How popular is the baby name Mona 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 Mona.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Mona


Posts that Mention the Name Mona

Inconspicuous Anagram Baby Names

I recently updated my old Anagram Baby Names post to make it much more comprehensive. As I worked on it, though, I noticed that many of those sets of names had obvious similarities, such as the same first letters and/or the same rhythm.

So I thought I’d make a second, shorter list of anagram names that were less conspicuously similar. Specifically, I wanted the second list to feature sets of names with different first letters and different numbers of syllables.

And that’s what you’ll find below — pairs of anagram names that are relatively distinct from one another. So much so that, at first glance (or listen), some might not even strike you as being anagrammatic at all. :)

Click on any name to check out its popularity graph…

Most of the names above have a clear number of syllables, but a few do not. (I categorized them according to my own interpretation/accent.) So, if you’re interested in using any of these pairings, just remember to test the names out loud first!

Which of the pairs above do you like best?

Rare Girl Names from Early Cinema: A (part 1)

Looking for an under-the-radar girl name with a retro feel?

Check out this post and the rest of the “early cinema” series, featuring thousands of uncommon female names collected from old movies (1910s-1940s).

Many of these names have never appeared in the SSA data before. For those that have, I’ve included links to the popularity graphs.

Enjoy!

*

Abbasah
Abbasah was a character played by actress Helen Gardner in the film The Miracle (1912).

Acquanetta
Burnu Acquanetta, often credited simply as Acquanetta, was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1990s. She was born in Wyoming in 1921. Her birth name was Mildred Davenport.

Adamae
Adamae Vaughn was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in Kentucky in 1905.

  • Usage of the baby name Adamae.

Adda
Adda Gleason was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1950s. She was born in Illinois in 1888.

  • Usage of the baby name Adda.

Adorée
Adorée was a character name in multiple films, including A Maid of Belgium (1917) and The Auction Block (1917).

  • Usage of the baby name Adoree.

Adraste
Adraste was a character played by actress Alice White in the film The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1928).

Adrea
Adrea Spedding was a character played by actress Gale Sondergaard in the Sherlock Holmes film The Spider Woman (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Adrea.

Adrean
Adrean Wainwright was a character played by actress Ruth Clifford in the film The Thrill Seekers (1927).

  • Usage of the baby name Adrean.

Aelita
Aelita was a character played by actress Yuliya Solntseva in the film Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Aelita.

Afy
Aphrodite “Afy” Hallijohn was a character played by various actresses (such as Madge Kirby and Belle Bennett) in various movies called East Lynne, all based on the novel of the same name by Ellen Wood.

Aggie
Aggie was a character name in multiple films, including Her Better Self (1917) and Women Won’t Tell (1932).

  • Usage of the baby name Aggie.

Agia
Agia was a character played by actress Eugenie Forde in the film The Virgin of Stamboul (1920).

Agostina
Agostina was a character played by actress Patricia Medina in the film Children of Chance (1949).

Aho
Aho was a character played by actress Maude George in the film The Marriage Ring (1918).

Ailea
Ailea Lorne was a character played by actress Gertrude McCoy in the film series The Chronicles of Cleek (1913-1914).

  • Usage of the baby name Ailea.

Airleen
Airleen MacGregor was a character played by actress Adrienne Kroell in the short film The Laird’s Daughter (1912).

Aisla
Aisla Crane was a character played by actress Belle Chrystall in the film The Frightened Lady (1932).

  • Usage of the baby name Aisla.

Aissa
Aissa was a character played by actress Laura Winston in the film The Demon (1918).

  • Usage of the baby name Aissa.

Akanesi
Akanesi was a character played by actress Lily Phillips in the film The Adorable Savage (1920).

Alabam
Alabam Lee was a character played by actress Carole Lombard in the film Lady by Choice (1934).

Alaire
Alaire Austin was a character played by actress Anna Q. Nilsson in the film Heart of the Sunset (1918).

  • Usage of the baby name Alaire.

Alathea
Alathea Bulteel was a character played by actress Harriet Hammond in the film Man and Maid (1925).

Alatia
Alatia Marton was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s. She was born in Texas in 1894.

Alayne
Alayne Archer was a character played by actress Kay Johnson in the film Jalna (1935).

  • Usage of the baby name Alayne.

