How popular is the baby name Russel 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 Russel.

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Popularity of the baby name Russel


Posts that mention the name Russel

What gave the baby name Marylou a boost in 1927?

Abe Lyman's California Orchestra single "Mary Lou" (1926)
“Mary Lou” recording

The baby name Marylou was on the rise in the 1920s, but usage increased sharply for a couple of years in the middle of the decade:

  • 1929: 183 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 498th]
  • 1928: 183 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 512th]
  • 1927: 281 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 410th]
  • 1926: 146 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 588th]
  • 1925: 82 baby girls named Marylou [rank: 824th]

Here’s the popularity graph:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Marylou in the United States since 1880
Usage of the baby name Marylou

Why?

Because of the song “Mary Lou,” which was composed in early 1926 by Abe Lyman, George Waggner, and J. Russel Robinson.

The first recording of the song was released by Abe Lyman’s own California Orchestra.

Recordings by other orchestras soon followed. They were released during the remainder of 1926 and into early 1927.

The song became a hit for both Abe Lyman and the Ipana Troubadours, whose version was released in October of 1926. (The Troubadours had a radio show sponsored by Ipana Toothpaste, hence their name.)

Here’s the song:

(The company that published Abe Lyman’s rendition of the song, Brunswick Records, often included Spanish-language translations of song titles on their record labels. For name-title “Mary Lou,” they chose the translation “Maria Luisa.”)

Here’s a snippet of the lyrics (which seem to reference an upcoming wedding):

Why for miles around they’re waiting, to start their celebrating,
when you say “I do,” Mary Lou!

A baby girl born in Kentucky in early 1927 was given the radio-crowdsourced name Seroba Mary Lou Bartley. I still don’t know quite where Seroba came from, but it’s probable that Mary Lou was suggested by radio listeners familiar with the trendy song “Mary Lou.”

Sources:

Name-spotting: Malancthon

sign, colorado, names
Sign inside Garden of the Gods

We visited the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs recently and, inside this park, we spotted a “What’s In a Name?” sign that described how the park got its name back in the 1850s:

As they looked over this area of cathedral-like rock spires, one man, Malancthon Beach, commented that the spot would be a great place for a beer garden someday. His friend, a poetic young man named Rufous Cable, replied that it was a place “fit for the Gods.”

It’s a cool story, but, to me, that first name “Malancthon” is way more interesting than the origin of the park name. Where did it come from?

My best guess is that Malancthon is a tribute to 16th-century German theologian Philipp Melanchthon, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. His surname at birth was Schwartzerd (“black earth” in German), but as a young man he Latinized his name to the classical equivalent Melanchthon (“black earth” in Greek).

CCC Company 1848, Camp SP-13-C, Morrison, Colorado

We also saw some names at Red Rocks, which is both a park and a famous amphitheater.

The amphitheater was constructed from 1936 to 1941 by men in the Civilian Conservation Corps, a work relief program that existed during the Great Depression. One display included a photo of 124 of the men in the local CCC. Here are their first names, sorted by frequency:

  • 5: Joe, Raymond
  • 4: Charles
  • 3: Arthur, Clarence, Edward
  • 2: Bill, Byron, Carl, David, Earnest, Edwin, Everett, Jack, James, Leo, Maurice, William
  • 1: Aaron, Albert, Aldine, Alfonso, Allen, Alva, Amos, Ancelmo, Arleigh, Aubrey, Audrey, Barnett, Blaine, Calvin, Celestino, Charley, Claud, Claude, Clayton, Cleston, Dale, Damas, Dan, Darold, Dick, Don, Donald, Ed, Elden, Elias, Elipio, Emerson, Emilio, Eric, Ernest, Eston, Fares, Frank, Fred, Glenn, Grant, Gust, Guy, Horace, Hubert, Irvin, Jake, Jasper, Jesse, Jim, John, Jose, Kenneth, Lawrence, Leland, Leonard, Lester, Louis, Lyman, Manual, Marvin, Max, Merce, Noah, Norman, Orval, Pasqual, Paul, Pete, Richard, Rowland, Rudolfo, Russel, Russell, Sandeford, Trenton, Willard

…What interesting names have you spotted while out and about recently?

The baby name Erskine

clan erskine, tartan
Tartan of Clan Erskine

Erskine (pronounced UR-skin) is a curious name with strong ties to both Scotland and Ireland.

It originates with the town of Erskine in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name of the settlement may be derived from the Scottish Gaelic words aird, “high,” and sgainne, “cleft.”

The place name gave rise to the Scottish surname, first recorded in the 1200s. (Pictured is the tartan for Clan Erskine.)

What’s the connection to Ireland? It starts with London-born Irish nationalist Erskine Childers (1870-1922), author of the popular espionage novel The Riddle of the Sandse (1903).

His son, Erskine H. Childers (1905-1974), went on to serve as the fourth President of Ireland from mid-1973 until his death in late 1974.

Erskine was also the name of an American automobile produced by Studebaker from 1926 to 1930. It was named after company president Albert Russel Erskine.

Erskine may seem unfashionable as a baby name, but it’s still seeing usage today in the U.S.:

  • 2014: unlisted
  • 2013: unlisted
  • 2012: unlisted
  • 2011: 5 baby boys named Erskine
  • 2010: unlisted
  • 2009: 5 baby boys named Erskine
  • 2008: unlisted
  • 2007: 5 baby boys named Erskine
  • 2006: 5 baby boys named Erskine
  • 2005: 6 baby boys named Erskine
  • 2004: unlisted
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 8 baby boys named Erskine

Historically, usage has been highest in the southern states, particularly Alabama. This is due to the influence of Alabama industrialist and philanthropist Erskine Ramsay (1864-1953), whose parents were from Scotland.

By 1920 as many as one hundred Alabama boys had been named for [Erskine Ramsay]. In most cases, Ramsay did not know the parents, but he heard from them, or others, about the children bearing his name. A life-long bachelor with no children, he took special interest in his namesakes. In 1920 and 1921, Ramsay opened savings accounts for each of them at Birmingham’s Bank of Ensley and deposited one hundred dollars into each account as a nest egg for the boys’ education and a lesson in the value of thrift.

The most famous of Ramsay’s namesakes was Alabama jazz musician Erskine Hawkins, who composed “Tuxedo Junction” in 1939. Another namesake was 1930s Alabama Crimson Tide football player Erskine Walker.

What do you think of the name Erskine? Have you ever met anyone with the name?

Sources:

Image: Erskine tartan (Vestiarium Scoticum) by Celtus under CC BY-SA 2.5.