The baby name Daktari was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1966:
- 1968: unlisted
- 1967: unlisted
- 1966: 5 baby boys named Daktari [debut]
- 1965: unlisted
- 1964: unlisted
Where did it come from?
The TV series Daktari, which premiered on CBS in that year.
The show was about an American veterinarian, Dr. Marsh Tracy (played by actor Marshall Thompson), who ran an the fictional Wameru Study Center for Animal Behaviour in East Africa.
The two most notable cast members were non-human: Judy the chimp and Clarence the cross-eyed lion — perhaps not surprising, given the fact that the show’s producer was Ivan Tors, who gave us the original Flipper movie in 1963.
Another cast member, Hari Rhodes (who played Mike Makula), may have been behind the debut of Hari in 1968, but it’s hard to know for sure.
The title comes from a Swahili word for “doctor,” which was based directly on the English word “doctor.”
Do you like the name Daktari? (Do you like it more or less than the name Doctor?)
Source: SSA
Image: Screenshot of Daktari
