How popular is the baby name Lerin 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 Lerin.

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Popularity of the baby name Lerin


Posts that mention the name Lerin

Where did the baby name Lerin come from in 1980?

L'erin Cosmetics commercial, 1980s
L’erin Cosmetics commercial, 1980s

The name Lerin first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1980:

  • 1990: 7 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1989: 9 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1988: 11 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1987: unlisted
  • 1986: 17 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1985: 12 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1984: 9 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1983: 22 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1982: 33 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1981: 35 baby girls named Lerin
  • 1980: 35 baby girls named Lerin [debut]
  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: unlisted

It was one of the top baby name debuts of the year, in fact.

It also appeared in the data a boy name from 1979 to 1982.

Where did it come from?

It took me a while to figure out that the baby name Lerin — which people often write L’erin or L’Erin — was inspired by the cosmetics brand L’erin.

L’erin was created by the Hanes company in the late ’70s. Hanes had made a big profit that decade from L’eggs hosiery, and it hoped that a line of cosmetics — similarly named and marketed — would achieve the same success.

Hanes was acquired by Sara Lee in early 1979, and Sara Lee put millions into launching and promoting L’erin in the early ’80s. (Here’s a TV commercial for L’erin.) Despite this, “L’erin failed to catch on with consumers. As Hanes and Sara Lee soon discovered, cosmetics were part of the fashion industry, not a consumer product.”

Sara Lee sold L’erin in 1982. The brand was eventually discontinued.

But people with the name are still around, of course. For example, a woman named L’Erin Stortz who works in a Denver salon says “she was destined to work in the beauty industry” because of her name.

Do you know anyone named L’Erin?

Sources:

Baby names that debuted most impressively in the U.S. data, 1881 to today

lotus bud

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.)

  • 1881: Adell & Celeste, 14; Brown & Newell, 14
  • 1882: Verda, 14; Cleve, 13
  • 1883: Laurel, 12; Brady, Festus, Jewell, Odell & Rosco, 8
  • 1884: Crystal & Rubie, 11; Benjamen, Jens, Oakley & Whitney, 9
  • 1885: Clotilde, 13; Arley & Terence, 9
  • 1886: Manuelita, 10; Terrence, 10
  • 1887: Verlie, 13; Myles, 11
  • 1888: Ebba, 18; Carlisle, Hughie & Orvel, 9
  • 1889: Garnett, 12; Doyle, 9
  • 1890: Verena, 11; Eduardo & Maggie, 10
  • 1891: Gayle, Idabelle & Zenia, 9; Sheridan, 14
  • 1892: Astrid, Dallas & Jennett, 9; Corbett, 23
  • 1893: Elmyra, 12; Estel, Mayo, Shelley & Thorwald, 8
  • 1894: Beatriz, Carola & Marrie, 9; Arvel, Erby & Floy, 8
  • 1895: Trilby, 12; Roosevelt, 12
  • 1896: Lotus, 11; Hazen, 11
  • 1897: Dewey, 13; Bryon, Frankie, Mario & Rhoda, 7
  • 1898: Manilla, 35; Hobson, 38
  • 1899: Ardis & Irva, 19; Haven, 9
  • 1900: Luciel, 14; Rosevelt, 20
  • 1901: Venita, 11; Eino, 9
  • 1902: Mercie, 10; Clarnce, 9
  • 1903: Estela, 11; Lenon & Porfirio, 7
  • 1904: Magdaline, 9; Adrain, Arbie, Betty, Desmond, Domenic, Duard, Raul & Severo, 8
  • 1905: Oliver, 9; Eliot & Tyree, 9
  • 1906: Nedra, 11; Domenico & Ryan, 10
  • 1907: Theta, 20; Taft, 16
  • 1908: Pasqualina, 10; Robley, 12
  • 1909: Wilmoth, 9; Randal & Vidal, 9
  • 1920: Dardanella, 23; Steele, 11
  • 1921: Marilynne, 13; Norberto, 14
  • 1922: Evelean, 14; Daren, 35
  • 1923: Nalda, 15; Clinard & Dorland, 9
  • 1924: Charis, 14; Melquiades, 13
  • 1925: Irmalee, 37; Wayburn, 11
  • 1926: Narice, 13; Bibb, 14
  • 1927: Sunya, 14; Bidwell, 14
  • 1928: Joreen, 22; Alfread & Brevard, 9
  • 1929: Jeannene, 25; Donnald, Edsol, Rhys & Wolfgang, 8

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

  • 1990: Isamar, 446; Dajour, 26
  • 1991: Emilce, 30; Quayshaun, 93
  • 1992: Akeiba, 49; Devanta, 41
  • 1993: Rosangelica, 91; Deyonta, 37
  • 1994: Ajee, 185; Shyheim, 168
  • 1995: Yamilex, 130; Alize, 30
  • 1996: Moesha, 426; Quindon, 67
  • 1997: Erykah, 279; Cross, 43
  • 1998: Naidelyn, 78; Zyshonne, 26
  • 1999: Verania, 62; Cauy, 32
  • 2000: Kelis, 108; Rithik, 22
  • 2001: Yaire, 184; Jahiem, 155
  • 2002: Kaydence, 70; Omarian, 31
  • 2003: Trenyce, 88; Pharrell, 67
  • 2004: Eshal, 38; Jkwon, 100
  • 2005: Yarisbel, 30; Jayceon, 48
  • 2006: Lizania, 35; Balian, 24
  • 2007: Leilene, 81; Yurem, 206
  • 2008: Aideliz, 91; Yosgart, 72
  • 2009: Greidys, 186; Jeremih, 87

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

Where did the baby name Corelle come from in 1971?

Did your family own a set of Corelle?

Corelle dishware was introduced to consumers in 1970 by Corning Glass Works of New York. The product was aimed at middle-class Americans who wanted “a long-desired middle ground between paper plates and good china.”

The original marketing made sure to emphasize that a Corelle dish was translucent “like fine china” and “even rings like fine china.” But Corelle wasn’t fine china — it made from a lightweight, durable tempered glass product called Vitrelle (which was originally intended for first-generation television screens in the 1940s). This made it easy to handle, hard to break, and very affordable.

Popular Corelle patterns included Butterfly Gold, Old Towne Blue (above), Woodland Brown, and the wonderfully retro Spring Blossom Green. Clever hook-handles on the cups not only allowed for compact stacking, but also kept “your husband’s big fingers away from the bowl, so they can’t get burned.”

But enough with the nostalgia…what does all this have to do with baby names?

Well, the year after Corelle hit the market, the baby name Corelle appeared in the U.S. baby name data for the first and only time:

  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: 5 baby girls named Corelle [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

This means that the Corelle marketing campaign not only boosted sales, but also boosted the brand name onto the baby name charts.

And this wasn’t an isolated case — there are many other examples of historical marketing campaigns inspiring American parents to name their babies after brands and products (such as Finesse, Jordache, Calizza, Monchel, L’erin, and dozens of perfumes).

What do you think of the baby name Corelle?

For you, is the association with vintage dishware a pro or a con? ;)

Sources: Corelle.com – History, Here’s why these plates make millions of people nostalgic, History of Stylish and Durable Dishware, SSA

Images from a 1974 magazine advertisement for Corelle Livingware by Corning.