How popular is the baby name Shaft 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 Shaft.

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Popularity of the baby name Shaft


Posts that mention the name Shaft

What gave the baby name Vonetta a boost in 1973?

Actress Vonetta McGee in the movie "Shaft in Africa" (1973)
Vonetta McGee in “Shaft in Africa“

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Vonetta saw peak usage in 1973:

  • 1975: 111 baby girls named Vonetta
  • 1974: 126 baby girls named Vonetta [rank: 977th]
  • 1973: 161 baby girls named Vonetta [rank: 819th] (peak)
  • 1972: 32 baby girls named Vonetta
  • 1971: 7 baby girls named Vonetta

The spelling variant Vonnetta debuted in 1973 as well.

What was drawing attention to the name Vonetta around that time?

California-born actress Vonetta McGee, best known for her work in blaxploitation films such as Blacula (1972), Hammer (1972), and Shaft in Africa (1973).

Even more notable, perhaps, is the fact that Vonetta (and her name!) were featured on the covers of several African-American magazines in 1973: Jet in June, Jet again in September, and Ebony in November.

Vonetta McGee on the cover of "Jet" magazine (Sept. 1973)
Vonetta McGee on the cover of “Jet“

Interestingly, McGee’s full name at birth was Lawrence Vonetta McGee. She was named after her father (just like Barack Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham).

What are your thoughts on the name Vonetta?

Sources:

Images: Screenshot of Shaft in Africa; clipping from the cover of Jet magazine (20 Sept. 1973).

What gave the baby name Kijana a boost in 1995?

Football player Ki-Jana Carter
Ki-Jana Carter

The curious name Kijana saw a sudden spike in usage, for both genders, in the U.S. baby name data in 1995:

Boys named KijanaGirls named Kijana
19972120
19963620
199598†38†
19942111
1993unlistedunlisted
†Peak usage

Why?

Because of football player Kenneth Leonard “Ki-Jana” (pronounced kee-JAH-nah) Carter.

Here’s how he came to have the memorable nickname Ki-Jana:

One summer night in 1973, 20-year-old Kathy Carter sat in a movie theater in Columbus, Ohio, watching Shaft in Africa, a sequel to the 1971 action film Shaft. The movie featured a little boy, and his name was Ki-Jana. “I said, ‘I like that name,'” Kathy recalls. The next morning she phoned the Black Student Union at Ohio State and found that kijana means ”young man” in Swahili. Several weeks later, on Sept. 12, 1973, Kenneth Leonard Carter was born, and on his birth certificate, in parentheses, was typed “Ki-Jana.”

(The word kijana does indeed mean “young person” in Swahili.)

Ki-Jana Carter, a running back, played three successful seasons (1992-1994) at Pennsylvania State University and was a finalist for the 1994 Heisman Trophy. So he decided to forego his senior year and enter the 1995 NFL Draft.

He was the No. 1 overall pick — selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. But, unfortunately, Ki-Jana was plagued by injuries throughout his seven-season professional career. In fact, he missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL during an exhibition game in August.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Ki-jana/Kijana?

P.S. Do you think Shaft in Africa could have caused the uptick in the usage of Kijana in 1973?

  • 1974: 7 baby boys named Kijana
  • 1973: 12 baby boys named Kijana
  • 1972: 7 baby boys named Kijana

Kathy said “[l]ittle kids were running on a road in Africa” in the scene in which she first heard the name Kijana. So far, though, I haven’t been able to find a clip of this scene online…

Sources:

Image: Ki-Jana Carter trading card

What turned Shaft into a baby name in 1971?

The character John Shaft from the movie "Shaft" (1971)
John Shaft from “Shaft“

The unusual name Shaft debuted in the U.S. baby name data in the early 1970s:

  • 1973: 16 baby boys named Shaft
  • 1972: 31 baby boys named Shaft
  • 1971: 22 baby boys named Shaft [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

Why?

Because of the highly profitable film Shaft, which was released in July of 1971.

Shaft introduced theatergoers to black, New York City-based private detective John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree). Here’s how a New York Times reviewer summed up both the character and the plot:

[John Shaft] lives in a book-lined, stereo-equipped Village du plex, keeps his extra gun (the one with the pearl handle) in the fridge, has a succession of black women and white women in bed, and, between-times, settles a potentially nasty gang-and-race war between Harlem’s black syndicate king and some white (Mafia) hoods, with the help of a small group of black revolutionaries.

The movie was based on the 1970 novel of the same name by (white) journalist Ernest Tidyman.

Movie post for "Shaft" (1971)

The film’s memorable theme song, which could be heard during the opening credits, was written and performed by Isaac Hayes.

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother–
(Shut your mouth!)
But I’m talkin’ ’bout Shaft
(Then we can dig it)

Released as a single in September, “Theme from Shaft” reached #1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in November and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in April of the following year.

The first Shaft film was followed by a pair of sequels — Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) — both of which also starred Roundtree.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Shaft?

P.S. I’ve found other baby names that were influenced by ’70s blaxploitation films, but none are as shocking as Shaft. They include Coffy, Foxy and Sheba — all of which saw higher usage thanks to the Pam Grier movies Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974) and Sheba, Baby (1975).

P.P.S. One of the female backup singers on “Theme from Shaft” was Telma Hopkins of Tony Orlando and Dawn…

Sources:

Top image: Screenshot of Shaft