The unusual name Stanja was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data during the 1960s:
- 1965: unlisted
- 1964: unlisted
- 1963: 6 baby girls named Stanja [debut]
- 1962: unlisted
- 1961: unlisted
Where did it come from?
TV actress Stanja Lowe — though it’s impossible to link the debut to a single TV appearance, as Stanja could be seen on multiple shows (Perry Mason, My Three Sons, Dr. Kildare, etc.) from 1962 to 1963.
She was born in Cleveland in 1929 with the name Sidney Stanja Lowe.
Her father, K. Elmo Lowe, was an actor and director with the Cleveland Play House from the early ’20s to the late ’60s; her mother, Dorothy Paxton, was an actress. (Her parents called each other “K” and “Paxton.”)
Stanja’s first name was sometimes misspelled “Stanya” in credits, and by the press.
I’m not certain about the etymology of Stanja, but my wild guess is Czech, based on the fact that I found it used as a character name in a play by Austrian-Bohemian writer Franz Werfel (who also wrote The Song of Bernadette).
What are your thoughts on the name Stanja?
Sources: Stanja Lowe – IMDb, SSA
Image: Screenshot of My Three Sons