How popular is the baby name Natasha 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 Natasha.

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Popularity of the baby name Natasha


Posts that mention the name Natasha

Baby names with ASH: Ashton, Rashida, Vikash

ash tree

Looking for baby names that contain the word ASH?

If so, you’re in luck!

Below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter sequence “a-s-h.” Most of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data.

  • Abhilash
  • Adasha
  • Adashia
  • Akash, Aakash, Akaash
  • Akashdeep
  • Alasha
  • Alashia
  • Aleasha
  • Aleashia
  • Anashia
  • Anastasha
  • Anastashia
  • Antashia
  • Arash
  • Arashdeep
  • Arashel
  • Ash
  • Asha, Aasha
  • Ashad, Ashaad
  • Ashaki
  • Ashal
  • Ashala
  • Ashalee
  • Ashalina
  • Ashan, Ashaan
  • Ashana, Ashanna
  • Ashanae
  • Ashanda
  • Ashani
  • Ashanique
  • Ashanta
  • Ashantay
  • Ashante
  • Ashanti, Ashantie, Ashanty, Ashantee
  • Ashantia
  • Ashantiana
  • Ashantis
  • Ashar
  • Ashara
  • Ashari, Asharie, Asharee
  • Asharia
  • Ashaud
  • Ashawnte, Ashaunte
  • Ashawn, Ashaun
  • Ashawna, Ashauna
  • Ashawnti, Ashaunti
  • Ashaya
  • Ashaz
  • Ashburn
  • Ashby
  • Ashden, Ashdon, Ashdyn
  • Ashe
  • Ashea
  • Asheena
  • Ashely, Asheley, Asheli, Ashelee, Ashelly
  • Ashelyn, Ashelynn
  • Asher, Ashur
  • Asherah
  • Asheton
  • Ashey, Ashee
  • Ashfaq
  • Ashford
  • Ashgan
  • Ashi, Aashi
  • Ashia, Ashiah, Ashiya
  • Ashiana
  • Ashima
  • Ashini
  • Ashira, Ashirah
  • Ashish, Aashish
  • Ashka, Aashka
  • Ashkan
  • Ashkii
    • Ashkii is the Navajo word for “boy.”
  • Ashkon
  • Ashla
  • Ashlan
  • Ashland
  • Ashlay
  • Ashle
  • Ashlea
  • Ashleah
  • Ashleen
  • Ashlen
  • Ashlesha
  • Ashley, Ashlee, Ashleigh, Ashlie, Ashly, Ashli, Ashlei, Ashlye, Ashlii
  • Ashlin, Ashlinn
  • Ashling
  • Ashlley, Ashlly
  • Ashlon
  • Ashlynd
  • Ashlynn, Ashlyn, Ashlynne, Ashlyne
  • Ashmeet
  • Ashmi
  • Ashmir
  • Ashmit
  • Ashmita
  • Ashna, Aashna
  • Ashneel
  • Ashney, Ashni
  • Ashok
  • Ashon
  • Ashonda
  • Ashonna
  • Ashonta
  • Ashonte
  • Ashonti
  • Ashraf
  • Ashriel
  • Ashrita, Aashrita
  • Ashrit, Aashrit
  • Ashrith, Aashrith
  • Ashritha, Aashritha
  • Ashriya, Aashriya
  • Ashtian
  • Ashton, Ashtin, Ashten, Ashtyn, Ashtynn, Ashtan
  • Ashunti
  • Ashura
  • Ashutosh
  • Ashvath
  • Ashvika
  • Ashvin
  • Ashwaq
  • Ashwath
  • Ashwika
  • Ashwin
  • Ashwini
  • Ashya, Ashyah
  • Ashyia
  • Ashyr
  • Ashyra
  • Ashyria
  • Atasha
  • Aurash
  • Avinash
  • Ayasha
  • Ayeasha
  • Ayyash
  • Bash
  • Basha
  • Bashan
  • Bashar
