How popular is the baby name Gene 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 Gene.

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Popularity of the baby name Gene


Posts that mention the name Gene

Where did the baby name Tunney come from in 1926?

American boxer Gene Tunney (1897-1978)
Gene Tunney

The name Tunney was being used often enough in the 1920s to register in the U.S. baby name data for three years straight:

  • 1929: unlisted
  • 1928: 9 baby boys named Tunney
  • 1927: 23 baby boys named Tunney
  • 1926: 8 baby boys named Tunney [debut]
  • 1925: unlisted

The variant spelling Tunny also popped up just once, in 1927.

Where did these names come from?

Professional boxer James Joseph “Gene” Tunney, who held the World Heavyweight title from 1926 to 1928.

He won the title by defeating Jack Dempsey in 1926, retained the title by defeating Dempsey again in 1927 (in a famous match now known as “The Long Count Fight”), and retired in 1928 after defeating Tom Heeney of New Zealand.

Gene Tunney in the movie serial "The Fighting Marine" (1926)
Gene Tunney in “The Fighting Marine“

Another factor that could have influenced the name in 1926 was the 10-episode film serial The Fighting Marine, which starred Tunney. (Tunney had served as a Marine during World War I.)

The Irish surname Tunney is ultimately based on the personal name Tonnach, which may have meant either “billowy” or “shining.”

What do you think of Tunney as a baby name?

Sources:

P.S. In the 1952 movie Sailor Beware, the characters played by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis had a short conversation in which they mixed up the similar names of boxer Gene Tunney and actress Gene Tierney — who was not behind the debut of the baby name Tierney, incidentally.

What turned Bimbo into a baby name in 1954?

The Rod Morris single "Bimbo" (1953)
“Bimbo” single

Would you name your son Bimbo?

I ask because Bimbo was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1954. Five baby boys got the name that year.

  • 1956: unlisted
  • 1955: unlisted
  • 1954: 5 baby boys named Bimbo [debut]
  • 1953: unlisted
  • 1952: unlisted

Cruel? Not necessarily.

These parents weren’t bestowing the name with the slang term in mind. (Bimbo, originally a variant of bambino, Italian for “baby,” had become a synonym for “floozie” back in the 1920s.) They’d heard it in a country song about a little boy called Bimbo. Here’s the first verse:

Bimbo is a little boy who’s got million friends
and every time he passes by, they all invite him in
He’ll clap his hands, sing and dance, and talk his baby talk
With a hole in pants, and his knees stickin’ out, he’s just big enough to walk

“Bimbo,” written circa 1953 by Rod Morris, was recorded in 1953-1954 by various performers including Gene Autry,* Ruby Wright, Pee Wee King/Redd Stewart, Eddy Howard, Lawrence Welk, Polly Possum, and Brucie Weil.

"Bimbo" advertisement

But the most successful rendition was performed by Jim Reeves, whose “Bimbo,” released in late 1953, peaked at #2 on the list of Best Selling Country & Western Records for three weeks from late January to early February, 1954.

[T]he song became wildly popular, especially with families who had children. “People were even naming their little boys ‘Bimbo,’ after the song,” [Jim’s wife] Mary said in astonishment.

Here’s a video featuring the Jim Reeves recording:

What do you think of the name Bimbo?

*This was a few years after Gene’s rendition of “Frosty the Snowman” inspired a handful of parents to name their sons Frosty.

Update, Aug. 2024: Bimbo is no longer in the U.S. baby name data! I’m not sure when the SSA made the adjustment, but this is the first time I’ve noticed it. There’s a chance the name could reappear in a future data release, though, so I will leave this post up for now.

Sources:

Second image: Clipping from Billboard magazine (6 Feb. 1954)

Where did the baby name Dijonnaise come from in 1993?

Dijonnaise & sandwich

In 1992, mayonnaise maker Hellmann’s introduced to the world a brand new condiment: Dijonnaise (pronounced dee-zhohn-ayz) — a tasty blend of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise.

The company marketed the product with TV commercials featuring a catchy “Dij, Dij, Dij, Dij-onn-aise” ditty set to the tune of the Gene Chandler song “Duke of Earl” (1961).

The very next year, the baby name Dijonnaise debuted in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1996: unlisted
  • 1995: 5 baby girls named Dijonnaise
  • 1994: unlisted
  • 1993: 23 baby girls named Dijonnaise [debut]
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

These babies were probably not named in tribute to a sandwich spread, though. The sound of the word Dijonnaise happened to be relatively trendy at the time. Three of the names that debuted in the baby name data the year before, for instance, were Dijonnae, Daijanae and Dajonae.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Dijonnaise?

Source: About – Hellmann’s

What gave the baby name Pearlette a boost in 1962?

Pearlettes single "Duchess of Earl" (1962).
Pearlettes single

The rare name Pearlette has only popped up in the U.S. baby name data four times, and three of those times with minimal usage (5 baby girls). It did see slightly elevated usage the fourth year, though:

  • 1964: unlisted
  • 1963: unlisted
  • 1962: 7 baby girls named Pearlette [peak]
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: unlisted

Why?

Because that was the year the Pearlettes, a four-member girl-group from Los Angeles, released their most successful song, “Duchess of Earl” [vid].

“Duchess of Earl” — an answer song to Gene Chandler’s 1961 “Duke Of Earl” — peaked at #96 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in March of 1962.

The Pearlettes consisted of Lynda Galloway and Sheila Galloway (sisters), Mary Meade, and Priscilla Kennedy.

What are your thoughts on the name Pearlette?

Source: Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts, the 1960s. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2008.