How popular is the baby name Sandee 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 Sandee.

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Popularity of the baby name Sandee


Posts that mention the name Sandee

Quotes about names from the movies

Scene from the movie "Bridesmaids" (2011)
Scene from “Bridesmaids

From the 2011 movie Bridesmaids, drunk bridesmaid Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) being kicked out of first class by flight attendant Steve:

Annie: Whatever you say, Stove.

Steve: It’s Steve.

Annie: “Stove” — what kinda name is that?

Steve: That’s not a name. My name is Steve.

Annie: Are you an appliance?

Steve: No I’m a man, and my name is Steve.

From the 1995 movie Clueless, high school student Cher on the similarity between her name and that of her best friend Dionne:

We were both named after great singers of the past who now do infomercials.

(Dionne’s name comes from Dionne Warwick.)

From the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, Marty DiBergi interviewing David St. Hubbins:

Marty: David St. Hubbins…I must admit I’ve never heard anybody with that name.

David: It’s an unusual name. Well, he was an unusual saint. He’s not a very well known saint.

Marty: Oh, there actually is, uh, there was a Saint Hubbins?

David: That’s right, yes.

Marty: What was he the saint of?

David: He was the patron saint of quality footwear.

From the 2006 movie Casino Royale, James Bond commenting about Vesper Lynd’s first name:

‘Vesper.’ I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.

From the 1984 movie Splash, character Allen (played by Tom Hanks) talking with his then-nameless lady friend (played by Daryl Hannah) as they walk around New York City:

Woman: What are English names?

Allen: Well, there’s millions of them, I guess. Jennifer, Joanie, Hilary. (Careful, hey, those are hot!) See names, names… Linda, Kim– (Where are we? Madison.) Uh, Elizabeth, Samantha–

Woman: Madison…I like Madison!

Allen: Madison’s not a name… Well, all right, ok, fine, Madison it is. Good thing we weren’t at 149th Street.

The name SanDeE* in the movie "LA Story" (1991)
Scene from “LA Story

From the 1991 movie LA Story, a conversation between Harris (played by Steve Martin) and SanDeE* (played by Sarah Jessica Parker):

Harris: What was your name again?

Sandee: SanDeE*

Harris: I’m sorry, Sandy, Sandy… It’s a nice name. Everybody has such weird names now, it’s like Tiffany with a P-H-I, and instead of Nancy it’s Nancine. [He begins to write her name down.]

Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E.

Harris: What?

Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. [She grabs his hand and writes directly on it.] Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. Then there’s a little star at the end.

From the 1999 movie Superstar, character Mary Katherine Gallagher talking to schoolmate Evian:

You know what, Evi? You should be really embarrassed, because your parents named you after bottled water.

From the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2, characters Carrie and Aidan talk about Aidan’s three sons:

Carrie: My god, three?

Aidan: Homer, Wyatt, Tate.

Carrie: Sounds like a country music band.

From the 1949 movie Mother Is a Freshman, about a 35-year-old widow, Abigail (played by Loretta Young), who starts attending the college that her daughter Susan goes to:

Abigail: I mean about the Abigail Fortitude Memorial Scholarship.

Susan: The one they give to any girl whose first two names are Abigail Fortitude?

Abigail: Yes.

Susan: Clara Fettle says no one’s applied for it since 1907, and there’s zillions piling up.

Abigail: And you never told me!

Susan: Of course not.

Abigail: It never occurred to you that my first names are Abigail Fortitude–that I’ve had to put up with them all my life!

Susan: I know, Mom. It must have been awful.

Abigail [struck by thought]: Maybe that’s why my mother gave me those names. Maybe she know about the scholarship.

(Turns out the scholarship had been set up by Abigail’s grandmother, also named Abigail Fortitude.)

From the 2000 movie Where the Heart Is, character Lexie (Ashley Judd) talking about her kids’ names:

I call my kids after snack foods: Brownie, Praline, Cherry and Baby Ruth.

Characters Andie and Duckie from the movie "Pretty in Pink" (1986)
Scene from “Pretty in Pink

From the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink, part of a heated conversion between Andie (played by Molly Ringwald) and Duckie (played by Jon Cryer)

Andie: You know you’re talking like that just because I’m going out with Blane.

Duckie: Blane? His name is Blane? That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!

From the 2013 animated movie Despicable Me 2:

Gru: Goodnight Margo…whoa, hold your horses. Who are you texting?

Margo: My friend Avery.

Gru: Avery. Avery? Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name?

Margo: Does it matter?

Gru: No, no, it doesn’t matter…unless it’s a boy!