Albany
Albany Yates was a character played by actress Dorothy Lamour in the film Chad Hanna (1940).

  • Usage of the baby name Albany.

Alberta
Alberta Vaughn was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in Kentucky in 1904. Alberta was also a character played by actress Helene Chadwich in the film The Challenge (1916).

Albertine
Albertine was a character played by actress Sarah Padden in the film Assignment in Brittany (1943).

Albina
Albina was a character played by actress Kate Toncray in the film The Narrow Street (1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Albina.

Albine
Albine was a character played by actress Polly Moran in the film The Passionate Plumber (1932).

Alcolma
Alcolma was a character played by actress Eva Moore in the film Chu-Chin-Chow (1923).

Alda
Alda was a character played by actress Katharine Alexander in the film Death Takes a Holiday (1934).

  • Usage of the baby name Alda.

Aldyth
Aldyth was a character played by actress Clara Kimball Young in the short film The Last of the Saxons (1910).

  • Usage of the baby name Aldyth.

Alene
Princess Alene was a character played by actress Mary Charleson in the film serial The Road o’ Strife (1915).

  • Usage of the baby name Alene.

Aleska
Aleska was a character played by actress Malvina Longfellow in the film Betta the Gypsy (1918).

  • Usage of the baby name Aleska.

Aleta
Aleta Doré was an actress who appeared in 1 film in 1925. Aleta was also a character played by actress Lois Collier in the film Slave Girl (1947).

  • Usage of the baby name Aleta.

Alexandrine
Alexandrine Zola was a character played by actress Gloria Holden in the film The Life of Emile Zola (1937).

Algeria
Algeria was a character played by actress Linda Darnell in the film The Walls of Jericho (1948).

Alida
Alida Valli, often credited simply as Valli, was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 2000s. She was born in Italy in 1921. Her birth name was Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg. Alida was also a character name in multiple films, including The Lure of Jade (1921) and Crimson Romance (1934).

  • Usage of the baby name Alida.

Aliette
Aliette Brunton was a character played by actress Isobel Elsom in the film The Love Story of Aliette Brunton (1924).

Aline
Aline MacMahon was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1960s. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1899. Aline was also a character name in multiple films, including Seeds of Wealth (short, 1913) and A Fool and His Money (1920).

  • Usage of the baby name Aline.

Alis
Alis Porter was a character played by actress Vera Reynolds in the film The Million Dollar Handicap (1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Alis.

Alisande
Alisande La Carteloise was a character played by actress Rhonda Fleming in the film A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949).

Alisia
Alisia Stafford was a character played by actress Anna Q. Nilsson in the film Tide of Battle (1912).

  • Usage of the baby name Alisia.

Alita
Alita Allen was a character played by actress Bebe Daniels in the film Daring Youth (1924).

  • Usage of the baby name Alita.

Alix
Alix was a character name in multiple films, including The Call of Home (1922) and The Little French Girl (1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Alix.

Alixe
Alixe was a character played by actress Helen Gardner in the short film Alixe; or, The Test of Friendship (1913).

  • Usage of the baby name Alixe.

Alla
Alla Nazimova, often credited simply as Nazimova, was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1940s. She was born in Russia (now Ukraine) in 1879. Her birth name was Miriam Edez Adelaida Leventon. Alla was also a character played by actress Sally Crute in the film The Cossack Whip (1916).

  • Usage of the baby name Alla.

Allaine
Allaine Grandet was a character played by actress Dorothy Dalton in the film Tyrant Fear (1918).

Allana
Allana was a character played by actress Constance Bennett in the film Son of the Gods (1930).

  • Usage of the baby name Allana (which debuted in the data in 1930).

Allane
Allane Houston was a character played by actress Beverly Bayne in the film The Voice of Conscience (1917).

Allayne
Allayne was a character name in multiple films, including The Poison Pen (1919) and The Net (1923).

Allegheny
Allegheny Briskow was a character played by actress Anna Q. Nilsson in the film Flowing Gold (1924).

Allene
Allene was a character name in multiple films, including Flattery (1925) and The Love Route (1915).

  • Usage of the baby name Allene.

Allida
Allida Bederaux was a character played by actress Hedy Lamarr in the film Experiment Perilous (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Allida (which debuted in the data in 1945).

Allifair
Allifair McCoy was a character played by actress Gigi Perreau in the film Roseanna McCoy (1949).

