How popular is the baby name Joanie 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 Joanie.
The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.
According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Mindy reached the girls’ top 100 for the first and only time in 1979:
1981: 1,827 baby girls named Mindy [rank: 155th]
1980: 2,262 baby girls named Mindy [rank: 131st]
1979: 3,712 baby girls named Mindy [rank: 81st]
1978: 1,593 baby girls named Mindy [rank: 170th]
1977: 1,235 baby girls named Mindy [rank: 205th]
Here’s a visual:
Usage of the baby name Mindy
What caused that spike in usage?
My guess is the sitcom Mork & Mindy, which premiered in September of 1978.
Character Mindy McConnell (played by Pam Dawber) was a young woman who lived in Boulder, Colorado, and worked at her family’s music store on the Pearl Street Mall (which was relatively new at that time).
During the first episode of the show, Mindy encountered and befriended a zany extraterrestrial named Mork (played by Robin Williams). She offered to help him fit in on Earth if he would teach her more about his home planet, Ork.
Mork from Ork had actually been introduced to TV audiences earlier that year, in a February episode of Happy Days. The alien character proved so popular that a whole new series, Mork & Mindy, was created to showcase Robin Williams’ comedic talent.
Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood was named after Ravenna, Italy.
Washington’s 6 unique boy names: Amnen, Dashel, Ole, Sven, Tor, Vihan
West Virginia
West Virginia’s top girl name: Amelia
West Virginia’s top boy name: Liam
No unique girl names.
No unique boy names.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s top girl name: Charlotte
Wisconsin’s top boy name: Oliver
Wisconsin’s 2 unique girl names: Rosetta, Alona
Wisconsin’s 2 unique boy names: Cylas, Dameir
Wyoming
Wyoming’s top girl name: Olivia
Wyoming’s top boy name: Oliver
No unique girl names.
No unique boy names.
Many of the unique names above can be attributed to large religious/ethnic groups within particular states, such as the Jews in New York/New Jersey, the Mormons in Utah, the Somali in Minnesota, and the Amish in Pennsylvania.
From the 2011 movie Bridesmaids, drunk bridesmaid Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) being kicked out of first class by flight attendant Steve:
Annie: Whatever you say, Stove.
Steve: It’s Steve.
Annie: “Stove” — what kinda name is that?
Steve: That’s not a name. My name is Steve.
Annie: Are you an appliance?
Steve: No I’m a man, and my name is Steve.
From the 1995 movie Clueless, high school student Cher on the similarity between her name and that of her best friend Dionne:
We were both named after great singers of the past who now do infomercials.
(Dionne’s name comes from Dionne Warwick.)
From the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, Marty DiBergi interviewing David St. Hubbins:
Marty: David St. Hubbins…I must admit I’ve never heard anybody with that name.
David: It’s an unusual name. Well, he was an unusual saint. He’s not a very well known saint.
Marty: Oh, there actually is, uh, there was a Saint Hubbins?
David: That’s right, yes.
Marty: What was he the saint of?
David: He was the patron saint of quality footwear.
From the 2006 movie Casino Royale, James Bond commenting on Vesper Lynd’s first name:
Vesper. I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.
From the 1984 movie Splash, character Allen (played by Tom Hanks) talking with his then-nameless lady friend (played by Daryl Hannah) as they walk around New York City:
Woman: What are English names?
Allen: Well, there’s millions of them, I guess. Jennifer, Joanie, Hilary. (Careful, hey, those are hot!) See names, names… Linda, Kim– (Where are we? Madison.) Uh, Elizabeth, Samantha–
Woman: Madison…I like Madison!
Allen: Madison’s not a name… Well, all right, ok, fine, Madison it is. Good thing we weren’t at 149th Street.
Scene from “LA Story“
From the 1991 movie LA Story, a conversation between Harris (played by Steve Martin) and SanDeE* (played by Sarah Jessica Parker):
Harris: What was your name again?
