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 Dasani | Boys named Dasani | |
| 2003 | 67 | 18 |
| 2002 | 105† | 28 |
| 2001 | 94 | 60† |
| 2000 | 58 | 37 |
| 1999 | 9* | 9* |
| 1998 | . | . |
| 1997 | . | . |
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 (archived via the Wayback Machine):
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?
Sources:
- “‘Coke’ to introduce U.S. bottled water.” Telegraph-Herald 20 Feb. 1999: 9A.
- How Bottled Water Became America’s Most Popular Beverage
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.