Allisa
Allisa Randall was a character played by actress Mildred Harris in the film The Inferior Sex (1920).

  • Usage of the baby name Allisa.

Allouma
Allouma was a character played by actress Violet MacMillan in the film The Dragoman (1916).

Alluna
Alluna was a character played by various actresses (such as Neola May and Sara Haden) in various movies called The Barrier, all based on the novel of the same name by Rex Beach.

Aloha
Aloha was a character played by actress Nina Campana in the film Honolulu Lu (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Aloha.

Alois
Alois was a character played by actress Mignon Anderson in the short film A Dog of Flanders (1914).

  • Usage of the baby name Alois (which debuted in the data in 1915).

Aloisa
Aloisa Weber Lange was a character played by actress Conchita Montenegro in the film Eternal Melodies (1940).

Aloma
Aloma was a character played by actresses Gilda Gray in the film Aloma of the South Seas (1926) and by actress Dorothy Lamour in the film Aloma of the South Seas (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Aloma.

Alouette
Alouette DeLarme was a character played by actress Louise Glaum in the film A Law Unto Herself (1918).

Alta
Alta Wilton was a character played by actress Mona Barrie in the film A Tragedy at Midnight (1942).

  • Usage of the baby name Alta.

Alva
Alva was a character name in multiple films, including Revenge (1918) and Friends of Lovers (1931)

  • Usage of the baby name Alva.

Alvah
Alvah Morley was a character played by actress Pauline Starke in the film If You Believe Me, It’s So (1922).

  • Usage of the baby name Alvah.

Alvarez
Alvarez Guerra was a character played by actress Carmelita Geraghty in the film This Thing Called Love (1929).

Alvern
Alvern Adams was a character played by actress Margaret Lindsay in the film Louisiana (1947).

  • Usage of the baby name Alvern.

Alverna
Alverna was a character name in multiple films, including Mantrap (1926) and Untamed (1940).

Alvira
Alvira was a character name in multiple films, including The Scarlet Shadow (1919) and Along Came Auntie (1926).

  • Usage of the baby name Alvira.

Alys
Alys was a character name in multiple films, including Cutie Plays Detective (short, 1913) and Ermine and Rhinestones (1925).

  • Usage of the baby name Alys.

Alysia
Alysia Potter was a character played by actress Billie Dove in the film Polly of the Follies (1922).

  • Usage of the baby name Alysia.

*

…Which of the above names do you like best?

Source: IMDb

Rare Girl Names from Early Cinema: C (Part 2)

Looking for a rare girl name with a retro feel? Here are dozens of ideas, all from very old films (1910s-1940s).

The names below are the second half of the C-list (Ci- to Cy-). The first half has the Ca- to Ch- names.

Enjoy!

Cicely
Cicely was a character name in multiple films, including The Hoyden’s Awakening (1913) and Next Time We Love (1936).

  • Usage of the baby name Cicely.

Cicily
Cicily was a character name in multiple films, including The Cat Creeps (1930) and The Cat and the Canary (1939).

  • Usage of the baby name Cicily.

Ciel
Ciel was a character played by actress Evelyn Dumo in the film The Black Butterfly (1916).

  • Usage of the baby name Ciel.

Ciglia
Ciglia was a character played by actress Camilla Horn in the film Eternal Love (1929).

Cina
Cina Burton was a character played by actress Julia Swayne Gordon in the short film The Troublesome Step-Daughter (1912).

  • Usage of the baby name Cina.

Cinders
Cinders was a character played by actress Marie Doro in the film Lost and Won (1917).

Cissie
Cissie was a character name in multiple films, including Twinkletoes (1926) and Experiment Perilous (1944).

  • Usage of the baby name Cissie.

Cissy
Cissy Fitzgerald was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in England in 1873. Her birth name was Marie Kathleen Kipping. Cissy was also a character name in multiple films, including Just Cissy’s Little Way (short, 1913) and Sunny Side Up (1926).

  • Usage of the baby name Cissy.

Citronella
Citronella Dedough was a character played by actress Ethel Teare in the short film Ham the Detective (1915).

Clairette
Clairette Montieth was a character played by actress Linda Arvidson in the short film A Fair Rebel (1914).

Clarabell
Clarabell Brooks was a character played by actress Betty Furness in the film The 3 Wise Guys (1936).

