Here’s another baby name with a Cosby Show association…
Phylicia Rashad, who played everyone’s favorite TV mom Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, married NFL sportscaster (and former player) Ahmad Rashad in December of 1985.
Ahmad had proposed to Phylicia on-air the month before.
About a year later, on December 11, 1986, they welcomed a daughter named Condola Phylea Rashad.
And in 1987, we see the name Condola appear for the first and only time in the U.S. baby name data:
- 1989: unlisted
- 1988: unlisted
- 1987: 12 baby girls named Condola [debut]
- 1986: unlisted
- 1985: unlisted
Condola was named after Ahmad’s mother, Condola Moore. (Ahmad Rashad was born Robert Moore; he changed his name when he converted to Islam in the early ’70s.)
Growing up, Condola Rashad went by her middle name. Later, when she decided to go into acting, she switched back to her first name because “Phylea” sounded too similar to her mother’s name, “Phylicia.” And today, the Tony-nominated actress goes by the professional name Dola Rashad.
Sources:
- Phylicia Rashad – Wikipedia
- Condola Rashad – Wikipedia
- Mannion, Katie. “Phylicia Rashad’s 2 Children: All About William and Condola.” People.com 10 Mar. 2024.
- SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Cosby Show
[Latest update: Mar. 2024]