How popular is the baby name Taurean 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 Taurean.
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(The spelling Quayshawn had such a strong debut that it was also one of the top debuts of all time — ranked 35th.)
So…what was influencing these names?
Hip hop artist William “Quayshaun” Carter, who put out several singles in the early ’90s. None were more successful than the minor hit “Party Slammin'” (1991), which never reached the Billboard Hot 100, but did get reviewed in the magazine itself:
Bass-heavy jam showcases Quayshaun’s rapid-fire rhyme style as well as a hip-hop groove that would make Teddy Riley proud. Could happen at urban radio with the right push.
(Music producer Teddy Riley invented the “new jack swing” sound.)
Here’s the song:
What are your thoughts on the name Quayshaun? (How would you spell it?)
The police drama Hill Street Blues, which aired on NBC from 1981 to 1987, revolutionized the “cop show” TV genre. The series was the first of its kind to feature sequential storylines (vs. standalone episodes), an ensemble cast (vs. a single star), overlapping dialogue, hand-held camerawork, and more.
In fact, CNN went ahead and labelled Hill Street Blues “the most influential TV show ever.”
But it wasn’t just influential in the world of television. It also left its mark on American baby names. Hundreds of babies born in the ’80s got a Hill Street Blues-inspired baby name, such as…
Travanti
Actor Daniel J. Travanti, who played main character Capt. Frank Furillo, was nominated for the “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” Emmy five times in a row (1981 to 1985), winning twice (in ’81 and ’82). Also in 1982, the name Travanti debuted in the baby name data:
1985: 14 baby boys named Travanti
1984: 12 baby boys named Travanti
1983: 8 baby boys named Travanti
1982: 15 baby boys named Travanti [debut]
1981: unlisted
1980: unlisted
Taurean
Actor Taurean Blacque (born Herbert Middleton), who played Det. Neal Washington, was nominated for the “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” Emmy in 1982. (In fact, all five nominees for the award that year were HSB actors.) The name Taurean debuted in the data for both genders in 1981:
1985: 143 baby boys named Taurean [rank: 745th]
1984: 172 baby boys [rank: 659th] and 10 baby girls named Taurean
1983: 231 baby boys [rank: 554th] and 17 baby girls named Taurean
1982: 210 baby boys [rank: 593rd] and 7 baby girls named Taurean
1981: 91 baby boys [rank: 944th] and 6 baby girls named Taurean [dual-debut]
(And how did Herbert come up with the stage name “Taurean Blacque”? It’s “a combination of astrology and race with some fancy spelling thrown in.” He wanted a name he “could identify with and one that would stand out on a billboard.”)
Kiel
Actor Kiel Martin played Officer John “J.D.” LaRue. While the show was on the air, the baby name Kiel rose to peak usage among baby boys:
1985: 221 baby boys [rank: 591st] and 5 baby girls named Kiel
1984: 260 baby boys [rank: 534th] and 5 baby girls named Kiel
1983: 277 baby boys [rank: 505th] and 8 baby girls named Kiel [peak]
1982: 194 baby boys named Kiel [rank: 623rd]
1981: 68 baby boys named Kiel
1980: 9 baby boys named Kiel
Darylann
Actress Deborah Richter played recurring character Daryl Ann from 1982 to 1987 (but primarily during the last three years). In response, not only did the usage of the name Daryl for baby girls increase, but the name Darylann appeared for the first time:
1989: unlisted
1988: 7 baby girls named Darylann
1987: 5 baby girls named Darylann [debut]
1986: unlisted
1985: unlisted
Shirret
Actress Van Nessa L. Clarke played minor character Shirret Anders in a pair of back-to-back 1981 episodes. The same year, the baby name Shirret debuted in the data:
Though most of the baby names in the SSA’s annual datasets are repeats, each dataset does contain a handful of brand-new names.
Below are the most popular debut names for every single year on record, after the first.
Why bother with an analysis like this? Because debut names often have cool stories behind them, and high-hitting debuts are especially likely to have intriguing explanations tied to historical people/events. So this is more than a list of names — it’s also a list of stories.
Here’s the format: “Girl name(s), number of baby girls; Boy name(s), number of baby boys.” Keep in mind that the raw numbers aren’t too trustworthy for about the first six decades, though. (More on that in a minute.)
I’ve already written about some of the names above, and I plan to write about all the others as well…eventually. In the meanwhile, if you want to beat me to it and leave a comment about why Maverick hit in 1957, or why Moesha hit in 1996, feel free!
Source: U.S. SSA
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri
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