How popular is the baby name Royalene 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 Royalene.

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Popularity of the baby name Royalene


Posts that mention the name Royalene

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]

Where did the baby name Royalene come from in 1942?

Royalene Hinkle

The rare name Royalene appeared in the U.S. baby name data* for the first and only time in 1942:

  • 1944: unlisted
  • 1943: unlisted
  • 1942: 5 baby girls named Royalene
  • 1941: unlisted
  • 1940: unlisted

What boosted Royalene into the data that year?

My guess is 26-year-old murder victim Royalene Hinkle of Watseka, Illinois. (Sorry about the watermarked image — it was the best photo of her that I could find.)

In March of 1941, Royalene and her boyfriend were found shot to death at the home of Royalene’s maternal uncle, Robert Feister (with whom she lived).

Feister went on trial for the two murders that summer. Notably, he had two heart attacks in the middle of the proceedings, but survived both. He was eventually found guilty — he’d been “hoping he would inherit her $11,000 estate” — and given a life sentence.

The crime and ensuing court case kept the name Royalene in the papers for several months, and this ongoing exposure had enough of an influence on expectant parents to make “Royalene” a one-hit wonder the following year.

What are your thoughts on the name Royalene?

Sources:

  • “Farmer Is Guilty Of Killing Niece Punishment Set As Life Term.” Clarion-Ledger 21 Jul. 1941: 1.
  • Fiester Suffers Attack While Testifying.” Daily Illini 17 Jul. 1941: 2.
  • “Inquest in Lovers’ Deaths.” Alton Evening Telegraph 2 Apr. 1941: 12.
  • Mystery Solved

*The SSA’s dataset only includes names given to five or more babies per year.