  • Bashawn, Bashaun
  • Basheba
  • Bashir, Basheer
  • Bashira, Bashirah
  • Bashiri
  • Bashkim
  • Bashton
  • Bashy
  • Brashawn, Brashaun
  • Brasher
  • Breasha
  • Briasha
  • Cash
  • Casha
  • Cashara
  • Cashawn, Cashaun
  • Cashay, Cashae
  • Cashden
  • Cashe
  • Cashea
  • Casheena
  • Cashel
  • Cashen
  • Casher
  • Cashius
  • Cashlyn, Cashlynn, Cashlin
  • Cashmere
  • Cashon
  • Cashton, Cashten, Cashtyn
  • Cashus
  • Catasha
  • Danasha
  • Danashia
  • Dash
  • Dasha
  • Dashai
  • Dashal, Dashall
  • Dashan
  • Dashana, Dashanna
  • Dashanae
  • Dashanda
  • Dashanique
  • Dashara
  • Dashawn, Dashaun
  • Dashawna, Dashauna
  • Dashay, Dashae
  • Dashayla
  • Dashea
  • Dasheem
  • Dashelle, Dashell, Dashel
  • Dasher
  • Dashia, Dashiya
  • Dashiell, Dashiel
  • Dashira
  • Dashley, Dashly
  • Dashon
  • Dashona, Dashonna
  • Dashonda
  • Dashone
  • Dashton
  • Dashun
  • Dashya
  • Davasha
  • Deasha
  • Deashia
  • Deashley
  • Denasha
  • Diasha
  • Drashawn, Drashaun
  • Drashti
  • Easha
  • Eashan, Eashaan
  • Elasha
  • Eleasha
  • Equasha
  • Etasha
  • Fantasha
  • Fantashia
  • Fasha
  • Fashionette
  • Folashade
  • Grasha
  • Hadasha
  • Hasha
  • Hashem
  • Hashim, Hasheem
  • Hashir, Haashir
  • Hisashi
  • Iasha
  • Iashia
  • Ieasha
  • Indasha
  • Itasha
  • Jalashia
  • Janasha
  • Janashia
  • Jaquasha
  • Jash
  • Jasha
  • Jashad
  • Jashan
  • Jashana
  • Jashanpreet
  • Jashawna, Jashauna
  • Jashawn, Jashaun
  • Jashay, Jashae
  • Jashayla
  • Jasher
  • Jashia, Jashiya
  • Jashira
  • Jashley, Jashly
  • Jashon
  • Jashonda
  • Jashua
  • Jashvi
  • Jashyra
  • Jatasha
  • Joash
  • Kadasha
  • Kadashia
  • Kailash
  • Kakashi
  • Kanasha
  • Kash
  • Kasha
  • Kashad
  • Kashala
  • Kashan
  • Kashana, Kashanna
  • Kashanda
  • Kashanta
  • Kashanti
  • Kashara
  • Kashari
  • Kashawn, Kashaun
  • Kashawna, Kashauna
  • Kashay, Kashae
  • Kashayla
  • Kashden, Kashdyn, Kashdon
  • Kashe
  • Kasheem
  • Kasheen
  • Kashena
  • Kasher
  • Kashi
  • Kashia
  • Kashif, Kaashif, Kashiff
  • Kashika
  • Kashima
  • Kashina, Kasheena
  • Kashindi
  • Kashira
  • Kashis
  • Kashish
  • Kashius
  • Kashka
  • Kashley, Kashlee
  • Kashlyn, Kashlynn
  • Kashmir
  • Kashonda
  • Kashun
  • Kashunda
  • Kashvi
  • Kashyap
  • Katasha
  • Katashia
  • Keasha
  • Keashia
  • Keiasha
  • Keneasha
  • Keyasha
  • Keyashia
  • Kiasha
  • Kieasha
  • Killashandra
  • Koyasha
  • Kwashawn
  • Kyasha
  • Lacasha
  • Lacreasha
  • Ladasha
  • Ladashia
  • Lakasha
  • Lakeasha
  • Lanasha
  • Laquasha
  • Larasha
  • Lash
  • Lasha
  • Lashad
  • Lashai
  • Lashan, Lashann
