How popular is the baby name Lana in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Lana.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Lana


Posts that Mention the Name Lana

Why didn’t Cloris Leachman change her name?

Actress Cloris Leachman (1926-2021)
Cloris Leachman

While other mid-20th-century actors and actresses were swapping out their birth names for catchy stage names (like Rory Calhoun, Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Piper Laurie, Tab Hunter, and Rock Hudson), Cloris Leachman decided to go against the grain and stick with her legal name (which she’d inherited from her mother).

But she did consider changing her name for a time…thanks largely to Tallulah Bankhead.

In 1949, Cloris was in her early 20s and appearing on stage in Come Back, Little Sheba. Bankhead came to see the production, and, afterwards, when the two women met for the first time, Tallulah implored Cloris to change her name.

On a different occasion, Bankhead brought the topic up again:

“Cloris Leachman,” she crowed, “too long. Too many syllables. Too unknown. Clorox Bleachman would be better. You can’t even fit it on the marquee in front of a theater.”

During that second interaction, Cloris came up with the potential stage name “April Claiborne” by combining her birth month with her youngest sister’s first name. (“Claiborne” was their paternal grandmother’s maiden name.)

She still wasn’t sure about making the change, though.

When I went to the Actors Studio the next day, I talked about Madame Bankhead’s rant. They all agreed with her. “You have to change your name! You have to!,” they cried. It was a unanimous opinion. So right there we got out the New York phone book. It opened it up to the Ls, closed my eyes, and the name under my finger was Leavitt. It was miraculous. That translated to “Leave it!” This is no accident, I thought. The god of monikers is talking, and he says leave it. Okay, I’ll leave it.

When I got to Hollywood, the subject came up again. People said I should not only change my name, I should have my nose shortened. I emphatically didn’t want to do either, and that’s why I’m still Cloris Leachman with a big nose.

Cloris Leachman’s name may not have been as trendy-sounding as “Lana Turner” or “Piper Laurie,” but it certainly wasn’t an impediment to her career, which lasted more than seven decades. She appeared in nearly 100 films (like The Last Picture Show), dozens of TV movies (such as A Girl Named Sooner), and well over 100 TV shows (including Johnny Staccato, Rawhide, Outlaws, Shirley Temple’s Storybook, The Loretta Young Show, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, Wagon Train, Stoney Burke, 77 Sunset Strip, A Man Called Shenandoah, The Big Valley, Mannix, and The Virginian).

Her first name, a variant spelling of the ancient Greek name Chloris (meaning “greenish-yellow, pale green”), is closely related to the name Chloe (meaning “green shoot”).

What are your thoughts on the name Cloris?

Sources:

Popular baby names in Slovenia, 2021

Slovenia

The country of Slovenia is located in Central Europe and bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia.

Last year, Slovenia welcomed almost 19,000 babies — over 9,000 girls and nearly 10,000 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Ema and Filip.

Here are Slovenia’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Ema, 248 baby girls
  2. Zala, 219
  3. Mia, 202
  4. Julija, 188
  5. Hana, 178
  6. Sofija, 159
  7. Ajda, 145 (tie)
  8. Vita, 145 (tie)
  9. Lana, 135
  10. Neža, 130 (tie)
  11. Nika, 130 (tie)
  12. Mila, 129 (tie)
  13. Sara, 129 (tie)
  14. Ela, 124
  15. Ana, 118 (tie)
  16. Eva, 118 (tie)
  17. Maša, 117
  18. Zoja, 116
  19. Zarja, 114
  20. Lara, 108
  21. Iva, 99
  22. Sofia, 97
  23. Brina, 96
  24. Iza, 94
  25. Lina, 92
  26. Gaja, 90
  27. Klara, 84
  28. Kaja, 78
  29. Ula, 72
  30. Tara, 66
  31. Alina, 59 (tie)
  32. Lia, 59 (tie)
  33. Lili, 55 (tie)
  34. Nina, 55 (tie)
  35. Mija, 54
  36. Neja, 53 — a diminutive of Jerneja
  37. Lucija, 52
  38. Maja, 51
  39. Tinkara, 50
  40. Inja, 48
  41. Sia, 47 (tie)
  42. Živa, 47 (tie)
  43. Pia, 46
  44. Ava, 45 (3-way tie)
  45. Naja, 45 (3-way tie)
  46. Ota, 45 (3-way tie)
  47. Manca, 43 (3-way tie)
  48. Olivija, 43 (3-way tie)
  49. Viktorija, 43 (3-way tie)
  50. Tia, 41

