How popular is the baby name Rainelle 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 Rainelle.

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Popularity of the baby name Rainelle


Posts that mention the name Rainelle

Where did the baby name Devara come from in 1967?

The name Devara was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data back in 1967:

  • 1969: unlisted
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: 7 baby girls named Devara [debut]
  • 1966: unlisted
  • 1965: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Celebrity gossip…plus a typo. :)

In early 1967, newspapers reported that TV actor Vince Edwards was going to take his ex-wife, actress Kathy Kersh, to court because she “[made] it inconvenient for him to visit their 14-month-old daughter, Devara.”

This relatively minor item landed on the front page of certain (smaller) newspapers.

As we saw the other day, though, their daughter’s first name was actually Devera — making “Devara” yet another baby name inspired by a typo. (Others include Aleeta, Bedar, Clintonia, Glenalee, Kior, Mattlock, Rainelle, Reeshemah, and Terria.)

What are your thoughts on the name Devara? Do you like it more or less than Devera?

Source: “Wants His Ex-Wife Punished.” Salina Journal 15 Mar. 1967: 1.

Where did the baby name Clovia come from in 1949?

The characters Chipper and Clovia from the comic strip "Gasoline Alley" (panel from the early 1950s).
Clovia and Chipper

The curious name Clovia debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1949:

  • 1951: 5 baby girls named Clovia
  • 1950: 13 baby girls named Clovia
  • 1949: 22 baby girls named Clovia [debut]
  • 1948: unlisted
  • 1947: unlisted

It was the 4th-highest girl name debut that year after Rainelle, Rainell and Randye.

Where did it come from?

A comic strip!

The strip, called Gasoline Alley, debuted in newspapers in late 1918. (And it’s still being published today, amazingly.)

In May of 1949, Gasoline Alley characters Skeezix and Nina welcomed a baby girl and decided to name her Clovia.

Why “Clovia”?

Nina got stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital and was forced to give birth in a taxi. On the infant’s wrist was a birthmark in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

Clovia doll
Clovia the doll

And Clovia wasn’t just a comic strip character. For a time, she was also a doll.

In mid-1949, a few weeks after Clovia’s introduction, Clovia dolls became available in retail stores. (Dolls based on comic strip babies had become trendy in the 1940s.)

The baby name Clovia remained on the national baby name list through the 1950s, but usage petered out in the 1960s.

(Dondi, another comic strip-inspired name, had more staying power. Sparkle, on the other hand, lasted only a year.)

Sources:

  • “Comic Strip Dolls.” Life 19 Oct. 1953.
  • Cushman, Philip. Constructing the Self, Constructing America. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1995.

Images © Life.

Baby name prediction: Lacey

Lacey Holsworth and Adreian Payne
Lacey Holsworth & Adreian Payne

A little more than a week ago, 8-year-old Lacey Holsworth — known for her friendship with Michigan State University basketball player Adreian Payne — succumbed to the cancer she’d been battling for several years.

I don’t know much about Lacey, but I’ve seen/heard her name in the news a lot lately. This makes me wonder: Will this sad event increase the popularity of the baby name Lacey in 2014?

We’ve seen this sort of thing happen before with names like Caylee, Etan, Kyron, Natalee, Rainelle, and most recently Trayvon.

Etan is an interesting case because much of the increase can be traced back to New York state specifically. If there’s an uptick in the number of Laceys born in 2014, do you think most of those Laceys will be from Michigan?

The name Lacey was most popular during the early 1980s, thanks to the popular TV series Cagney & Lacey. (Cagney debuted on the charts in 1982.)

What are your thoughts on this?

Source: Lacey Holsworth Dies at 8: Close Friend of MSU’s Adreian Payne Loses Battle to Cancer

Baby name prediction: Trayvon

In 1949, more babies than expected were named Rainelle. Same goes for Natalee in 2005. And Caylee in 2008. And Kyron in 2010.

What ties them all together?

Sad events involving young people. Popularity via tragedy, you could say.

This pattern makes me think we’re about to see quite a spike in the number of babies named Trayvon.

Trayvon Martin, a black teenager from Florida, was shot and killed late last month by a neighborhood watch volunteer. The shooter, who claims he was acting in self-defense, has yet to be arrested.

On March 21, a “Million Hoodie March” was held in New York. (Trayvon was wearing a hoodie the day he was killed.) Over the weekend, more protest rallies were held in other U.S. cities. Still more are being planned for this week.

How will these events affect the baby name Trayvon?

Trayvon has been on the charts since the ’70s. Usage peaked in the mid-’90s. Here’s the most recent data:

  • 2010: 68 baby boys named Trayvon
  • 2009: 73 baby boys named Trayvon
  • 2008: 92 baby boys named Trayvon
  • 2007: 94 baby boys named Trayvon
  • 2006: 101 baby boys named Trayvon

I predict that there will be sizable uptick in the number of Trayvons in 2012.

How sizable?

The number of babies named Natalee, Caylee and Kyron more than doubled the years those respective tragedies took place.

I don’t yet know how many Trayvons were born in 2011 — that data won’t be released until May — but if the number is on par with other recent numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see well over 200 baby boys named Trayvon in 2012.

Do you agree? Disagree? Think it’s too early to tell?

Source: Wisniewski, Mary. “Rallies held around country for Trayvon Martin.” Reuters 24 Mar. 2012.