  • Lashana, Lashanna
  • Lashanay, Lashanae
  • Lashanda
  • Lashandra
  • Lashane
  • Lashanette
  • Lashannon
  • Lashanta
  • Lashante
  • Lashanya
  • Lashara, Lasharra
  • Lashari, Lasharee
  • Lasharon
  • Lashasta
  • Lashavia
  • Lashaw
  • Lashawanda
  • Lashawda
  • Lashawn, Lashaun
  • Lashawna, Lashauna
  • Lashawnda, Lashaunda
  • Lashawndra, Lashaundra
  • Lashawne, Lashaune
  • Lashay, Lashae, Lashaye
  • Lashaya
  • Lashayla
  • Lasheba
  • Lasheia
  • Lasheila
  • Lasheka
  • Lashekia
  • Lashella
  • Lashelle, Lashell, Lashel
  • Lashema
  • Lashena
  • Lashera
  • Lasherrie
  • Lasheryl
  • Lashia
  • Lashika, Lashica
  • Lashina, Lasheena
  • Lashira
  • Lashon
  • Lashona, Lashonna
  • Lashond
  • Lashonda
  • Lashondia
  • Lashondra
  • Lashondria
  • Lashone, Lashonne
  • Lashonia
  • Lashonta
  • Lashonya
  • Lashun
  • Lashuna
  • Lashunda
  • Lashundia
  • Lashundra
  • Lashune
  • Lashunya
  • Lashyra
  • Lastasha
  • Latash
  • Latasha
  • Latashi
  • Latashia
  • Latashua
  • Lateasha
  • Lateashia
  • Lathasha
  • Latiasha
  • Lavasha
  • Leasha
  • Leashia
  • Lenash
  • Letasha
  • Litasha
  • Lotasha
  • Makasha
  • Malasha
  • Mariasha
  • Marquasha
  • Masashi
  • Masha
  • Mashad
  • Mashal
  • Mashala
  • Mashana
  • Mashanda
  • Mashawn, Mashaun
  • Mashawna, Mashauna
  • Mashawnda, Mashaunda
  • Mashaya
  • Mashayla
  • Masheka
  • Mashelle, Mashell
  • Mashika
  • Mashiya
  • Mashon
  • Mashona
  • Mashonda
  • Mashunda
  • Matasha
  • Measha
  • Menashe
  • Miasha
  • Monasha
  • Mubashir
  • Musashi
  • Myeasha
  • Mylashia
  • Nasasha
  • Nash
  • Nasha
  • Nashai
  • Nashalie, Nashaly, Nashalee, Nashali
  • Nashanda
  • Nashanti
  • Nashara
  • Nashari
  • Nashawn, Nashaun
  • Nashay, Nashae
  • Nashaya
  • Nashayla
  • Nashea
  • Nasheena
  • Nasheka
  • Nashelle
  • Nashely
  • Nashia
  • Nashid, Nasheed
  • Nashima, Nasheema
  • Nashira
  • Nashla
  • Nashly, Nashley, Nashli
  • Nashoba
  • Nashon
  • Nashonda
  • Nashrah
  • Nashton, Nashtyn
  • Nashua
  • Nashville
  • Nashwa
  • Nashwan
  • Nashya
  • Nashyra
  • Nastasha
  • Nastashia
  • Natash
  • Natasha
  • Natashi
  • Natashia
  • Natashua
  • Nateasha
  • Nathasha
  • Netasha
  • Niasha
  • Nihash
  • Nikash
  • Nikasha
  • Nitasha
  • Notasha
  • Nyasha
  • Nytasha
  • Palash
  • Palwasha
  • Pasha
  • Pashence, Pashance
  • Pashia
  • Pashion, Pashen, Pashun, Pashyn
  • Prakash
  • Prashant
  • Priyasha
  • Quaashie
  • Quadasha
  • Quantasha
  • Quantashia
  • Quasha
  • Quashana
  • Quashawn, Quashaun
  • Quashay
  • Quashon
  • Quashonda
  • Quintasha
  • Quintashia
  • Rasha
  • Rashad, Rashaad, Rhashad