Clarabella
Clarabella was a character played by actress Ona Munson in the film Wild Geese Calling (1941).

Clarabelle
Clarabelle was a character name in multiple films, including Keystone Hotel (1935) and George White’s Scandals (1945).

Clarette
Clarette Clare was an actress who appeared in films in the 1910s.

Claribel
Claribel was a character name in multiple films, including The Magic Bon Bons (1915) and Strike Me Pink (1936).

Claribell
Claribell Lotsadough was a character played by actress Gale Henry in the film Marble Heads (1917).

Clarice
Clarice was a character name in multiple films, including A Question of Identity (1914) and The Family Upstairs (1926).

Clarine
Clarine Seymour was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1920s. She was born in New York in 1898.

Clarita
Clarita was a character name in multiple films, including The Ruling Passion (1910) and Three Keys (1925).

Clary
Clary was a character name in multiple films, including Bar 20 Rides Again (1935) and The Law West of Tombstone (1938).

  • Usage of the baby name Clary.

Claudette
Claudette Colbert was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1960s. She was born in France in 1903. Claudette was also a character played by actress Glenda Farrell in the film Traveling Saleslady (1935).

Claudine
Claudine was a character name in multiple films, including The Nut (1921) and Fifth Avenue (1926).

Clelia
Clelia Matania was an actress who appeared in films from the 1930s to the 1980s. She was born in England in 1918.

  • Usage of the baby name Clelia.

Clelie
Clelie Gordon was a character played by actress Fredi Washington in the film Ouanga (1936).

Clemency
Clemency Warlock was a character played by actress Kay Francis in the film Cynara (1932).

Clementina
Clementina was a character name in multiple films, including The Glory of Clementina (1922) and The Desert Song (1929).

Cleone
Cleone Meredith was a character played by various actresses (like Madge Stuart and Elissa Landi) in various films called The Amateur Gentleman, all based on the novel of the same name by Jeffrey Farnol.

Cleopatra
Cleopatra was a character name in multiple films, including Cleopatra – Queen of Egypt (1912) and Oh! Oh! Cleopatra (1931).

Click
“Click” Stewart was a character played by actress Glenda Farrell in the film Exposed (1938).

Clo-clo
Clo-Clo was a character played by actress Margo in the film The Leopard Man (1943).

Clodah
Clodah Harrison was a character played by actress Dorothy Cumming in the film The Female (1924).

Clorinda
Clorinda was a character name in multiple films, including The Lifted Veil (1917) and A Lady of Quality (1924).

Clothilde
Clothilde was a character name in multiple films, including The Breath of Araby (1915) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1934).

Clotilda
Clotilda was a character played by actress Louise Beavers in the film Kisses for Breakfast (1941).

Clotilde
Clotilde de Marelle was a character played by actress Angela Lansbury in the film The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947).

Cluny
Cluny Brown was a character played by actress Jennifer Jones in the film Cluny Brown (1946).

Clyne
Clyne Dacia was an actress who appeared in 1 film in 1922.

Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra was a character played by actress Helen Kelly in the film M’Liss (1918).

Clytie
Clytie was a character name in multiple films, including The Danger Game (1918) and The Heart Line (1921).

  • Usage of the baby name Clytie.

Cobina
Cobina Wright was an actress who appeared in films in the 1940s. She was born in New York in 1921.

  • Usage of the baby name Cobina (which debuted in the data in 1939).

Colomba
Colomba was a character played by actress Eily Malyon in the film The White Angel (1936).

Columbine
Columbine was a character name in multiple films, including A Harlequinade Let Loose (1912) and The Tidal Wave (1920).

Comfort
Comfort was a character played by actress Mary Boland in the film The Pursuit of Happiness (1934).

Concha
Concha was a character name in multiple films, including The Canyon of Light (1926) and The Devil Is a Woman (1935).

  • Usage of the baby name Concha.

Conchita
Conchita Montenegro was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1940s. She was born in Spain in 1911. Her birth name was Concepción Andrés Picado. Conchita was also a character name in multiple films, including A Branded Soul (1917) and Border Romance (1929).

Concordia
Concordia Selander was an actress who appeared in films from the 1910s to the 1930s. She was born in Sweden in 1861.

