How popular is the baby name Suellen 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 Suellen.

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Popularity of the baby name Suellen


Posts that mention the name Suellen

How did “Gone with the Wind” influence baby names?

The character Melanie Hamilton (played by Olivia de Havilland) from the movie "Gone with the Wind" (1939).
Melanie from “Gone with the Wind

We already know that Gone with the Wind had an effect on the usage of Scarlett and Tara. But what other baby names did it influence?

The main character, Scarlett O’Hara, had sisters named Suellen (a contraction of “Susan Elinor”) and Carreen (“Caroline Irene”). She also had a a sister-in-law named Melanie Hamilton. All three of these names were given a double-boost by Gone with the Wind — first, after the release of the book in mid-1936, and, second, after the release of the film in late 1939.

Suellen

Here’s the U.S. usage of the name Suellen. (In the movie, the character was played by actress Evelyn Keyes.)

  • 1942: 144 baby girls named Suellen
  • 1941: 159 baby girls named Suellen [peak]
  • 1940: 141 baby girls named Suellen
  • 1939: 40 baby girls named Suellen
  • 1938: 31 baby girls named Suellen
  • 1937: 30 baby girls named Suellen
  • 1936: 5 baby girls named Suellen [debut]
  • 1935: unlisted
  • 1934: unlisted

The name saw peak usage in 1941 — also the year that variant form Sueellen debuted. After that, usage petered out.

Carreen

Here’s the U.S. usage of the name Carreen. (In the movie, the character was played by actress Ann Rutherford.)

  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: 8 baby girls named Carreen
  • 1940: 6 baby girls named Carreen
  • 1939: unlisted
  • 1938: unlisted
  • 1937: 8 baby girls named Carreen [debut]
  • 1936: unlisted
  • 1935: unlisted
  • 1934: unlisted

The name Carreen appeared in the data a few more times in the ’60s and ’70s, but that’s it. Interestingly, the variant form Careen, which debuted in 1936, has seen more usage in the U.S. overall.

Melanie

Here’s the U.S. usage of the name Melanie from the mid-’30s to the early ’40s. (In the movie, the character was played by actress Olivia de Havilland.)

  • 1942: 388 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1941: 308 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1940: 200 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1939: 57 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1938: 53 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1937: 39 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1936: 13 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1935: 9 baby girls named Melanie
  • 1934: 9 baby girls named Melanie

The name Melanie is quite old — it comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “black” or “dark” — but its usage was revived by Gone with the Wind. It went on to crack the top 100 for the first time in 1968 and has been popular ever since. It ranked 82nd in 2010.

Baby name needed: Formal name for nickname Susie

A reader named Kristina writes:

My husband insists on naming our daughter after his mother. He doesn’t necessarily want to name her Susan, her full name, but insists on calling her Susie. I have been trying to come up with names containing the word Sue in them not necessarily at the beginning, but more so in the middle or end of the name.

Hm. This is a tricky one.

Here are some names that include a “su” element:

  • Atsuko, Etsuko, Kasumi, Mitsuko, Sumiko, Suzu, Suzume, Yasu, and other Japanese names. Though these probably won’t make sense unless the baby has some sort of connection to Japan.
  • Sumana, Sumati, Sunita, Suniti, Sushila, Sunila, Suparna, Supriti, and other Indian names. But the connection thing applies for these as well (and to the group below).
  • Consuelo, Asunción, Jesusa, and perhaps a few other Spanish and/or religious names.
  • Ursula seems to be the only traditional “English” name that fits the bill, but the nickname Sula is more natural-sounding for Ursula than Susie. Also, there’s that unshakable (and unfortunate) sea-witch association.
  • Sunny, Sunshine, Sunday, and Summer are word-names that could work, though they seem like a stretch because the vowel-sounds don’t match up.

So, as you can see, I had a pretty tough time coming up with suitable “su” names.

Of course, I’m avoiding the obvious — the many Susan-related names (e.g. Susanna, Suzette, Suellen) out there. It seems Kristina wants to avoid “Susan” specifically, but maybe some other name from this family would work?

Another idea would be get a bit abstract about the nicknaming. For instance, Alexandra, Alessandra and Anastasia include S- and Z-sounds…instead of the typical nicknames like Alex and Ana, what about Susie for these?

What other ideas would you offer to Kristina?