  • Rashada
  • Rashamel
  • Rashan, Rashaan, Raashan, Rashann
  • Rashana, Rashanna
  • Rashanda
  • Rashandra
  • Rashanique
  • Rashard
  • Rashaud
  • Rashaunda
  • Rashawd
  • Rashawn, Rashaun
  • Rashawna, Rashauna
  • Rashawnda
  • Rashay, Rashae
  • Rashayla
  • Rashe
  • Rashea
  • Rashean
  • Rasheda
  • Rasheeda, Rasheedah
  • Rasheen
  • Rashele
  • Rashelle, Rashell, Rashel
  • Rashena
  • Rasheta
  • Rashetta
  • Rashi, Raashi, Rashee
  • Rashia
  • Rashid, Rasheed
  • Rashida, Rashidah, Raashida
  • Rashidat
  • Rashidi
  • Rashim, Rasheem
  • Rashita, Rasheeta
  • Rashmi
  • Rashod
  • Rashon
  • Rashonda
  • Rashone
  • Rashun
  • Rashunda
  • Rashya
  • Ratasha
  • Reneasha
  • Riyasha
  • Rotasha
  • Santasha
  • Sasha
  • Sashay
  • Sashe
  • Sasheen
  • Sasheer
  • Sashenka
  • Sashi
  • Sashia
  • Sashya
  • Shadasha
  • Shanasha
  • Shardasha
  • Shasha
  • Shashana
  • Shashanth
  • Shashawn, Shashaun
  • Shashawna, Shashauna
  • Shashi
  • Shashwat
  • Shatasha
  • Shreyash
  • Siavash
  • Simbarashe
  • Stash
  • Stasha
  • Stashia
  • Suyash
  • Tadashi
  • Taiasha
  • Takashi
  • Takashia
  • Talasha
  • Tamasha
  • Tanasha
  • Tanashia
  • Taneasha
  • Tarasha
  • Tash
  • Tasha
  • Tashai
  • Tashala
  • Tashalee
  • Tashan
  • Tashana, Tashanna
  • Tashanae
  • Tashanda
  • Tashanika
  • Tashanique
  • Tashanti
  • Tashara, Tasharra
  • Tashari
  • Tasharia
  • Tashawn, Tashaun
  • Tashawna, Tashauna
  • Tashay, Tashaye, Tashae
  • Tashaya
  • Tashayla
  • Tashe
  • Tashea
  • Tasheanna
  • Tasheba
  • Tasheen
  • Tasheia
  • Tasheka
  • Tashekia
  • Tashel, Tashell
  • Tashema
  • Tashena
  • Tashera
  • Tashfia
  • Tashfin
  • Tashi, Tashie, Tashee
  • Tashia, Tashiya
  • Tashiana, Tashianna, Tashiyana
  • Tashika, Tashica
  • Tashima, Tasheema
  • Tashina, Tasheena
  • Tashiona, Tasheona
  • Tashira
  • Tashon
  • Tashona
  • Tashonda
  • Tashua
  • Tashunda
  • Tashvi
  • Tashya
  • Tashyana
  • Tashyla
  • Tashyra
  • Tatasha
  • Tawasha
  • Teasha
  • Teashia
  • Teneasha
  • Terasha
  • Thasha
  • Tiasha
  • Tieasha
  • Tinasha
  • Tinashe
  • Tyasha
  • Tyeasha
  • Tylasha
  • Tynasha
  • Vash
  • Vashanti
  • Vashawn, Vashaun
  • Vashion
  • Vashon
  • Vashonda
  • Vashone
  • Vashta
  • Vashti, Vashtie
  • Vatasha
  • Vikash
  • Washington
  • Watasha
  • Yash
  • Yasha
  • Yashar
  • Yashas
  • Yashasvi
  • Yashaswini
  • Yasheka
  • Yashekia
  • Yashfa
  • Yashia
  • Yashica, Yashika
  • Yashima
  • Yashita
  • Yashmit
  • Yashoda
  • Yashraj
  • Yashua
  • Yashveer
  • Yashvi
  • Yashwant, Yashwanth
  • Yashwin
  • Yatasha
  • Zasha
  • Zashawn, Zashaun

