How popular is the baby name Ibe 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 Ibe.

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Popularity of the baby name Ibe


Posts that mention the name Ibe

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

  • (none yet)

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

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: Dec. 2023]

Mystery baby names: Enchantee & Enchantra

Graph of the usage of the baby name Enchantee in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Enchantee

In the mood to do some detective work? Here are a few one-hit wonder baby names with mysterious origins.

First we have the French words enchantée and enchanté, which mean “enchanted.” Both debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1987:

  • 1989: unlisted
  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: 9 baby girls named Enchantee + 6 baby girls named Enchante
  • 1986: unlisted
  • 1985: unlisted

My first guess was perfume, and indeed both words have been used in perfume names before (e.g., Rêve Enchanté by Van Cleef & Arpels). None of these perfumes were launched circa 1987, though.

The fact that there are two spellings suggest an audio source — perhaps music or a minor TV character (à la Ibe) — but I haven’t found a song or a character that fits the bill yet.

The only other information I have is that the name Chantee saw a spike in usage the same year.

Second we have the fanciful name Enchantra, which debuted in 1978:

  • 1980: unlisted
  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: 8 baby girls named Enchantra
  • 1977: unlisted
  • 1976: unlisted

Five of those eight babies were born in Louisiana specifically.

The popular sitcom Bewitched (1964-1972) included a character named Enchantra, as did a cartoon called Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch (2013-2014), but neither of these shows was airing new episodes in 1978.

So where did Enchantee/Enchante and Enchantra come from? I wish I knew! What theories do you guys have?

Where did the baby name Toosdhi come from in 1969?

The character Toosdhi from an episode of the TV series "It Takes a Thief" (1968).
Toosdhi from “It Takes a Thief”

The baby name Toosdhi first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1969:

  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: 7 baby girls named Toosdhi
  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: 5 baby girls named Toosdhi [debut]
  • 1968: unlisted

Where did it come from?

It’s not a variant of Tuesdee, which happened to debut the same year.

Instead, Toosdhi is one of the dozens of baby names that debuted thanks to minor television characters (e.g., Ibe, Alethea).

In Toosdhi’s case, the character was featured on a single episode of the action-adventure TV series It Takes a Thief (1968-1970).

The characters Toosdhi and Alexander from "It Takes a Thief" (1968-1970)
Toosdhi and Alexander from “It Takes a Thief”

In “To Catch a Roaring Lion,” which first aired on the very last day of 1968, main character Alexander Mundy (played by Robert Wagner) is sent to the fictional African country of Zambutiko to recover a set of ancient scrolls. In Zambutiko, Mundy meets Toosdhi Mboto (played by Denise Nicholas). After introducing herself, Toosdhi spells out her unique name:

“I’m Toosdhi.”

“Well, this is the first time that Monday’s ever going to follow Tuesday.”

“As with your name, it’s spelled differently. T-o-o-s-d-h-i. Toosdhi Mboto. My identification.”

“I don’t think I can read this out here, the sun is so bright. Why don’t we go to some dark spot, with rum in it.”

“I will be your personal guide while you’re here, Mr. Mundy.”

“You can call me Al.”

The name made a second appearance on the national list in the early ’70s, likely because of reruns, but hasn’t been back since.

What are your thoughts on the name Toosdhi?

P.S. From 1969 to 1974, Denise Nicholas played the part of a high school guidance counselor on the TV series Room 222.

Sources: “To Catch a Roaring Lion,” It Takes a Thief – IMDb, SSA
Images: Screenshots of It Takes a Thief

Mystery baby name: Ebay (Solved!)

The characters J.J., Ibe, and Thelma from the TV series "Good Times" (1974-1979)
J.J., Ibe, and Thelma from “Good Times

Here’s something curious. In 1977, 12 baby boys in the U.S. were named Ebay. The name Ebay doesn’t appear on the SSA’s list any other year. Not even in the late 90s, when auction site eBay was taking off.

Why were there suddenly a dozen baby Ebays in 1977? I have no idea. A few names I know of (e.g. Adebayo) include the e-b-a-y sequence of letters, but Ebay doesn’t seem like a logical nickname for any of them, so that’s probably not the source. And the online sleuthing I usually do isn’t working in this case, as all searches for Ebay just lead me to eBay.

Any guesses?

Update: Commenter Robin quickly figured it out! Ebay is a variant spelling of Ibealso a one-hit wonder in 1977. Both were popularized by a character named Ibe Wubila who appeared on two episodes of Good Times (“Thelma’s African Romance”, parts 1 and 2) in January of that year. Thank you, Robin!