How popular is the baby name Diana 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 Diana.

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Popularity of the baby name Diana


Posts that mention the name Diana

What gave the baby name Tiana a boost in 2010?

The character Tiana from the movie "The Princess and the Frog" (2009)
Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog“

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Tiana came close to doubling in usage in 2010:

  • 2012: 712 baby girls named Tiana [rank: 440th]
  • 2011: 822 baby girls named Tiana [rank: 386th]
  • 2010: 970 baby girls named Tiana [rank: 331st]
  • 2009: 504 baby girls named Tiana [rank: 598th]
  • 2008: 480 baby girls named Tiana [rank: 642nd]

What accounts for that sudden spike?

The very first African-American Disney Princess.

Tiana (pronounced tee-ah-nah) was the protagonist of the animated movie The Princess and the Frog, which came out in December of 2009.

The movie, a modern adaptation of the German fairy tale “The Frog Prince,” was set in New Orleans in the 1920s.

Tiana was a hardworking waitress who dreamed of opening her own restaurant. After being persuaded to kiss a frog who was actually a prince, though, Tiana was unexpectedly turned into a frog as well. So the two frogs set off on a journey through the bayou in search of the voodoo priestess who might be able to restore them both to human form.

Tiana and her parents from the movie "The Princess and the Frog" (2009)
Tiana and her parents from “The Princess and the Frog“

The Princess and the Frog was a success at the box office — though it might have been an even bigger success had the record-breaking sci-fi film Avatar not been released one week later.

So, how did the character come to be called Tiana?

She was initially named Maddy (a diminutive of the French name Madeleine) in the film’s treatment, which was written by co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker in early 2006.

A year later, Disney revealed her name in a movie announcement:

A musical set in the legendary birthplace of jazz — New Orleans — “The Frog Princess” will introduce the newest Disney princess, Maddy, a young African-American girl living amid the charming elegance and grandeur of the fabled French Quarter.

The project drew criticism, though — particularly from the African-American community. Some people thought, for instance, that “Maddy” sounded too much like “Mammy.”

In response, Disney made some changes. And among those changes was a new name for the main character.

Clements claimed that Tiana meant “princess” in Greek, but this isn’t the case. (The princess association may have arisen from the name’s similarity to that of Princess Diana.) Rather, Tiana can be considered a short form of names that end with -tiana, like Tatiana and Christiana, or else an elaborated form of Tia.

What are your thoughts on the name Tiana?

P.S. Ron Clements also came up with the name Ariel for The Little Mermaid…

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of The Princess and the Frog

What popularized the baby name Corliss in the 1940s?

The character Corliss Archer (played by Shirley Temple) from the film "Kiss and Tell" (1945)
Corliss Archer from “Kiss and Tell“

After re-emerging in the U.S. baby name data in 1943, the name Corliss went on to feature in the girls’ top 1,000 from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s.

  • 1946: 182 baby girls named Corliss [rank: 591st]
  • 1945: 80 baby girls named Corliss [rank: 843rd]
  • 1944: 70 baby girls named Corliss [rank: 918th]
  • 1943: 44 baby girls named Corliss
  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: 6 baby girls named Corliss

(The spelling Corlis also saw higher usage during that period, and Corless was a one-hit wonder in 1947.)

What accounts for the trendiness of Corliss during those years?

A fictional teenage girl named Corliss Archer.

Created by writer F. Hugh Herbert, the “energetic and vivacious” Corliss was introduced in early 1943 as the central character of…

  • A series of six short stories published in the popular women’s magazine Good Housekeeping (starting in January),
  • The radio program Meet Corliss Archer (which also started in January), and
  • The Broadway play Kiss and Tell (which premiered in March).

In 1945, the play was adapted into a film of the same name starring 17-year-old Shirley Temple. The following year (which, admittedly, was the first year of the baby boom) the name Corliss reached peak usage.

Shirley Temple also starred in a second Corliss Archer film, A Kiss for Corliss, which was released in 1949.

The character Corliss Archer from the TV series "Meet Corliss Archer" (1954-55)
Corliss Archer from “Meet Corliss Archer“

During the 1950s, the radio program Meet Corliss Archer was adapted to television twice:

  • In the first adaptation, which was broadcast live on CBS from 1951 to 1952, Corliss was played by Lugene Sanders.
  • In the second, which was produced for first-run syndication during the 1954-55 season, Corliss was played by Ann Baker (above).

The radio program itself remained on the air for more than 13 years, until mid-1956.

I’m not sure why F. Hugh Herbert chose “Corliss” as the name of the character. (Perhaps he was inspired by Corliss Palmer?) But I do know that the character was based on his own teenage daughters, Diana and Pamela. He wrote,

I merely had to put into the lips of Corliss some of their more pungent phrases, into the life of Corliss some of their exuberant high spirits, their natural gaiety, bounce, and charm.

Sources:

Image: Screenshots of Kiss and Tell (1945) and Meet Corliss Archer (1954-55)

What gave the baby name Tracee a boost in 1973?

Tracee Joy Silberstein on lap of mom Diana Ross (1973)
Tracee Joy Silberstein (b. 1972)

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Tracee more than doubled in usage from 1972 to 1973:

  • 1975: 95 baby girls named Tracee
  • 1974: 138 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 918th]
  • 1973: 313 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 536th]
  • 1972: 124 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 978th]
  • 1971: 99 baby girls named Tracee

What caused that spike?

A celebrity baby named Tracee Joy.

She was born in October of 1972 to Diana Ross, former lead singer of The Supremes, and music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein.

Tracee’s birth was mentioned in the newspapers in late 1972, but, more importantly, photos of her family (which included older sister Rhonda Suzanne) were featured in Ebony magazine in January of 1973.

Today, Tracee — known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross — is an actress best known for her role as Dr. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish (2014-2022).

What are your thoughts on the name Tracee? (Do you like this spelling, or do you prefer Tracy?)

P.S. Diana Ross’ three other (biological) children are named Chudney Lane, Ross Arne, and Evan Olav.

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the cover of Ebony magazine (Jul. 1973)

What gave the baby name Tracy a boost in 1970?

The Cuff Links' album "Tracy" (1969)
The Cuff Links album

After rising for decades, the usage of Tracy (as a girl name) looked like it might plateau in the late 1960s. Instead, it rose steeply for two years in a row, reaching the girls’ top 10 for the first and only time in 1970:

Girls named TracyBoys named Tracy
197211,436 [rank: 19th]2,538 [rank: 111th]
197114,329 [rank: 13th]2,076 [rank: 144th]
197018,465† [rank: 10th]1,777 [rank: 162nd]
196915,108 [rank: 17th]2,169 [rank: 141st]
196812,742 [rank: 25th]2,655 [rank: 111th]
†Peak usage

Interestingly, when the female usage spiked, the male usage dipped. You can see both the spike and the corresponding dip on the name’s popularity graph:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Tracy in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Tracy

Several other spellings (Tracey, Traci, and Tracie) also saw peak usage in 1970.

So, what was drawing attention to the name Tracy in the late 1960s?

The bubblegum pop song “Tracy,” which was performed by The Cuff Links (a studio band) and released in July of 1969. It peaked at #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in late October.

Here’s what the song sounds like:

Another influence may have been the character Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo (played by actress Diana Rigg) from the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which was released in December of 1969. (Thank you to Sharky for letting me know about this character!)

What are your thoughts on the name Tracy?

P.S. Diana Rigg also played the part of Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones…

Sources: Tracy (The Cuff Links song) – Wikipedia, Billboard Hot 100 for the week of 25 Oct. 1969, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (film) – Wikipedia, SSA