Taylor, Tyler, Madison, Jackson…sure, they’re presidential surnames, but if you met a kid with one of these names you wouldn’t assume that he/she was named after a former commander-in-chief.
Not so with Eisenhower.
The one and only time the name Eisenhower appeared in the U.S. baby name data was the year Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president (the first time):
- 1954: unlisted
- 1953: unlisted
- 1952: 5 baby boys named Eisenhower [debut]
- 1951: unlisted
- 1950: unlisted
And the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) reveals that at least four more people have been named Eisenhower — two were born in the ’40s, one in ’53, and one in the ’70s.
The German occupational surname means “iron-hewer” or “iron-cutter.”
The name Dwight became more popular during the 1950s as well, seeing peak usage in 1953:
- 1959: 1,595 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 186th]
- 1958: 1,695 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 176th]
- 1957: 2,024 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 159th]
- 1956: 2,368 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 139th]
- 1955: 2,150 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 142nd]
- 1954: 2,036 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 145th]
- 1953: 2,689 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 122nd]
- 1952: 2,405 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 123rd]
- 1951: 2,049 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 134th]
- 1950: 1,813 baby boys named Dwight [rank: 146th]
And let’s not forget Eisenhower’s famous campaign slogan, “I Like Ike.” His nickname — typically short for Isaac, but in this case based on the first syllable of his surname — also got a boost:
- 1959: 52 baby boys named Ike*
- 1958: 56 baby boys named Ike
- 1957: 76 baby boys named Ike
- 1956: 68 baby boys named Ike
- 1955: 77 baby boys named Ike
- 1954: 76 baby boys named Ike
- 1953: 110 baby boys named Ike
- 1952: 90 baby boys named Ike
- 1951: 61 baby boys named Ike
- 1950: 55 baby boys named Ike
And people still like Ike — in 2010, 59 boys were named Ike (coming down from a spike in 2008, courtesy of Hurricane Ike.)
*Here’s one more baby Ike from 1959.