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. 20, 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:

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 1971:

  • 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 1971 movie Shaft, which introduced theatergoers to New York City-based private detective John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree).

The film was based on a 1970 novel of the same name written by (white) journalist Ernest Tidyman:

[O]n April 27th, 1970, readers met John Shaft, a former thief and Vietnam veteran now working as a private detective — and soon to take on a case that would find him brushing up against the mob, the police, and a group of black militants. However unlikely its origins, Tidyman’s Shaft remains a brisk, convincing read. Deeply immersed in Shaft’s point of view, it’s filled with the protagonist’s conflicted, sometimes ugly…observations about early 70s New York.

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.

You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother- (Shut your mouth)
But I’m talkin’ about Shaft (Then we can dig it)

Later released as a single, the song reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in November of 1971 and won the Oscar for “Best Original Song” at the 44th Academy Awards (in April of ’72).

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 ’70s baby names inspired by blaxploitation films, but none are as shocking as Shaft. They include Coffy, Foxy and Sheba, inspired by the Pam Grier movies Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974) and Sheba, Baby (1975).

Sources: Shaft (1971 film) – Wikipedia, The Unlikely, Gritty Origins of John Shaft, Isaac Hayes – Theme from Shaft Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Image: Screenshot of Shaft