How popular is the baby name Glenn 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 Glenn.

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Popularity of the baby name Glenn


Posts that mention the name Glenn

Baby born on day of Earth orbit, named Orbit

On February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Many of the baby boys born in the U.S. that day were named John Glenn to mark the event.

But the boy born to Wynona and Harvey Ray Hill of Ogden, Utah, was given something a little different. His name? LaMar Orbit Hill.

The editors at Life magazine thought the name was so interesting that, a couple of weeks later, they published a photo of LaMar Orbit Hill and opined that “this baby might easily be the first American ever to be so christened.”

As it happens, he wasn’t the first. Dozens of Americans born before 1962 were named Orbit. (My favorite example: Orbit Paul Moon, born in 1902.)

He also wasn’t the only baby named Orbit that particular day. A boy born into the Reeves family of Gregg County, Texas, on February 20, 1962, was named Glenn Orbit Reeves.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from The Earth seen from Apollo 17 (NASA/Apollo 17 crew)

[Latest update: Sept. 2024]

What would you name the first baby born in space?

stars in space

After all the excitement surrounding the re-entry of NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) last week, I thought this would be a fun topic.

Let’s say that a baby is about to be born aboard the International Space Station. People all over the globe are getting ready to celebrate the birth of mankind’s very first space-baby.

The baby’s astronaut-mom, who happens to be from an English-speaking nation, has generously agreed to let an Earthbound person do the naming. And that lucky Earthbound person is you.

What name do you select if the baby is a boy? How about a girl?

Do the names reflect the unique circumstances/significance of the birth? Why or why not?

Some inspiration:

Image: Adapted from NGC 3603 HST ACS (by NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration)

Where did the baby name Vilas come from in 1913?

American aviator Jack Vilas (1891-1976)
Jack Vilas

Back in 1913, at least two dozen baby boys in the U.S. were suddenly named Vilas, making Vilas the most popular debut name for baby boys that year:

  • 1915: 16 baby boys named Vilas
  • 1914: 13 baby boys (and 6 baby girls) named Vilas
  • 1913: 24 baby boys named Vilas [debut]
  • 1912: unlisted
  • 1911: unlisted

Many of these babies were born in Wisconsin specifically:

  • 1915: 8 babies named Vilas in Wisconsin
  • 1914: 7 babies named Vilas in Wisconsin
  • 1913: 10 babies named Vilas in Wisconsin
  • 1912: unlisted
  • 1911: unlisted

Data from the Social Security Death Index (which is more accurate than the SSA data for the late 1800s and early 1900s) shows the same 1913 spike and the same high usage in Wisconsin:

  • 1915: 25 people named Vilas (7 in WI, 2 in MI)
  • 1914: 27 people named Vilas (8 in WI, 2 in IL)
  • 1913: 45 people named Vilas (15 WI, 3 in IL)
  • 1912: 25 people named Vilas (13 WI, 1 in IL, 1 in MI)
  • 1911: 24 people named Vilas (8 in WI)

So what inspired the spike?

The spike was inspired by aviation pioneer Logan Archbold “Jack” Vilas. He purchased a hydro-aeroplane from Glenn Curtiss in the spring of 1913 and, while his plane was being built, went to flight school (for just four weeks!). Soon after that, Vilas became the first person to fly across Lake Michigan, traveling west from St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, in about an hour and a half on July 1, 1913.

But this doesn’t explain why Wisconsinites liked the name so much even before Jack Vilas came along.

It seems that people in the Badger State already had an affinity for the name Vilas thanks to a pair of Wisconsin politicians: Levi Vilas (1811-1879) and his son William Vilas (1840-1908).

Jack was actually a distant cousin of Levi and William. Their closest common ancestor was Noah Vilas, born in Massachusetts in 1733. Noah’s father Peter brought the surname over from England.

Sources:

Image: San Diego Air & Space Museum

What gave the baby name Glenn a boost in 1962?

Astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016)
John Glenn

On February 20, 1962, 40-year-old military test pilot John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.

He was also the third American in space, and the fifth human being in space (after Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, and Gherman Titov).

Glenn was the sole astronaut inside the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7 when it launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at around 9:45 am. He orbited the planet three times before returning the Earth — splashing down in the vicinity of Grand Turk Island nearly 5 hours after takeoff.

Given the significance of the event, it’s not surprising that the baby name Glenn saw a corresponding spike in usage in 1962:

  • 1964: 4,750 baby boys named Glenn
  • 1963: 5,970 baby boys named Glenn
  • 1962: 7,361 baby boys named Glenn [peak usage]
  • 1961: 6,268 baby boys named Glenn
  • 1960: 5,563 baby boys named Glenn

The name John didn’t see higher usage that year, but we know from the post on baby names inspired by Mercury astronauts that other babies were given the first-middle combo “John Glenn” in tribute to the astronaut.

Sources: John Glenn – Wikipedia, About Project Mercury – NASA, Death of John H. Glenn, Jr. – U.S. Marine Corps, SSA

Image: Adapted from Mercury 6, John H Glenn Jr (NASA)