Boy Names

  1. Filip, 264 baby boys
  2. Luka, 239 — had been the #1 name for 22 consecutive years before slipping in 2021
  3. Nik, 217
  4. Mark, 211
  5. Jakob, 197
  6. Liam, 191
  7. Lan, 173
  8. Oskar, 165 (tie)
  9. Tim, 165 (tie)
  10. Lovro, 139
  11. Žan, 128
  12. Maks, 127
  13. Jaka, 124
  14. Gal, 123 (tie)
  15. Vid, 123 (tie)
  16. Jan, 114
  17. Maj, 111
  18. Oliver, 110
  19. Bine, 92
  20. David, 89
  21. Leon, 88
  22. Anže, 85
  23. Val, 83
  24. Žiga, 81
  25. Brin, 76 (tie)
  26. Matija, 76 (tie)
  27. Nejc, 69 — a diminutive of Jernej
  28. Adam, 68 (3-way tie)
  29. Bor, 68 (3-way tie)
  30. Teo, 68 (3-way tie)
  31. Anej, 67 (3-way tie)
  32. Izak, 67 (3-way tie)
  33. Lukas, 67 (3-way tie)
  34. Erik, 66
  35. Nace, 65
  36. Lev, 64
  37. Matic, 63
  38. Patrik, 62
  39. Leo, 60
  40. Aleks, 56
  41. Tine, 55
  42. Vito, 54
  43. Lenart, 52 (3-way tie)
  44. Matevž, 52 (3-way tie)
  45. Miha, 52 (3-way tie)
  46. Aleksej, 51 (tie)
  47. Aljaž, 51 (tie)
  48. Benjamin, 49 (3-way tie)
  49. Kris, 49 (3-way tie)
  50. Tilen, 49 (3-way tie)

Overall, about 1,300 girl names and about 1,300 boy names were bestowed in Slovenia last year. Roughly 60% of these names were used just once.

I didn’t blog about Slovenia’s 2020 rankings, but I did post the 2019 rankings, which were topped by Zala and Luka.

Sources: Top 100 baby names in 2021 – Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia; Births, 2021 – Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia

Image by Jeanine from Pixabay

Popular baby names in Croatia, 2021

Croatia

Last year, the country of Croatia welcomed nearly 37,000 babies — close to 18,000 girls and more than 19,000 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Mia and Luka, yet again.

Here are Croatia’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Mia, 539 baby girls
  2. Lucija, 407
  3. Nika, 405
  4. Rita, 391
  5. Ema, 389
  6. Mila, 347
  7. Marta, 341
  8. Sara, 307
  9. Ana, 278
  10. Dora, 266
  11. Eva, 263
  12. Elena, 250
  13. Lana, 243
  14. Petra, 241
  15. Iva, 239
  16. Klara, 216 (tie)
  17. Lara, 216 (tie)
  18. Marija, 210
  19. Lea, 205
  20. Hana, 198
  21. Ena, 193 – based on Irena
  22. Franka, 183
  23. Tena, 178 – based on Terezija (Theresa)
  24. Leona, 177
  25. Laura, 174
  26. Emili, 165
  27. Maša, 146 – a form of Masha, which is based on Mariya (Maria)
  28. Una, 144 (tie)
  29. Vita, 144 (tie)
  30. Lena, 141 (tie)
  31. Nikol, 141 (tie)
  32. Magdalena, 138
  33. Sofia, 135
  34. Karla, 133
  35. Tara, 131
  36. Tia, 130
  37. Katja, 128
  38. Lota, 114 – based on Carlotta
  39. Tea, 107
  40. Nora, 104
  41. Maris, 103
  42. Bruna, 100
  43. Aria, 97
  44. Luna, 95
  45. Helena, 89 (tie)
  46. Sofija, 89 (tie)
  47. Mara, 88
  48. Lorena, 87
  49. Iris, 86 (tie)
  50. Roza, 86 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Luka, 867 baby boys
  2. David, 563
  3. Jakov, 519
  4. Ivan, 454
  5. Roko, 404
  6. Petar, 403
  7. Mateo, 390 (tie)
  8. Niko, 390 (tie)
  9. Matej, 387
  10. Fran, 346
  11. Josip, 344
  12. Noa, 337
  13. Mihael, 333
  14. Borna, 328 – based on the proto-Slavic word borti, meaning “battle, fight”
  15. Toma, 303
  16. Filip, 301
  17. Leon, 294
  18. Karlo, 286 (tie)
  19. Marko, 286 (tie)
  20. Lovro, 281
  21. Jan, 267
  22. Ivano, 260
  23. Vito, 250
  24. Šimun, 249
  25. Teo, 246
  26. Lukas, 242
  27. Ante, 210 (tie) – a form of Anthony
  28. Nikola, 210 (tie)
  29. Gabriel, 208
  30. Leo, 186
  31. Viktor, 184
  32. Bruno, 178
  33. Marin, 162
  34. Tin, 160
  35. Dominik, 153
  36. Oliver, 152
  37. Adrian, 150
  38. Patrik, 145
  39. Noel, 143
  40. Toni, 138
  41. Rafael, 119
  42. Liam, 117
  43. Andrej, 114
  44. Erik, 112
  45. Antonio, 111 (tie)
  46. Franko, 111 (tie)
  47. Emanuel, 106
  48. Lovre, 102
  49. Maro, 100
  50. Vid, 94 – a form of Wido or Vitus

