The baby name Marylou was generally on the decline during the second half of the 20th century, but there was a conspicuous spike in usage in 1961 specifically:
- 1963: 207 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 708th]
- 1962: 207 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 719th]
- 1961: 300 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 580th]
- 1960: 227 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 675th]
- 1959: 223 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 670th]
You can see it on the graph:
What caused the spike?
The Ricky Nelson song “Hello Mary Lou” (1961), which peaked at #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in May of 1961.
It was written by Gene Pitney, but sounded enough like the earlier song “Merry, Merry Lou” [vid] by Cayet Mangiaracina that the two musicians are now credited as co-authors.
Here’s “Hello Mary Lou”:
The song was released as the B-side to Nelson’s #1 hit “Travelin’ Man.” It was also included on his sixth studio album, Rick Is 21.
That album title is notable because, on his 21st birthday, Nelson — born Eric Hilliard Nelson in 1940 — officially changed his recording name from “Ricky Nelson” to “Rick Nelson.”
The name change was a hard sell, though, because audiences had known him for so long as Ricky. He’d gone by “Ricky” on his family’s long-running sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (on radio and/or television from 1944 to 1966), and he’d continued to use “Ricky” when he launched his recording career in 1957. (His first five albums were called Ricky, Ricky Nelson, Ricky Sings Again, Songs by Ricky, and More Songs by Ricky.)
One of the ways he promoted his songs — “Hello Mary Lou” included — was by performing them at the end of weekly Ozzie and Harriet TV episodes. (Elvis Presley was a fan of these musical segments, incidentally.)
Getting back to Mary Lou…what are your thoughts on the compound name Marylou? Would you consider using it?
And, which song you like better: “Hello Mary Lou” from 1961, or “Mary Lou” from 1926?
Sources:
- Flashback: Ricky Nelson Records ‘Hello Mary Lou’ – Nights with Alice Cooper
- Fricke, David. “Ricky Nelson: TV’s Teen Dream Knew How to Rock.” Rolling Stone 13 Feb. 1986.
- Ricky Nelson – Billboard
- Ricky Nelson – Wikipedia
- SSA
P.S. In April of 1963, Rick Nelson married 17-year-old Kristin Harmon. Later the same year, she began appearing regularly (as “Kris”) on Ozzie and Harriet. As a result, the names Kristin and Kris both saw increased usage in 1963.
