981 hit for singer Kim Carnes.)

How do you like DeShannon as a baby name?

Sources: What The World Needs Now Is Jackie DeShannon, Jackie DeShannon – Wikipedia

What gave the baby name Timi a boost in the 1960s?

Timi Yuro's album "Hurt!" (1961)
Timi Yuro album

The name Timi saw a swift rise in usage during the first half of the 1960s:

  • 1965: 67 baby girls named Timi
  • 1964: 71 baby girls named Timi [peak usage]
  • 1963: 54 baby girls named Timi
  • 1962: 47 baby girls named Timi
  • 1961: 17 baby girls named Timi
  • 1960: unlisted

Why?

Because of Italian-American singer Timi Yuro, born Rosemary Timotea Auro in Chicago in 1940.

Her deep, strident, almost masculine voice, staggered delivery and the occasional sob, created a compelling musical presence.

Timi’s first hit song, “Hurt,” was also her biggest hit song. The R&B ballad reached #4 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in September of 1961. Other singles that did well on the charts were “Smile” (1961), “What’s A Matter Baby” (1962), and “Make the World Go Away” (1963).

She also made a number of TV appearances during the ’60s, both on late-night talk shows (like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show) and on music shows (like American Bandstand and The Lloyd Thaxton Show).

Interestingly, Timi was almost the original singer of Burt Bacharach’s “What The World Needs Now.” Here’s how she told the story:

…And I missed out on a friggin’ smash. I went to the office a few days later, and [Bacharach] played “What the World Needs Now” for me. And I started singing it and he said, “No, I want you to say, [beats hand against the table to accent every word] What…the…world…needs…now…” And I said, “Oh, go f*ck yourself,” and I left his office. And I blew that song. It was out a few weeks later with Jackie DeShannon.

What are your thoughts on the name Timi?

Sources: