How popular is the baby name Siren 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 Siren.

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Popularity of the baby name Siren


Posts that mention the name Siren

Where did the baby name Alaetra come from in 1991?

Contestant Alaetra Dorsa on the TV series "American Gladiators" (1989-96)
Alaetra Dorsa on “American Gladiators“

Last year we learned that close to 85% of the original American Gladiator names (e.g. Blaze, Lace, Siren, Tank) have been used often enough as baby names in the U.S. to appear in the national baby data.

It’s hard to tell just how much of an influence the TV competition show had on the names, but I do know of one name that was undoubtedly influenced by the show.

In 1991, contestant Alaetra (pronounced ah-LAY-tra) Dorsa of San Jose, California, appeared on three episodes of American Gladiators before being eliminated. The same year, the rare name Alaetra emerged for the first time in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1993: 6 baby girls named Alaetra
  • 1992: 5 baby girls named Alaetra
  • 1991: 17 baby girls named Alaetra [debut]
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: unlisted

What are your thoughts on the name Alaetra?

Source: SSA

Image: Screenshot of American Gladiators

[Latest update: May 2025]

“American Gladiator” names vs. real-life baby names

Title of the TV series "American Gladiators" (1989-1996)
“American Gladiators“

Ready for a game?

The original American Gladiators — an athletic competition show that aired on television from 1989 to 1996 — featured a total of 32 gladiators with 31 tough-sounding gladiator names. (Why 31? Because “Lace” was used twice.)

Here are the 31 original names:

  1. Atlas
  2. Blaze
  3. Bronco
  4. Cyclone
  5. Dallas
  6. Diamond
  7. Elektra
  8. Gemini
  9. Gold
  10. Havoc
  11. Hawk
  12. Ice
  13. Jade
  14. Jazz
  15. Lace
  16. Laser
  17. Malibu
  18. Nitro
  19. Rebel
  20. Sabre
  21. Siren
  22. Sky
  23. Storm
  24. Sunny
  25. Tank
  26. Thunder
  27. Titan
  28. Tower
  29. Turbo
  30. Viper
  31. Zap
"American Gladiators" trading card

The short-lived American Gladiators reboot (2008) featured a total of 20 gladiators with 18 new tough-sounding gladiator names. (Why 18? Because “Siren” and “Titan” were recycled from the original.)

Here are the 18 reboot names:

  1. Beast
  2. Crush
  3. Fury
  4. Hellga
  5. Hurricane
  6. Jet
  7. Justice
  8. Mayhem
  9. Militia
  10. Panther
  11. Phoenix
  12. Rocket
  13. Stealth
  14. Steel
  15. Toa
  16. Venom
  17. Wolf
  18. Zen

So here’s the game: Try to guess what percentage of the 31 original gladiator names and what percentage of the 18 reboot gladiator names have appeared at least once in the U.S. baby name data.

(To appear in the data, a name has to be given to 5 or more U.S. babies, of one gender or the other, in a single year.)

Come up with your guesses before reading on!

Ok, here are the answers.

Of the 31 original gladiator names, 26 — about 84% — have appeared in the SSA data:

  1. Atlas
  2. Blaze
  3. Bronco
  4. (not Cyclone)
  5. Dallas
  6. Diamond
  7. Elektra
  8. Gemini
  9. Gold
  10. Havoc
  11. Hawk
  12. Ice
  13. Jade
  14. Jazz
  15. Lace
  16. (not Laser)
  17. Malibu
  18. (not Nitro)
  19. Rebel
  20. Sabre
  21. Siren
  22. Sky
  23. Storm
  24. Sunny
  25. Tank
  26. Thunder
  27. Titan
  28. (not Tower)
  29. Turbo
  30. Viper
  31. (not Zap)

And, of the 18 reboot gladiator names, 10 — about 56% — have appeared in the SSA data:

  1. (not Beast)
  2. (not Crush)
  3. Fury
  4. (not Hellga)
  5. (not Hurricane)
  6. Jet
  7. Justice
  8. Mayhem
  9. (not Militia)
  10. (not Panther)
  11. Phoenix
  12. Rocket
  13. (not Stealth)
  14. Steel
  15. Toa
  16. (not Venom)
  17. Wolf
  18. Zen

How close did you get to 84% and 56%?

Sources: American Gladiators (1989 TV series) – Wikipedia, American Gladiators (2008 TV series) – Wikipedia, SSA

Images: Screenshot of American Gladiators; American Gladiators trading card

[Latest update: May 2025]

Baby name warning from 1942

Unusual baby names are discussed regularly in the media these days, but I don’t often see the topic come up in old newspapers, which is why I was surprised to find the following in a paper printed in early 1942:

News pictures recently gave publicity to a baby who was born during a practice air-raid blackout and whose mother hit on the expediency of naming her Dawn Siren. Another baby has been named Victory Pearl Harbor.

These names did not impress our anonymous reporter:

Herewith is a brief for all children whose parents give them unusual mirth-provoking or humiliating names. The offending fathers and mothers may be well meaning enough and in some cases the names have significance at the time they are given, but before long the child is hanging his head in shame under the storm of derision of his playmates, or blushing when he gives his name for the roll at school.

Dawn and Victory seem tame nowadays…makes me wonder what this person would have had to say about today’s unusual names.

Speaking of Dawn and Victory, here’s a bit more about them…

  • Dawn Siren was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lingerman of Buffalo, New York. She was born “in Lafayette General Hospital during Buffalo’s test blackout Friday night.”
  • Victory Pearl Harbor was the son of William and Annie Moore of McComb, Mississippi. In the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), he’s listed simply as “Victor Moore.”

Sources: