How popular is the baby name Sundown 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 Sundown.

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Popularity of the baby name Sundown


Posts that mention the name Sundown

Where did the baby name Baretta come from in 1975?

Title of the TV series "Toma" (1973)
“Toma“

The gritty TV police drama Toma, which starred actor Tony Musante as New Jersey police detective David Toma, started airing in 1973.

The year the show premiered, the baby name Toma, which had only ever appeared in the data as a girl name, started seeing usage as a boy name. It even cracked the boys’ top 1,000 briefly.

Girls named TomaBoys named Toma
1975626
19742184 [rank: 884th]
19732144*
19729.
19715.
*Debut

But usage returned to pre-Toma levels after the series was canceled in 1974.

Title of the TV series "Baretta" (1975-1978)
“Baretta“

In 1975, a retooled version of Toma called Baretta came out. The new show, which starred Robert Blake as New York City police detective Tony Baretta, was less violent and included more comic relief than the original. (Baretta had a pet cockatoo named Fred, and one of his informants was a man called Rooster.)

In response, the name Baretta debuted in the baby name data, and it remained there for the same number of years the Emmy-winning series was on the air (1975-1978).

  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: 8 baby boys named Baretta
  • 1977: 13 baby boys named Baretta
  • 1976: 6 baby girls / 13 baby boys named Baretta
  • 1975: 14 baby girls [debut] / 18 baby boys [debut] named Baretta
  • 1974: unlisted
  • 1973: unlisted

Notice how the name debuted on both sides of the list. Other dual-debut names from the 1970s include Chaffee, Chudney, Khaalis, Shilo, Sundown, and Tavares.

Which name do you like more, Toma or Baretta?

Where did the baby name Mystikal come from in 1998?

Mystikal's album "Ghetto Fabuous" (1998)
Mystikal album

The rare name Mystikal has popped up in the U.S. baby name data just a handful of times:

  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: 5 baby boys named Mystikal
  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: 6 baby boys named Mystikal
  • 1998: 6 baby boys and 5 baby girls named Mystikal [dual-gender debut]
  • 1997: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Raspy-voiced New Orleans-based rapper Mystikal (born Michael Lawrence Tyler in 1970).

His two biggest hits, “Shake Ya Ass” and “Danger (Been So Long),” both came out in the year 2000. But earlier singles — such as “Ain’t No Limit” feat. Silkk the Shocker, released in 1997 — are what drew attention to his stage name initially.

What are your thoughts on Mystikal as a baby name?

(Other dual-gender debuts I’ve posted about include Draven, Illya, Rikishi, and Sundown.)

Sources: Mystikal – Wikipedia, Mystikal discography – Wikipedia, SSA

[Latest update: Jun. 2024]

Where did the baby name Dasani come from in 1999?

Dasani water
Dasani water

Bottled water became increasingly trendy in the U.S. during the final decades of the 20th century. It wasn’t until the mid-to-late ’90s, though, that major players in the beverage industry finally hopped on the bandwagon: Pepsi launched Aquafina in 1994, and Coca-Cola followed with Dasani in 1999.

While I’ve never seen “Aquafina” used as a human name, Dasani popped up in the U.S. baby name data right on cue in 1999. In fact, in was a rare dual-gender debut that year:

Girls named DasaniBoys named Dasani
20036718
2002105†28
20019460†
20005837
19999*9*
1998..
1997..
*Debut, †Peak usage

The name, which saw peak usage in the early 2000s, also gave rise to a bunch of variants (Dasany, Dasanii, Desani) and soundalikes (Asani, Masani, Jasani, Tasani, Kasani, Sani).

What does the word Dasani mean? Here’s the official answer, straight from the 1999 version of the Dasani website:

People are having a lot of fun guessing the origin of the name DASANI. One Coca-Cola executive jokingly said it sounded like a “Roman god of water.” Actually, the name DASANI is an original creation. Consumer testing showed that the name is relaxing and suggests pureness and replenishment.

Similarly, an article from early 1999 explained that “the name Dasani isn’t derived from any existing word, English or foreign, but is meant to evoke the idea of freshness and purity.”

What are your thoughts on the baby name Dasani?

P.S. I have seen Aquafina used as a stage name: Awkwafina (born Nora Lum).

P.P.S. Other dual-gender debuts include Chaffee, Dondi, Illya, Rikishi, Shelva, and Sundown.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of a 2001 TV commercial for Dasani bottled water

Where did the baby name Sundown come from in 1974?

Gordon Lightfoot's album "Sundown" (1974)
Gordon Lightfoot album

We talked about Sundance last week, so today let’s look at Sundown.

In 1974, the baby name Sundown was a dual-gender debut — that is, it appeared for the first time on both sides of the U.S. baby name data simultaneously:

  • 1977: unlisted
  • 1976: 5 baby girls named Sundown
  • 1975: unlisted
  • 1974: 7 baby girls named Sundown [debut] + 6 baby boys named Sundown [debut]
  • 1973: unlisted
  • 1972: unlisted

Overall it was a one-hit wonder on the boys’ side and a two-hit wonder on the girls’ side.

The name was inspired by the song “Sundown” by Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot. The song had been released in early 1974. Here are some lyrics:

Sundown, you better take care
If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs

By the middle of 1974 the song hit #1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and Lightfoot’s album (also called Sundown) reached the #1 spot on both the U.S. and Canadian charts.

What do you think of “Sundown” as a personal name? Usable?

Source: SSA