Sandee: SanDeE*
Harris: I’m sorry, Sandy, Sandy… It’s a nice name. Everybody has such weird names now, it’s like Tiffany with a P-H-I, and instead of Nancy it’s Nancine. [He begins to write her name down.]
Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E.
Harris: What?
Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. [She grabs his hand and writes directly on it.] Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. Then there’s a little star at the end.
From the 1999 movie Superstar, character Mary Katherine Gallagher talking to schoolmate Evian:
You know what, Evi? You should be really embarrassed, because your parents named you after bottled water.
From the 2004 movie Mean Girls, high school principal Mr. Duvall introducing new student Cady Heron:
Mr. Duvall: Her name is Caddie, Caddie Heron. Where are you Caddie?
Cady: That’s me. It’s pronounced like Katie.
Mr. Duvall: My apologies. I have a nephew named Anfernee, and I know how mad he gets when I call him Anthony. Almost as mad as I get when I think about the fact that my sister named him Anfernee.
From the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2, characters Carrie and Aidan talk about Aidan’s three sons:
Carrie: My god, three?
Aidan: Homer, Wyatt, Tate.
Carrie: Sounds like a country music band.
From the 1949 movie Mother Is a Freshman, about a 35-year-old widow, Abigail (played by Loretta Young), who starts attending the college that her daughter Susan goes to:
Abigail: I mean about the Abigail Fortitude Memorial Scholarship.
Susan: The one they give to any girl whose first two names are Abigail Fortitude?
Abigail: Yes.
Susan: Clara Fettle says no one’s applied for it since 1907, and there’s zillions piling up.
Abigail: And you never told me!
Susan: Of course not.
Abigail: It never occurred to you that my first names are Abigail Fortitude–that I’ve had to put up with them all my life!
Susan: I know, Mom. It must have been awful.
Abigail [struck by thought]: Maybe that’s why my mother gave me those names. Maybe she know about the scholarship.
(Turns out the scholarship had been set up by Abigail’s grandmother, also named Abigail Fortitude.)
From the 2000 movie Where the Heart Is, character Lexie (Ashley Judd) talking about her kids’ names:
I call my kids after snack foods: Brownie, Praline, Cherry and Baby Ruth.
Scene from “Pretty in Pink“
From the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink, part of a heated conversion between Andie (played by Molly Ringwald) and Duckie (played by Jon Cryer)
Andie: You know you’re talking like that just because I’m going out with Blane.
Duckie: Blane? His name is Blane? That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!
From the 2013 animated movie Despicable Me 2:
Gru: Goodnight Margo…whoa, hold your horses. Who are you texting?
Margo: My friend Avery.
Gru: Avery. Avery? Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name?
Margo: Does it matter?
Gru: No, no, it doesn’t matter…unless it’s a boy!
(Incidentally, Gru’s first name is Felonious.)
From the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane!:
Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.
Dr. Rumack: I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.
Images: Screenshots of Bridesmaids, LA Story, and Pretty in Pink
Though most of the baby names in the SSA’s annual datasets are repeats, each dataset does contain a handful of brand-new names.
Below are the most popular debut names for every single year on record, after the first.
Why bother with an analysis like this? Because debut names often have cool stories behind them, and high-hitting debuts are especially likely to have intriguing explanations tied to historical people/events. So this is more than a list of names — it’s also a list of stories.
Here’s the format: “Girl name(s), number of baby girls; Boy name(s), number of baby boys.” Keep in mind that the raw numbers aren’t too trustworthy for about the first six decades, though. (More on that in a minute.)
I’ve already written about some of the names above, and I plan to write about all the others as well…eventually. In the meanwhile, if you want to beat me to it and leave a comment about why Maverick hit in 1957, or why Moesha hit in 1996, feel free!
Source: U.S. SSA
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri
[Latest update: May 2025]
This website or its third-party tools process personal data.In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by using the link Do not sell my personal information.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