(Incidentally, Gru’s first name is Felonious.)

From the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane!:

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.

Dr. Rumack: I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

Images: Screenshots of Bridesmaids, LA Story, and Pretty in Pink

[Latest update: Sept. 2023]

Hollywood director styled his name “george waGGner”

The director's name, george waGGner, listed in the credits of the movie "Wolf Call" (1939).
“Directed by george waGGner”

While grabbing a screenshot of the 1939 movie Wolf Call for this week’s post on Towana, I noticed something peculiar in the opening credits. The name of the director, George Waggner, had been styled as “george waGGner” — all lowercase letters, except for two uppercase G’s in the surname.

Waggner worked in movies and television from the 1920s to the 1960s, and this styling was typical for him. Even on his grave marker the G’s in his surname are larger than the other letters.

It’s kinda reminding me of SanDeE* from L.A. Story

Source: George Waggner – IMDb

Was the baby name Kasara influenced by misheard song lyrics in 1987?

Singer Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez) in the "Lost in Emotion" video
Lisa Lisa

Do you ever mishear song lyrics?

I do. All the time. (Though I’m not nearly as bad as my husband.)

I ask because I believe today’s baby name(s) can be traced back to a specific set of lyrics misheard by dozens of parents a little more than 20 years ago.

Intrigued?

The Names

Casara, Kasarah, Cassara, and Casarah all debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1987. The same year, Kasara returned to the data after popping up only once before (in the mid-1970s). And, in 1988, Cassarah made its first and only appearance.

1986198719881989
Kasara.2244†18
Casara.17*34†9
Kasarah.10*25†17
Cassara.9*18†10
Casarah.7*12†10
Cassarah..5*.
*Debut, †Peak usage

At first I couldn’t figure them out. They didn’t look like alternative spellings of a more popular name. They all emerged at about the same time, pointing to a single pop culture source, but the origin wasn’t obvious (as it had been with names like Daughtry and Cheetara.)

Finally, months after discovering them, I came up with a decent theory.

The Song

Let’s set the scene. Artists on the radio back in 1987 included U2, George Michael, Whitney Houston, Tiffany, Billy Idol, Madonna, The Bangles, Bon Jovi, Kim Wilde, Los Lobos with “La Bamba,” Belinda Carlisle, Exposé, Atlantic Starr…and Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.

In fact, 1987 was a great year for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Their second album, Spanish Fly, went platinum in August. Two songs from the album ended up hitting #1 on Billboard‘s “Hot 100” chart — “Head to Toe” in June, and “Lost In Emotion” in October.

Below is the video for “Lost in Emotion.” Pay special attention to the following lines (starting at 1:27):

Que sera, que sera
Baby, whatever will be
Que sera, que sera
Between you and me

(How awesome is all that ’80s fashion/styling, btw?)

The Connection

That “que sera, que sera” in the chorus is a corruption of the phrase “que sera, sera,” which was created for the earlier song “Que Sera, Sera” (1956).

The phrase “que sera, sera” — commonly thought to mean “whatever will be, will be” — is an hispanicized form of “che sera, sera,” which itself is an ungrammatical corruption of the Italian phrase quel che sarà, sarà, meaning “that which will be, will be.”

Anyway…to someone casually listening to “Lost in Emotion” on the radio, the words “que sera” blend together and sound just like Kasara, Casara, and the other names above.

Singer Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez) in the "Lost in Emotion" video
Lisa Lisa

The Proof

Well, not “proof” exactly. But an enticing bit of evidence.

I did a search for anyone (a blogger, say) who’d written about mistaking “que sera” for a girl name. Just to see if anyone could back me up.

Check out this comment I found at song site Am I Right:

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s, “Lost In Emotion”

The Misheard Lyrics:
Kassarah, Kassarah

The Real Lyrics:
Lost in emotion Que sera, que sera.

The Story: My sister named my niece Kassarah after this song. Ooops, oh well a beautifully unique name for a beautiful, unique girl! – Submitted by: Sandee

Jackpot. :)

(Incidentally, the spelling Kassarah has never appeared in the U.S. baby name data.)

Singer Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez) in the "Lost in Emotion" video
Lisa Lisa

The Conclusion

So that’s what I suspect — in the late ’80s, dozens of expectant parents heard Lisa Lisa’s “Lost in Emotion,” interpreted “que sera” as a female name, and used the mondegreen as a baby name, spelling it various ways (e.g. Kasara, Casara, Kasarah).

But I’d be happy to hear other theories if anyone out there has a better explanation.

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of Lisa Lisa from the music video for “Lost in Emotion”