How popular is the baby name Tanya 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 Tanya.

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Popularity of the baby name Tanya


Posts that mention the name Tanya

Where did the baby name Devy come from in 1960?

Devy Barnett on the TV series "Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour" (May 1960)
Devy Barnett on “Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour

The baby name Devy popped up in the SSA’s data a single time, in 1960. But it wasn’t just any old one-hit wonder — it was the top one-hit wonder of 1960. In fact, Devy was one of the top one-hit wonders of all time, with over two dozen baby girls being named Devy that year:

  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 27 baby girls named Devy [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

So where did it come from?

A soprano named Devy Barnett who performed on the TV talent competition Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour at least once, on May 16, 1960. (She may have appeared on other episodes that year as well, I’m not sure.)

I don’t have much information on Devy. She was a music student at Rutgers in the early ’50s, she put out her first recording (Songs of Charles Ives, released by Stereo Age) in 1958, and in the ’80s she was a member of the studio music faculty at Cal State. She married at least twice, and had several children.

But she never achieved fame. Apparently not many Amateur Hour contestants did, with a few notable exceptions: Gladys Knight, Pat Boone, Ann-Margret, Tanya Tucker, and Irene Cara (see the posts on Fame and Sparkle for more on Irene).

The name Devy reminds me of the name Eydie in that both names were put on the onomastic map by young singers making television appearances. (Coincidentally, Eydie was also given to exactly 27 baby girls in 1960.)

What are your thoughts on the name Devy? Do you like it?

Baby name stories: Frank Peters

Sir Frank Peters holding baby Frank Peters Azad Ali
Sir Frank Peters holding baby Frank Peters Azad Ali

So far, three baby boys born in Bangladesh have been named “Frank Peters” after Irish-born activist Sir Frank Peters, who has been working to end corporal punishment in Bangladeshi schools and madrasas.

The first was born in 2010 to Ali Akbar and his wife Poppy from Haydarabad, Gazipur.

The second was born in 2013 to Mamun Tarek Ali and his wife Tanya from Banasree, Rampura.

And the third — Frank Peters Azad Ali — was born recently to Azad Hossan and his wife Shahida from Dhokhin Koriea, Fulgazi, Feni.

Sir Peters responded, “Having this unique display of love and respect bestowed upon me not once, or twice, but three times – and during my lifetime to be appreciated and enjoyed – I find completely overwhelming.”

Update, 7/3/2016: Thank you to Frank Peters’ private secretary Joanne for sending me the photo of baby Frank Peters Azad Ali!

Sources:

The baby name Tayna

Tayna, faint galaxy from early universe

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes recently spotted the faintest object ever seen in the early universe. The galaxy they spotted existed 13.8 billion years ago — only 400 million years after the Big Bang.

The research team nicknamed the galaxy Tayna, which means “first-born child” in Aymara, the language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes.

I’m not sure if tayna was ever used as a personal name among the Aymara, but I think there’s a possibility it was. After all, the word winona (meaning “first-born daughter”) was traditionally used as a name for first-born daughters among the Dakota Sioux.

The name Tayna has been given to hundreds of baby girls in the U.S., with usage peaking in the mid-1970s. (This usage mirrors the rise and fall of the more popular choice Tanya.)

What do you think of Tayna as a baby name? Does the cool definition offset the inevitable Tanya-confusion?

Source: NASA Space Telescopes See Magnified Image of Faintest Galaxy from Early Universe
Image: NASA, ESA, and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Hotel discount for people named David

David, by Michelangelo
Statue of David

Hotel David in Florence, Italy, offers a 5% discount to guests named David. So if your name is David and you’re planning to be in Florence anytime soon, you may want to check them out. If you decide to book, remember to use the promo code “DAVID” and be prepared to prove that your name really is David when you check in.

The hotel, which has been around since the 1950s, was named after Michelangelo’s sculpture of David, which has been on display in Florence since 1504.

I don’t know if the hotel’s David offer is permanent (like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Isabellas Free…Forever! program) but there’s no expiration date listed.


Here’s another name-based hotel deal I discovered recently, but this one does have an expiration date, so you’ll have to act quickly if you want to take advantage of it.

From Aug. 20 until Oct. 31, Breezes Bahamas is giving $100 to any guest staying at least 5 nights whose legal first name is on the 2013 National Hurricane Center list of storm names: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van or Wendy.

The spelling of your name must match the storm name exactly (i.e., “Sebastian” and “Rebecca” don’t count).

Image: Adapted from ‘David’ by Michelangelo by Jörg Bittner Unna under CC BY 4.0.