Connaught
Connaught O’Brien was a character played by actress June Collyer in the film Hangman’s House (1928).

Connemara
Connemara Moore was a character played by actress Marie Prevost in the film Bobbed Hair (1925).

Constantia
Constantia was a character name in multiple films, including The Conquest of Constantia (1915) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).

Constantina
Constantina Ivaneska was a character played by actress Tala Birell in the film The Power of the Whistler (1945).

Consuelo
Consuelo was a character played by actress Norma Shearer in the film He Who Gets Slapped (1924).

Cordova
Cordova was a character played by actress Mona Barrie in the film When a Girl’s Beautiful (1947).

Corie
Corie was a character played by actress Nydia Westman in the film Two Alone (1934).

  • Usage of the baby name Corie.

Corinna
Corinna Mura was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1950s. She was born in 1909. Corinna was also a character played by actress Jacqueline Logan in the film The House of Youth (1924).

Corliss
Corliss Palmer was an actress who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1930s. She was born in Georgia in 1902. Corliss was also a character played by actress Gloria Grey in the film Unknown Dangers (1926).

Cornelia
Cornelia was a character name in multiple films, including Drugged Waters (1916) and Cover Girl (1944).

Corunna
Corunna was a character played by actress Louise Platt in the film Captain Caution (1940).

Creola
Creola was a character played by actress Lillian Yarbo in the film Wives Under Suspicion (1938).

  • Usage of the baby name Creola.

Creota
Creota was a character played by actress Rose Dione in the film It Happened in Paris (1919).

Cressy
Cressy was a character played by actress Blanche Sweet in the film Fighting Cressy (1919).

Cristobella
Cristobella was a character played by actress Anna Demetrio in the film Born to Be Wild (1938).

Croessa
Croessa was a character played by actress Gina Marangoni in the film Cabiria (1914).

Croisine
Croisine Bouhouhorts was a character played by Edith Barrett in the film The Song of Bernadette (1943).

Cuca
Cuca was a character played by actress Armida in the film Fiesta (1941).

  • Usage of the baby name Cuca.

Curly
Curly Flagg was a character played by actress Miriam Hopkins in the film She Loves Me Not (1934).

  • Usage of the baby name Curly.

Cyd
Cyd Charisse was an actress who appeared in films from the 1940s to the 1970s. She was born in Texas in 1922. Her birth name Tula Ellice Finklea.

  • Usage of the baby name Cyd.

Cymba
Cymba Roget was a character played by actress Helen Gardner in the film The Sleep of Cymba Roget (1920).

Cynthy
Cynthy was a character played by actress Peggy Hyland in the film The Rebellious Bride (1919).

Cyprienne
Cyprienne Marcey was a character played by actress Billie Burke in the film Let’s Get a Divorce (1918).

Cyrilla
Cyrilla Drew was a character played by actress Caroline Cooke in the film Roses of Yesterday (1913).

Which of the above do you like best?

N. Dakota Towns with Female Names

Here’s a newspaper article from the 1930s that features a list of North Dakota towns with feminine names:

When a train conductor calls “Bessie” and “Josephine” in North Dakota he is not addressing passengers by their first names.

For these and other feminine names were given to towns and villages by rugged pioneers.

Prominent among the list is the cow town of Medora in Billings county, known as the ranching headquarters of Theodore Roosevelt.

Others are: Ines, Norma, Olga, Christine, Silvia, Hannah, Frances, Janet, Stella, Willa, Ella, Mary, Flora, Marion, Alice, Elizabeth, Sophia, Beulah, Kathryn, Jessie, Luverne, Juanita, Freda, Cherry and Mona.

(Only Ella is among the top 10 baby girl names in the state right now.)

Which of the above names do you like best?

Source: “Dakota Pioneers Gave Towns Feminine Names.” Miami Daily News-Record [Miami, OK] 2 Feb. 1936: 8.

Name Quotes #77: Shyra, Jordan, Haroon

Time for this month’s batch of name-related quotes!

From the 2008 novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (which is narrated by character Katniss Everdeen):

The girl with the arrows, Glimmer I hear someone call her — ugh, the names the people in District 1 give their children are so ridiculous — anyway, Glimmer scales the tree until the branches begin to crack under her feet and then has the good sense to stop.

From Darius Rucker’s Instagram:

“My daughter Dani with the guy she was named after, Dan Marino.”

