The curious name Corky first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1920s:
- 1930: unlisted
- 1929: 8 baby boys (and 5 baby girls) named Corky
- 1928: 7 baby boys named Corky [debut]
- 1927: unlisted
- 1926: unlisted
Where did it come from?
The funny pages!
Walt and Phyllis Wallet of the comic strip Gasoline Alley welcomed a baby boy in early May, 1928.
Soon after his birth, the couple started brainstorming for names. Over the course of the next few weeks, they settled on Corkleigh — Phyllis’ maiden name — as the baby’s legal name, and Corky as his nickname.
Notably, Gasoline Alley was one of the first comic strips in which the characters aged over time. In the 1940s, Corky’s older brother Skeezix (whose real first name was Allison) welcomed his own children, Chipper and Clovia, both of whom also influenced U.S. baby names.
The name Corky has never been very popular, but it did see more usage in the 1950s than in any other decade — possibly because of the 1951 films Gasoline Alley and Corky of Gasoline Alley. In both movies, Corky was played by actor Scotty Beckett (who, several years earlier, had appeared in A Date with Judy with Jane Powell).
What are your thoughts on Corky as a baby name?
Sources:
- Gasoline Alley comic strip (in the St. Joseph Gazette, via Google Books)
- Gasoline Alley (comic strip) – Wikipedia
- SSA
Image: Clipped from the St. Joseph Gazette (4 Jun. 1928)
[Latest update: Apr. 2024]