Some of the above are non-traditional spellings of more common names such as Cassius, Joshua, Alicia, and Michelle.

Which ASH name do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources: SSA, Ashkii – Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Fraxinus angustifolia ssp. oxycarpa by Assianir under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Popular baby names in Ireland, 2023

Flag of Ireland
Flag of Ireland

Last year, the Republic of Ireland — which covers five-sixths of the island of Ireland — welcomed roughly 55,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Grace and Jack.

Here are Ireland’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl Names

  1. Grace, 339 baby girls
  2. Fiadh (pronounced FEE-a), 300
  3. Emily, 297
  4. Sophie, 283
  5. Lily, 270
  6. Ellie, 252
  7. Mia, 242
  8. Amelia, 241 (tie)
  9. Éabha (pronounced EY-va), 241 (tie)
  10. Ella, 231
  11. Isla, 227
  12. Hannah, 226
  13. Sophia, 218
  14. Lucy, 214
  15. Ava, 207
  16. Sadie, 200
  17. Olivia, 199
  18. Freya, 188
  19. Emma, 183
  20. Chloe, 181
  21. Robyn, 180
  22. Molly, 176
  23. Anna, 166 (tie)
  24. Croía (pronounced KREE-a), 166 (tie)
  25. Evie, 165
  26. Caoimhe (pronounced KEE-va or KWEE-va), 158
  27. Saoirse (pronounced SEER-sha or SAYR-sha), 157 (tie)
  28. Cara, 157 (tie)
  29. Sofia, 156
  30. Millie, 150
  31. Aoife (pronounced EE-fa), 148
  32. Isabelle, 132
  33. Bonnie, 130
  34. Maya, 128 (tie)
  35. Ada, 128 (tie)
  36. Róisín (pronounced ROH-sheen), 127
  37. Ruby, 126
  38. Kate, 123 (tie)
  39. Alice, 123 (tie)
  40. Holly, 120 (3-way tie)
  41. Erin, 120 (3-way tie)
  42. Sadhbh (pronounced siev; rhymes with “5”), 120 (3-way tie)
  43. Leah, 119
  44. Isabella, 118 (3-way tie)
  45. Ailbhe (pronounced AL-va), 118 (3-way tie)
  46. Méabh (pronounced mayv), 118 (3-way tie)
  47. Zoe, 115
  48. Annie, 112
  49. Ivy, 111
  50. Willow, 110

Boy Names

  1. Jack, 561 baby boys
  2. Noah, 473
  3. James, 369
  4. Rían (pronounced REE-an), 339
  5. Oisín (pronounced UH-sheen or OH-sheen), 330
  6. Fionn (pronounced fyun or fyoon), 306
  7. Tadhg (pronounced tieg, like the first part of “tiger”), 301
  8. Liam, 289
  9. Cillian (pronounced KIL-ee-an), 275
  10. Daniel, 256
  11. Finn, 251
  12. Conor, 244 (tie)
  13. Charlie, 244 (tie)
  14. Seán (pronounced shawn), 240
  15. Michael, 239
  16. Leo, 237
  17. Theo, 233
  18. Thomas, 227
  19. Patrick, 221
  20. Luke, 215
  21. Tommy, 214
  22. Oliver, 211
  23. Adam, 201
  24. Harry, 198
  25. Luca, 197
  26. Darragh, 195
  27. Alex, 175
  28. Bobby, 157
  29. Cian (pronounced KEE-an or keen), 156
  30. Oscar, 154
  31. John, 152 (tie)
  32. Max, 152 (tie)
  33. Ryan, 151
  34. Páidí (pronounced PAW-dee), 150
  35. Jamie, 149
  36. Ben, 147
  37. Kai, 141 (tie)
  38. Ollie, 141 (tie)
  39. Tom, 135
  40. Matthew, 134
  41. Dylan, 132
  42. Callum, 131
  43. Sonny, 130
  44. Sam, 129
  45. Ethan, 127 (tie)
  46. Alfie, 127 (tie)
  47. David, 122
  48. Alexander, 118
  49. Mason, 116
  50. Caelan, 114

New to the girls’ top 100 were Lucia, Cadhla (pronounced KIE-la) and Síofra (pronounced SHEE-fra).

New to the boys’ top 100 were Caelan, Jude, Paddy, Éanna (pronounced EY-na) and Dáithí (pronounced DAH-hee).