In the girls’ top 10, Dora replaced Petra.

In the boys’ top 10, Niko and Fran replaced Noa and Filip.

Finally, here’s a link to Croatia’s 2020 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

Sources: Statisticki prikaz – Republika Hrvatska, Most popular baby names in Croatia in 2021 revealed, Behind the Name

Image by 5075933 from Pixabay

Where did the baby name Taina come from in 1955?

Finnish actress Taina Elg
Taina Elg

Today we have the tale of two Tainas — one pronounced TIE-nah, the other pronounced tah-EE-nah.

The first version of the name Taina debuted in the U.S. baby name data in the mid-1950s:

  • 1957: 12 baby girls named Taina
  • 1956: 8 baby girls named Taina
  • 1955: 21 baby girls named Taina [debut]
  • 1954: unlisted
  • 1953: unlisted

The inspiration here was Finnish dancer/actress Taina (pronounced TIE-nah) Elg, who was being introduced to American audiences in 1955 in the film The Prodigal, a biblical epic starring Lana Turner.

A bizarre advertising campaign from the same year asked readers to rename Taina:

Taina advertisement
Taina Elg re-naming contest

Hurry and enter! Just suggest your choice of a name for Taina Elg — the star with the most unusual name in Hollywood. She’s an acclaimed ballerina, and an actress with M-G-M! She’s 5’5?, with dark blonde hair and sparkling gray-green eyes. Taina (rhymes with Dinah) loves to cook, delights in outdoor sports. […] With that in mind, what do you think her name should be? Look through your telephone book and make up original name combinations. The first name that pops into your mind right now — might very well be the winner! Just find a name you think fits this lovely young star.

Her name, which is a Finnish diminutive of the name Tatiana, was never changed (of course). Elg went on to win two Golden Globes later that decade — one in 1957, the other in 1958 — and also have success on stage and in television. In fact, usage of the name spiked in 1980, the year Taina Elg could be seen on two different U.S. soap operas: Guiding Light (1980) and One Life to Live (1980-2).

Now fast forward to 2001, when the name Taina was suddenly boosted into the top 1,000 for the first and only time:

  • 2003: 130 baby girls named Taina
  • 2002: 168 baby girls named Taina
  • 2001: 248 baby girls named Taina [ranked 913th]
  • 2000: 73 baby girls named Taina
  • 1999: 61 baby girls named Taina

The inspiration in this case? The short-lived Nickelodeon series Taina that aired from early 2001 to mid-2002. The main character, Taina (pronounce tah-EE-nah) Morales, was “a sassy 15-year-old Latina” in NYC played by actress Christina Vidal.

…So Taina is a name with one spelling, but two distinct pronunciations. Which pronunciation do you prefer?

Sources: