How popular is the baby name Gwyllyn 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 Gwyllyn.

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Popularity of the baby name Gwyllyn


Posts that mention the name Gwyllyn

Where did the baby name Melora come from in 1956?

The character Melora from the movie "Don't Go Near the Water" (1957)
Melora from “Don’t Go Near the Water

The mellifluous name Melora debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1956:

  • 1959: 12 baby girls named Melora
  • 1958: 10 baby girls named Melora
  • 1957: unlisted
  • 1956: 7 baby girls named Melora [debut]
  • 1955: unlisted
  • 1954: unlisted

Where did it come from?

William Brinkley’s novel Don’t Go Near the Water, a military comedy that came out in mid-1956 and became the bestselling book in the country that year. The character Melora Alba, a native of the remote Pacific island of Tulura, was the love interest of main character Ensign Max Siegel of the U.S. Navy.

The name dropped out of the data the next year, and it may have remained a one-hit wonder if not for the late 1957 release of the movie Don’t Go Near the Water, in which Glenn Ford* and Gia Scala played Max and Melora. Right on cue, the name returned in 1958.

No one can pinpoint where Melora comes from or what it means, but we do know it was featured in the late 17th century Arthurian romance “Eachtra Mhelora agus Orlando,” Irish for “Adventures of Melora and Orlando.”

The name is still being given to babies these days, but usage rarely rises above a dozen babies per year.

Do you like the name Melora? Do you like it more or less than other Mel- names such as Melissa and Melinda?

*Glenn Ford’s birth name was Gwyllyn Ford. He based his stage name on Glenford, the name of the Canadian village where his father was born. His biography states that Gwyllyn is a Welsh form of William.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Don’t Go Near the Water (1957)

Where did the baby name Jubal come from in 1956?

The title character from the movie "Jubal" (1956).
Jubal from “Jubal

The Biblical name Jubal jumped into the U.S. baby name data for the first time in 1956:

  • 1958: 9 baby boys named Jubal
  • 1957: 9 baby boys named Jubal
  • 1956: 13 baby boys named Jubal [debut]
  • 1955: unlisted
  • 1954: unlisted

What put it there?

The biggest influence was probably the Western film Jubal, which was released in April that year.

The protagonist, a drifter named Jubal Troop, took a job on a ranch and ended up being “caught in the middle of the frustrated desires and desperate deceptions” of the rancher’s wife and other ranch hands.

Jubal was played by actor Glenn Ford (born Gwyllyn Ford). Other Western-tinged character names included Shep, Shem, Pinky, and Reb.

The movie was based on the 1939 book Jubal Troop by Paul Wellman. Wellman also wrote the book that became the movie The Iron Mistress (1952), which gave rise to the one-hit wonder baby name Judalon.

Another influence on the name might have been the short-lived TV Western Frontier (1955-1956), which featured a character named Jubal Dolan (played by Jack Kelly, who went on to star in Maverick) in a single episode (“The Return of Jubal Dolan”) that aired in August of 1956.

The name Jubal comes from the ancient Hebrew root-verb yabal, which means “to flow, run, go forth.” Many sources say the name means “stream” specifically.

Do you like the name Jubal?

Sources: Jubal (1956) – Turner Classic Movies, Genesis 4:22 Commentaries – Bible Hub