How popular is the baby name Marie 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 Marie.
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In January of 1935, residents of the Saar, which had been governed by France and Britain since 1920, voted to reunify with Hitler’s Germany.
Those who feared the coming Nazi regime were forced to flee the territory.
Weeks later, Saar refugee Anna Serf gave birth to the first refugee baby in Toulouse, France. The baby girl was named France Marie Louise.
Source: “Saar Refugee Baby Named After France.” Pittsburgh Press 26 Feb 1935: 18.
In the late ’80s, an American exchange student in Sweden named Dean Cushman discovered the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Impressed, he brought a CD of their second album, Look Sharp! (1988), back to the States.
He told a local radio station about the band, and the station began to play the track “The Look” on the air. Other stations soon followed suit. “By the time official promotion began, the song had already soared onto the Feb. 11, 1989, Billboard Hot 100 at No. 50.”
Four singles from Look Sharp! ended up charting: “The Look” hit #1 in April of 1989, “Dressed for Success” peaked at #14 in July, “Listen To Your Heart” became their second #1 song in November, and “Dangerous” reached #2 in March of 1990.
We can see the influence of Roxette’s newfound U.S. popularity on the U.S. baby name charts as well. Nearly 30 baby girls have been named Roxette since in 1989:
Here’s the song that kicked it all off:
Roxette (the name) appeared on the U.S. baby name charts for almost as long as Roxette (the band) was putting out singles that appeared on the U.S. music charts. The name dropped out of the data in 1994 — the last year that Roxette had a song (“Sleeping In My Car”) in the Hot 100.
Band members Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle* had formed the band in 1986. The name Roxette came from the 1974 song “Roxette” by British rock band Dr. Feelgood. (Not to be confused with the 1989 song “Dr. Feelgood” by American rock band Mötley Crüe.)
What are your thoughts on the baby name Roxette?
*Per’s first name is a form of Peter.
Sources: Roxette Chart History – Billboard, Rewinding the Charts: In 1989, Roxette Roared Onto the Hot 100 With ‘The Look’, SSA
Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Fading Like A Flower”
The last time I wrote about popular baby names in Malta was two years ago. It’s time for an update!
A total of 4,143 babies were born in Malta in 2009. (In 2006, the number was 3,885.) These were the most popular baby names last year:
Girl Names
Boy Names
You’ll notice that Malta still lumps variants together. (They even lump non-variants like Elena and Ella together.) I’m not a big fan of this method because when groupings change from year to year, comparisons become impossible.
Malta also seems to have some issues with spelling. Aidan and Kieran became Aiden and Keiran between 2006 and 2009, for instance. And I wonder if “Gulia” wasn’t supposed to be spelled “Giulia.” (Though I do like the fact that there’s a “Julia/Gulia” grouping. Very Wedding Singer-esque.)
But it’s interesting stuff nonetheless. I’m especially intrigued by all the -ayden names on the boys’ list. (Worldwide phenomenon, anyone?)
If you want to see more from Malta, the top baby names of 2008, 2007, 2004/2005, 2003 and 2002 are available for download.
Source: National Statistics Office – Malta
Image: Adapted from Flag of Malta (public domain)
On July 27, 2009, Wisconsin couple Matthew and Annmarie Schulte tried to reach Aurora Sinai Medical Center in time for the birth of their fourth daughter. But they didn’t quite make it.
Their baby girl ended up being born on I-43, in the front passenger seat of their 1998 Toyota Corolla.
They’d planned to name the baby Cecilia Violet Marie, but in honor of her unusual birthplace they settle upon Cecilia Freeway instead.
Cecilia’s three older sisters are named Megan, Millie and Libby.
