How popular is the baby name Fontilla 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 Fontilla.

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Popularity of the baby name Fontilla


Posts that mention the name Fontilla

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

2010s

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1990s

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1970s

1960s

1950s

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1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Apr. 2024]

What gave the baby name Fontella a boost in 1965?

Fontella Bass' single "Rescue Me" (1965).
Fontella Bass single

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Fontella saw its highest-ever usage in the middle of the 1960s:

  • 1968: 24 baby girls named Fontella
  • 1967: 33 baby girls named Fontella
  • 1966: 104 baby girls named Fontella [peak]
  • 1965: 49 baby girls named Fontella
  • 1964: 5 baby girls named Fontella

Fontella was the fastest-rising baby name of 1965, and it nearly entered the top 1,000 in 1966. It even gave rise to a variant form, Fontilla, which was a one-hit wonder in 1966.

So what gave Fontella a boost in the mid-’60s?

Missouri-born R&B/soul singer Fontella Bass, best known for her 1965 hit song “Rescue Me” (which many people mistakenly assume was sung by Aretha Franklin).

The Grammy-nominated song reached #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in November of that year. Also around that time, Fontella could be seen performing “Rescue Me” (and other songs) on various TV shows, such as The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Shindig, and Top of the Pops.

Here’s Fontella singing “Rescue Me”:

What are your thoughts on the baby name Fontella?

Sources: Fontella Bass – Wikipedia, Fontella Bass – Billboard, Fontella Bass – IMDb, Fontella Bass – Grammy.com, Fontella Bass – AllMusic

P.S. I happened to spot a 3-year-old named Fontella in an August 1969 issue of Jet, incidentally.