Baby Name: Rita

Philadelphia native Grace Kelly appeared in her first movie in 1951. By 1955, she had become one of the biggest box-office draws in the nation. But she gave up her career as an actress to assume the role of a princess in 1956 when she married the ruler of Monaco.

I know of five baby names (so far) that got a boost thanks to Grace Kelly…

Grace

First thing’s first: Grace Kelly’s first name, Grace. It saw a two-year uptick in the mid-’50s:

• 1959: 1,660 baby girls named Grace [rank: 204th]
• 1958: 1,708 baby girls named Grace [rank: 198th]
• 1957: 1,917 baby girls named Grace [rank: 186th]
• 1956: 1,837 baby girls named Grace [rank: 189th]
• 1955: 1,390 baby girls named Grace [rank: 216th]
• 1954: 1,410 baby girls named Grace [rank: 213th]

Decades later, it would peak in the rankings at 13th place for two years in a row (2003 and 2004).

Kelly

The rise of Kelly can’t be attributed to a single factor, as we saw yesterday. That said, I have no doubt that Grace Kelly played a part in feminizing the first name Kelly during the 1950s:

• 1959: 6,379 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 74th]
• 1958: 4,471 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 108th]
• 1957: 1,907 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 187th]
• 1956: 831 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 310th]
• 1955: 540 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 380th]
• 1954: 455 baby girls named Kelly [rank: 406th]

Grace Kelly’s paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants. The Irish surname Kelly can have several possible origins, but a common one is the Ó Ceallaigh, “descendant of Ceallach.” The meaning of the personal name Ceallach isn’t known for certain — some sources say “bright-headed,” others say it comes from a word meaning “war,” or a different word meaning “church.”

In 1968, the name Kelly saw peak usage on the boys’ list (97th) and then-peak usage on the girls’ list (12th). In 1977, thanks to the Charlie’s Angels character, it bounced back to reach an even higher peak for girls (10th).

Lizanne

Grace’s little sister Elizabeth “Lizanne” Kelly married Donald LeVine in Philadelphia in June of 1955. The same year, the baby name Lizanne debuted on the charts:

• 1959: 32 baby girls named Lizanne
  • 10 born in Pennsylvania
• 1958: 39 baby girls named Lizanne [peak]
  • 13 born in Pennsylvania
• 1957: 36 baby girls named Lizanne
  • 10 born in Pennsylvania
• 1956: 32 baby girls named Lizanne
  • 9 born in Pennsylvania
• 1955: 15 baby girls named Lizanne [debut]
• 1954: unlisted

Notice how the usage of Lizanne in the late ’50s was particularly high in Pennsylvania. It was the same through most of the ’60s as well.

Rainier

Grace married Rainier III, the Prince of Monaco, in a lavish wedding in Monaco in April of 1956. The same year, the baby name Rainier debuted on the charts:

• 1959: unlisted
• 1958: unlisted
• 1957: 7 baby boys named Rainier
• 1956: 11 baby boys named Rainier [debut]
• 1955: unlisted
• 1954: unlisted

The name Rainier is ultimately based on the Germanic words ragin, meaning “advice, decision, counsel,” and hari, meaning “army.”

(The six bridesmaids at the wedding were named Bettina, Carolyn, Judith, Maree, Rita — actress Rita Gam — and Sally.)

Caroline

Grace and Rainier had three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. The births of the latter two didn’t seem to have an effect on U.S. baby names, but the birth of Caroline in January of 1957 did give Caroline a bump that year:

• 1959: 1,046 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 273rd]
• 1958: 990 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 282nd]
• 1957: 1,135 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 253rd]
• 1956: 702 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 329th]
• 1955: 743 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 315th]
• 1954: 770 baby girls named Caroline [rank: 304th]

Toward the end of 1957, John and Jacqueline Kennedy — who were still several years away from becoming President and First Lady — also welcomed a daughter named Caroline. They didn’t get the idea from Grace Kelly, though. Caroline Kennedy was named after her maternal aunt, Caroline Lee Radziwill.

Sources: Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll – Wikipedia, Rayner – Behind the Name