The fastest-rising names in the top 100 in terms of numbers of babies were:

  • Éala (increased by 41 baby girls), Ailbhe (+40), Méabh (+36), Zara (+33), Croía (+26)
  • Caelan (increased by 58 baby boys), Páidí (+41), Arlo (+35), Tommy (+30), Mark (+28)

And the fastest-rising names in terms of rank were:

  • Síofra (rose 57 spots on the girls’ list), Lucia (+43), Éala (+38), Lottie (+36), Zara (+31)
  • Caelan (rose 58 spots on the boys’ list), Mark (+46), Ruairí (+41), Eoin (+37), Arlo (+31)
Map of the four provinces of Ireland
Ireland’s four provinces

Home to more than five million people, the Republic of Ireland is divided into four provinces. (One of these provinces, Ulster, lies largely within Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.) The top baby names within each of the four provinces last year were…

Top Girl NameTop Boy Name
Leinster
(56% of the population)		GraceJack
Munster
(27% of pop.)		GraceJack
Connacht
(11% of pop.)		FiadhJack
Ulster [ROI portion]
(6% of pop.)		LilyJack

And what about the baby names at the other end of the spectrum?

Here’s a selection of the names that were given to just 3 babies each in Ireland last year:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Adara, Brídín, Cushla, Dottie, Eilidh, Féile, Gillian, Hezlin, Iona, Jolene, Kalina, Lorna, Maliha, Natasha, Ocean, Philomena, Ríonach, Saffie, Tuiren, Vedika, Yasmine, ZadieAlby, Bram, Conal, Douglas, Elvis, Finnian, Gerald, Igor, Jonnie, Keenan, Lughaidh, Maitiú, Nathanael, Orin, Patryk, Rylan, Séadhna, Téidí, Ultán, Viktor, Wren, Yohan, Zachariah

Finally, here are Ireland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Irish Babies’ Names – CSO (Irish Babies’ Names 2023), Births, Deaths and Marriages – CSO, Provinces of Ireland – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Ireland (public domain)
Map: Adapted from Provinces of Ireland location map by Ssolbergj under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Subban siblings

The Subban brothers Jordan, Malcolm, and P. K. (at the 2013 NHL Draft)
Jordan, Malcolm, and P. K. Subban

I’ve only recently started watching hockey, so the first time I heard about Canadian player P. K. Subban was when he announced his retirement a few months ago.

He’s not the only player I know of who goes by his initials. One of the Colorado Avalanche players is called J. T. Compher, for instance. But I’d say P. K. has the most intriguing set of initials. (In contrast, the combo “J.T.” is so common that some parents simply register “JT” as a legal name.)

So, what do Subban’s initials stand for?

Here’s the answer, courtesy of Sports Illustrated:

P.K. stands for Pernell Karl. When he was born, his mother, Maria, thumbing through a movie magazine in her hospital bed, spotted a story about actor Pernell Roberts. The name clicked. Pernell for Adam Cartwright from Bonanza. Karl for his father.

When he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, P. K. was asked what his initials stood for, and he cheekily replied: “Penalty-killer.” (In fact, you do hear hockey announcers say “PK” — an acronym for “penalty kill” — during televised games sometimes.)

P. K. Subban has four siblings: two older sisters and two younger brothers. Both brothers are also professional hockey players with hyphenated names:

  1. Nastassia (pronounced nah-STAH-zee-ah)
  2. Natasha
  3. Pernell-Karl, or “P. K.”
  4. Malcolm-Jamaal, or “Malcolm” (drafted in 2012 by the Boston Bruins)
  5. Jordan-Carmichael, or “Jordan” (drafted in 2013 by the Vancouver Canucks)

I have to imagine that Malcolm’s name was somehow inspired by actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on The Cosby Show, though I haven’t found any proof of this yet.

What are your thoughts on these names? And, have you spotted any interesting sets of initials recently?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of the 2013 NHL Draft telecast

Quotes about the names of artists and performers

Showgirls on the cover of LIFE magazine (Dec. 15, 1947)
Showgirls named Dawn, Thana, and Joy

From the cover description of a late 1947 issue of LIFE magazine:

Among the prettiest showgirls in New York’s nightclubs are (from left) brunette Dawn McInerney, red-haired Thana Barclay and blond Joy Skylar who all work in the Latin Quarter. […] Thana, also 22, was named after her mother’s favorite poem Thanatopsis. She is married to a song plugger named Duke Niles and owns a dachshund named Bagel.