From an Economist article about baby names in France:

As Catholicism’s hold has eased, American pop culture has stepped in, filling classrooms with Kevins, Jordans and Dylans. Such names, says the study, have become a class marker. They are also popular in regions which support Marine Le Pen, the populist defender of French cultural tradition. Her campaign for the upcoming European elections is headed by a 23-year-old called Jordan.

In a country that bans ethnic or religious census data, names can also serve as a proxy. The number of baby boys named Mohamed has grown sixfold since 1960. The persistence of such names, say some on the nationalist fringe, reflects an integration problem. Ms. Le Pen has argued that naturalised French citizens should adopt a name more adapted to national culture. Hapsatou Sy, a French presenter, understandably quit a TV show after a commentator told her that her name was “an insult to France”, and that her mother should have named her Corinne.

From an article in The Herald (Scottish newspaper) about the changing tastes in baby names:

But now researchers have found that picking a distinctive monicker is becoming harder and harder with greater media access, improved global communications and rising immigration increasing people’s exposure to different names and also ensuring they become common more quickly.

[…]

“The speed with which modern name choices fall in and out of favour reflects their increased exposure and people’s ongoing desire for distinctiveness.”

From a Public Domain Review post about a 19th-century Siamese Prince called George Washington:

Prince George Washington was really Prince Wichaichan, the son of the Second King of Siam [Pinklao, younger brother of Mongkut]. […] Wichaichan’s unusual nickname was the result of his father’s commitment to “modernize” Siam by studying and deliberately emulating Western culture. […] Pinklao wished to communicate that he was a progressive person who was drawn to modern American culture, while never abandoning his fundamental commitment to Siam’s absolute monarchy.

(The post also noted that Anna Leonowens, in her memoir The English Governess at the Siamese Court — the inspiration behind The King and I, which made a star out of Yul Brynner — claimed the prince’s nickname was given to him by an American missionary.)

From a Swarajyamag.com article about Sanskrit names being given incorrect definitions online (found via Abby):

These websites not only misguide with wrong meanings but also feature “Sanskrit names” that are not from Sanskrit at all.

‘Haroon’ is one such name. Websites, including the popular Prokerala.com that ranks among the top 8,000 in the world, tells us it means ‘hope’ in Sanskrit. However, ‘Haroon’ is an Arabic name. Hugely popular among Muslims, it was also the name of one of the Khalifas (Caliphs).

[…]

Similarly, these websites also erroneously trace modern names such as Kian, Rehan and Miran to Sanskrit.

From the book Becoming Something: The Story of Canada Lee (2004) by Mona Z. Smith:

Canada Lee was born in New York City on March 3, 1907, and christened with the mellifluous if somewhat daunting name of Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata.

[…]

The first time the leather-lunged [fight announcer Joe] Humphries got ready to introduce Lee, he looked down at his notes and saw a peculiar name: “Canegata, Lee.” Flummoxed by those alien syllables, Humphries tossed away the card with a snort and introduced the young fighter as “Canada Lee.”

Everybody liked the transmogrification, including Lee, and it stuck.

From a Summit Daily article about the history of the town of Dillon, Colorado:

Dillon…was not named after a prospector named Tom Dillon who got lost in the woods, as has been a common oral tradition. Rather, the town was named after Sidney Dillon, a powerful railroad executive who became president of the Union Pacific railroad four months before the town was established. The entire point of naming the town Dillon was to somehow appeal to Sidney Dillon’s vanity and persuade him to build a railroad through the town.

But as it turned out, the railroad didn’t wind up going through Dillon or winding along the Snake River. Instead, it went through Tenmile Canyon and the town of Frisco — also named to flatter a railroad company, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co., in a bid to get them to build their next line through town.

From a Livemint.com post about the new generation of female names in Bollywood:

Kaira, Shyra, Akira, Kia, Tia, Sia. Shanaya. These are Bollywood’s cool new names, broadly classified into the “ya” or “ra” nomenclature. The Poojas, Nishas, Anjalis and Nehas of the 1990s are déclassé. These new names carry an unmistakable aspiration to be global.They are unrooted to place, community or any kind of identity except class. They are almost never longer than three syllables and easy to pronounce. They float on coolness and lightness. An ex-colleague memorably christened them “First-World Yoga Names—FWYN”.