How popular is the baby name Junior 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 Junior.

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.


Popularity of the baby name Junior


Posts that mention the name Junior

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2023

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

South Africa — the southernmost country on the continent of Africa — has three capital cities, a dozen official languages, and more than 62 million residents.

In 2023, South Africa welcomed 932,138 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Onalerona and Lethabo.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Onalerona, 2,836 baby girls
  2. Melokuhle, 2,463
  3. Lisakhanya, 2,298
  4. Zanokuhle, 2,273
  5. Lethabo, 2,093
  6. Lesedi, 2,010
  7. Omphile, 1,909
  8. Amahle, 1,778
  9. Naledi, 1,771
  10. Nkanyezi, 1,694

Boy names

  1. Lethabo, 2,965 baby boys
  2. Nkazimulo, 2,377
  3. Lubanzi, 2,249
  4. Nkanyezi, 1,890
  5. Langelihle, 1,874
  6. Lethokuhle, 1,656
  7. Junior, 1,640
  8. Melokuhle, 1,614
  9. Siphosethu, 1,607
  10. Omphile, 1,606

The #1 girl name, Onalerona — which means “he is with us” in the related languages of Tswana and Sotho — was also the #1 girl name in 2022. But one year earlier, in 2021, it was way down in 27th place.

What pushed it to the top all of a sudden?

The character Onalerona Molapo from the South African TV series "House of Zwide" (2021-)
Onalerona Molapo from “House of Zwide“

A young character named Onalerona “Ona” Molapo from the popular South African TV series House of Zwide, which began airing in July of 2021. The character, an aspiring fashion designer, is played by actress Nefisa Mkhabela.

Sources:

Images: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain); screenshot of House of Zwide

What gave the baby name Lanny a boost in 1949?

Actor Lanny Rees in the TV series "The Life of Riley" (1949-1950)
Lanny Rees in the TV series “The Life of Riley“

We already know that singer Lanny Ross popularized the baby name Lanny during the 1930s and early 1940s. But why did the name see a sudden jump in usage several years later, in 1949?

  • 1951: 409 baby boys named Lanny [rank: 336th]
  • 1950: 489 baby boys named Lanny [rank: 306th]
  • 1949: 498 baby boys named Lanny [rank: 303rd] (peak usage)
  • 1948: 298 baby boys named Lanny [rank: 392nd]
  • 1947: 335 baby boys named Lanny [rank: 376th]

Ross could still be heard on the radio in the late 1940s, but I think this renewed interest in the name was due to another Lanny: teenage actor Lanny Rees.

In 1949, Lanny Rees was featured in two different adaptations of the popular 1940s radio sitcom The Life of Riley. In both, he played the main character’s son, Chester A. Riley, Jr. (known simply as “Junior”).

The first adaptation, the film The Life of Riley, was released in theaters in April.

The second adaptation, the TV series The Life of Riley, started airing on NBC in October. Despite being proclaimed the “Best Film Made for & Viewed on Television” at the second-ever Emmy Awards in January of 1950, the show lasted only two-thirds of a season (ending in March).

Lanny Rees, the youngest of eight siblings, was born in Washington state in 1933. Given the year of his birth, it’s likely that he himself was an early Lanny Ross namesake.

P.S. The fictional Riley family also included a daughter named Barbara “Babs” Riley, who was older than Junior. Babs played a key part in the film (which featured her wedding) — this could could explain why the baby name Babs saw an uptick in usage in 1949.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of the TV series The Life of Riley (Jan. 1950)

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2021

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

South Africa — the southernmost country in Africa — shares a border with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini. Its eleven official languages include Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English.

In 2021, South Africa welcomed 1,087,526 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Melokuhle and Lethabo.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Melokuhle, 3,784 baby girls
  2. Omphile, 2,500
  3. Iminathi, 2,387
  4. Lisakhanya, 2,369
  5. Lethabo, 2,336
  6. Amahle, 2,103
  7. Lesedi, 2,098
  8. Rethabile, 2,035
  9. Lethokuhle, 2,032
  10. Asemahle, 1,844

Boy Names

  1. Lethabo, 3,213 baby boys
  2. Lubanzi, 2,810
  3. Melokuhle, 2,619
  4. Junior, 2,027
  5. Lethokuhle, 1,993
  6. Siphosethu, 1,953
  7. Omphile, 1,898
  8. Lwandle, 1,862
  9. Banele, 1,816
  10. Ofentse, 1,765

As usual, the two top-10 lists have several names in common: Melokuhle (the #1 girl name), Lethabo (the #1 boy name), Omphile, and Lethokuhle.

In 2020, the top baby name in South Africa for both genders was Melokuhle.

Sources: Recorded live births, 2021 – Statistics South Africa, South Africa – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)

Where did the baby name Junellen come from in 1947?

Junellen Hawthorne on the cover of "Calling All Girls" (November, 1944)
Junellen Hawthorne

The baby name Junellen has appeared in the U.S. baby name data just once so far, in 1947:

  • 1949: unlisted
  • 1948: unlisted
  • 1947: 12 baby girls named Junellen [debut]
  • 1946: unlisted
  • 1945: unlisted

Where did it come from?

A fashion model named Junellen Hawthorne.

Junellen was profiled in an article called “Model from Vermont” that was published in Parade, the nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, in March of 1947. The issue’s cover also featured a photo of Junellen (though not her name).

Junellen Hawthorne in Parade Magazine (March, 1947)
“Model from Vermont”

According to the article, 20-year-old Junellen Hawthorne lived part-time on her family’s farm in Vermont, and the other part of the time in New York City, where she worked as a fashion model for the John Robert Powers modeling agency (believed to be the world’s first modeling agency).

Junellen’s Parade photos were shot by photographer André de Dienes, who, about a year and a half earlier, had hired a 19-year-old named Norma Jeane Baker (the future Marilyn Monroe!) for her first modeling job.

So how did Junellen come to have her unusual first name? Her parents created it by combining their own names, Junior and Ellen. (Junellen was an only child.)

What are your thoughts on the name Junellen?

Sources: