How popular is the baby name Sue 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 Sue.

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Popularity of the baby name Sue


Posts that mention the name Sue

Behind the celebrity baby name “Sparrow”

Last month, socialite Nicole Richie and musician Joel Madden welcomed their second child, Sparrow James Midnight Madden, who arrived a little after midnight. (Sparrow’s older sister, 20-month-old Harlow Winter Kate Madden, was born in January.)

Nicole and Joel had this to say about Sparrow’s name in the most recent issue of People:

How did you pick Sparrow’s name?

N: We have different tastes in names. Sparrow was one we both liked. I liked the way it sounded with Harlow, and there’s the Captain Jack Sparrow connection.

J: It reminded me of the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue.” My worry raising a son in Hollywood is what will he have to struggle for? I wanted to give him a name that he’s going to have to stand up for. I love it; I think it’s a beautiful name.

I do appreciate Joel’s reasoning. I like that he was thinking beyond style in considering the potential value this name might have for his son. He wants Sparrow to be able to defend himself, and his identity, when he’s older.

That said…I don’t know if an unusual name is the best way to teach a child how to “struggle for” something. Because an unusual name could potentially mess with a child’s self esteem.

What are your thoughts on the name Sparrow? (Does gender matter?)

Update, May 2011: Sparrow debuted as a boy name in the SSA data in 2010, likely thanks to celebrity baby Sparrow.

Source: Update: Meet Sparrow James Midnight Madden!

How did “High Hat” influence baby names?

Newspaper advertisement for the serialized story "High Hat" (1930)
“High Hat” advertisement (1930)

Like Gone with the Wind and How Green Was My Valley, High Hat was a story that influenced U.S. baby names not once but twice: first in written form, then in movie form.

Originally called High Hat: A Radio Romance, the story was written by Alma Sioux Scarberry. (Her middle name was originally “Sue,” but she changed it when she learned she was part Native American — Cherokee specifically, not actually Sioux.) It was serialized in the newspapers in 1930 — from March to May, in most of them. It was published as a standalone book over the summer.

The main character, Elanda Lee, was a singer with “high hat” ambitions: she worked in radio, but wanted to become an opera star. Her love interest was popular radio star Suwanee Collier, who she initially dismissed because he was “only a ukulele player.” In the end, “[s]he stoops to conquer by becoming the most popular girl on the radio programs singing the praises of complexion soap.” (Here’s a longer synopsis of High Hat, if you’re interested.)

And in 1930, right on cue, the baby name Elanda debuted in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1932: unlisted
  • 1931: 6 baby girls named Elanda
  • 1930: 19 baby girls named Elanda [debut & peak usage]
  • 1929: unlisted
  • 1928: unlisted

A number of these Elandas also got the middle name Lee. (Here are examples from graveyards in Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Alabama.)

…But it doesn’t end there. Because in early 1937, the movie High Hat was released. (Here’s a complete copy of High Hat up at the Internet Archive, if you’d like to watch.) And it seems that, in the movie, Swanee — now being spelled like the Gershwin song — was the central character. He ultimately helped classically trained singer Elanda adapt to the trend of “swing” music.

The character Swanee Collier from the movie "High Hat" (1937).
Swanee from “High Hat“

The same year, the baby name Swanee was a one-hit wonder in the data, showing up as a girl name. (This is one of several baby names that came from male character, yet popped up on the girls’ side of the list. Another example is Kookie.)

  • 1939: unlisted
  • 1938: unlisted
  • 1937: 5 baby girls named Swanee [debut]
  • 1936: unlisted
  • 1935: unlisted

Curiously, the baby name Elanda did not re-emerge in ’37. That said, the name “Landa” did pop up the next year…perhaps there’s a connection?

What are your thoughts on the names Elanda and Swanee?

Sources:

Where did the baby name Tavio come from in 1966?

The character Tavio from the TV series "The Long, Hot Summer" (1965-1966)
Tavio from “The Long, Hot Summer“

The name Tavio first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in the middle of the 1960s:

  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted
  • 1966: 15 baby boys named Tavio [debut]
  • 1965: unlisted
  • 1964: unlisted

That was also the year the name saw its highest-ever usage.

Where did it come from?

A single-episode character on the short-lived ’60s TV show The Long, Hot Summer, which was set in Mississippi and based on the 1958 film of the same name.

The episode aired on February 23, 1966, and was called “Reunion – Italian Style.” In the episode, a woman returning to town brings along an Italian fiancé named Tavio Romano (played by actor Fabrizio Mioni). At one point there’s a conversation about his name, and viewers learn that Tavio’s name is short for Octavio and that he’s the eighth son in his family.

What are your thoughts on the name Tavio?

P.S. The woman with the Italian fiancé was played by actress Collin Wilcox, who’d portrayed Thedy Sue Hill a few years earlier.

Sources: “Reunion – Italian Style” – The Long, Hot Summer – IMDb, SSA

Image: Screenshot of The Long, Hot Summer

One-syllable girl names: Kate, Sage, Wren, Maeve

single tree

Looking for a girl name that’s short and to-the-point? Something that might work particularly well as a middle name?

Check out this list of several hundred one-syllable girl names:

  • Anne/Ann, Ash/Ashe, Ayn
  • Banks/Banx, Bar, Bea, Belle/Bell, Bess, Beth, Bjork, Blair/Blaire, Blaise/Blaze/Blayze/Blaize, Blake/Blayke, Blanche, Bless, Blessed, Bliss/Blyss, Bloom, Blue/Blu, Blythe, Brave, Bray, Breck, Bree/Brie, Breeze/Brees, Brett, Bright, Britt, Bronx, Bronze, Brooke/Brook, Bryce/Brice, Brynn/Bryn/Brynne/Brin/Brinn, Burke
  • Cache, Cass, Cate/Cait, Chance, Charm, Chase, Chen, Cher, Chris, Claire/Clare/Clair, Clark/Clarke, Cloud, Clove, Coast, Cove, Cree, Cruz
  • Dale, Dare, Dash, Dawn, Deah, Dee, Deem, Del/Dell, Doll, Dor, Dove, Dream, Drew/Dru
  • Earth, Elle, Eve
  • Fair/Fayre, Faith/Fayth, Fawn/Faun, Fate, Faye/Fay/Fae, Fern/Ferne, Flame, Fleur, Flor, Flynn, Fran
  • Gail/Gayle/Gale, Gal, Gay/Gaye, Gem, Gift, Gold, Grace/Grayce, Gray/Grey, Greer, Gwen, Gwyn/Gwynn/Gwynne
  • Hayes/Haze, Hayle, Heart/Hart, Hope
  • Jace/Jayce, Jade/Jayde/Jaide, Jan, Jane/Jayne, Jaye/Jae, Jazz/Jaz, Jean/Jeanne, Jem, Jen/Jenn, Jess, Jett, Jewel, Jill, Jin/Jyn, Jo, Joan, Joss, Joy/Joye/Joi/Joie, Joyce, Jude, Jules, June, Jung
  • Kai, Kate/Kayte/Kaite, Kay/Kaye/Kae, Kayce, Kayde, Kim, Klaire/Klare/Klair, Klark/Klarke, Kree, Kris, Kyle
  • Lace, Laine/Lane/Layne, Lake, Lark, Leigh/Lee, Light, Liv, Liz, Love, Lux, Luce, Luz, Lynn/Lynne/Lyn/Lin
  • Mae/May, Madge, Maeve/Maebh/Mave, Mai, March, Marge/Marj, Maude/Maud, Maze/Maize/Mayze, Mills, Mirth, Moon
  • Nash, Naz, Nelle/Nell, Neve/Niamh, Nile, Noire/Noir, Noor/Nour, North
  • Paige/Payge/Page, Pam, Pax, Paz, Peace, Peach, Pearl/Perl, Plum, Praise, Prayer, Prim, Psalm, Psalms, Prue, Pure
  • Queen, Quinn
  • Rae/Raye, Rayne/Rain/Raine/Rainn/Reign, Reece/Reese/Rhys, Reem, Reet, Reeve, Rell, Ren, Rise, Rogue, Rome, Rose, Rue, Rune, Rut, Ruth, Ryn/Rin
  • Saint, Sage/Saige/Sayge/Saje, Scout, Shane/Shayne, Shea/Shae/Shay/Shaye, Shine, Silk, Shir, Skye/Sky, Sloane/Sloan, Snow, Sol, Soul, Star/Starr, Storm, Sue/Sioux, Swan, Sway
  • Tai, Taj, Tate, Teal, Tess, Thyme, Tris, Trish, True/Tru, Trust, Truth, Tyne
  • Vail/Vale, Val, Vaughn
  • Wing, Wren/Wrenn, Wryn, Wynn/Wynne/Winn
  • Yaz, Yen
  • Zane/Zain/Zayne, Zeal, Zell, Zen

Please note that I did include names in the gray area between one syllable and two syllables. The deciding factor on these particular names will be your own interpretation/accent, so be sure to test the names out loud before making any final decisions. (“Hayle,” for instance — would you say it like Hale, or like Hailey? Or “Rise” — is it rize, or ree-sah?)

Many of these names also happen to be unisex, so they appear on the one-syllable boy names list as well.

What’s your favorite one-syllable girl name?

Image: Adapted from 1 Drvo 06241 by Olja Simovic under CC BY-SA 4.0.

[Latest update: July 2023]