[The poem “Thanatopsis” was written by William Cullen Bryant. The word itself means “a view or contemplation of death.” In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the god of death.]

From the 2010 article “A Fashionable Life: Paloma Picasso” in Harper’s Bazaar:

She produces two major [jewelry] collections a year [for Tiffany’s New York]. This year, to celebrate her 30th anniversary, she has already launched three new collections: Marrakesh (including the openwork bracelets), Hammered Circles, and Paloma’s Dove, which features, most appropriately, a dove pendant.

Having been named by her father in honor of the dove he drew that became the symbol of the World Peace Conference in 1949, Paloma went through a process for designing the latter that wasn’t easy. She did about 200 drawings. “I didn’t want it to look like a Pablo Picasso dove,” she explains. “One looked like a Braque, and I thought, ‘No! Can’t have that!'” She did finally settle on a perfect version. “One looked like an angel. I’ve always been proud that my name stands for peace, and I thought, The angel of peace; that’s my combination,” she says. “A dove that will protect you.”

From a 2013 article in Independent Magazine about filmmaker Lu Lu:

Lu Lu is no stranger to a language gap. Even her name is a constant source of confusion in America. “They ask me my first name. I say ‘Lu.’ Then they ask me for my last name, and I say ‘Lu.’ They think I misunderstood them.” In Chinese, the characters, while pronounced the same, are written differently. In English, though, Lu Lu’s first and last name are identical. She laughs, being frank, “My name in Chinese is ordinary, but when I came to the US, people think it is interesting.”

From a 2016 interview with Dita Von Teese (born Heather Sweet) in Vogue:

I was just Dita for many years. I had seen a movie with an actress named Dita Parlo, and I thought, God, that’s such a cool name. I wanted to be known with just a simple first name–Cher, Madonna. Then when I first posed for Playboy, in 1993 or 1994, they told me I had to pick a last name. So I opened up the phone book at the bikini club [I worked in at the time]. I was with a friend and I was like, “Let’s look under a Von something.” It sounds really exotic and glamorous. So I found the name Von Treese and I called Playboy and said, “I’m going to be Dita Von Treese.” I remember so well going to the newsstand and picking up the magazine, and it said Dita Von Teese. I called them and they said, “Oh, we’ll fix it. We’ll fix it.” The next month, same thing: Dita Von Teese. I left it because I didn’t really care. I didn’t know I was going to go on to trademark it all over the world!

From the 2008 New York Times obituary of illustrator/author Tasha Tudor:

Starling Burgess, who later legally changed both her names to Tasha Tudor, was born in Boston to well-connected but not wealthy parents. Her mother, Rosamond Tudor, was a portrait painter, and her father, William Starling Burgess, was a yacht and airplane designer who collaborated with Buckminster Fuller. […] She was originally nicknamed Natasha by her father, after Tolstoy’s heroine in “War and Peace.” This was shortened to Tasha. After her parents divorced when she was 9, Ms. Tudor adopted her mother’s last name.

[Her four kids were named Seth, Bethany, Thomas, and Efner (female).]

From the 2013 book Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896–2013 by Trina Robbins:

[A] male pseudonym seemed to be required for action strips, starting with Caroline Sexton who, in 1934, signed “C. M. Sexton” to Luke and Duke. From Cecilia Paddock Munson, who often signed her work either “Pad” or “Paddock Munson,” to Ramona “Pat” Patenaude, to Dale Messick and Tarpe Mills, the women of the 1940s seemed to believe at least in part upon having a male name.

From a 2009 review of the book Looking In, about photographer Robert Frank:

On November 7 1955, part-way through a two-year, Guggenheim-funded voyage around America, the photographer Robert Frank was arrested by Arkansas state police who suspected he was a communist. Their reasons: he was a shabbily dressed foreigner, he was Jewish, he had letters of reference from people with Russian-sounding names, he had photographed the Ford plant, possessed foreign whisky and his children had foreign names (Pablo and Andrea).

Image: Clipping from the cover of Life magazine (15 Dec. 1947)

[Latest update: Oct. 2023]