How popular is the baby name Quartey 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 Quartey.

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Popularity of the baby name Quartey


Posts that mention the name Quartey

Where did the baby name Quartey come from in 1999?

So far, the rare baby name Quartey has popped up in the U.S. baby name data just once:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: 5 baby boys named Quartey
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

Where did this one-hit wonder come from?

Looks like the answer is Ghanaian professional boxer Isufu “Ike” Quartey, who was at the height of his career in the mid-to-late ’90s.

In early 1999 specifically, Quartey — who was undefeated (34-0-1) and held the WBA welterweight title — fought a match against WBC welterweight titleholder Oscar De La Hoya (29-0) in Las Vegas. The outcome of the 12-round battle came down to the judges’ scores, which awarded De La Hoya a close, controversial victory over Quartey.

Quartey is a member of the Ga people of Accra (the capital of Ghana). His surname seems to be a version of the name Kwate, but I’m not sure of the derivation/meaning.

What are your thoughts on Quartey as a baby name?

Sources: Ike Quartey – Wikipedia, Quartey – Wikipedia, What’s in a (Ga) Name?

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • (none yet)

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Dec. 2023]