The name Wallis had only ever appeared in the U.S. baby name data as a boy name until 1936, when it suddenly popped up as a girl name. The following year, usage for baby girls was nearly double the usage for baby boys:
| Boys named Wallis | Girls named Wallis | |
| 1938 | 19 | 14 |
| 1937 | 17 | 33† |
| 1936 | 22 | 6* |
| 1935 | 9 | . |
| 1934 | 16 | . |
Here’s a visual:
Why?
Because, in December of 1936, Britain’s King Edward VIII — who had ascended to the throne earlier the same year, in January — abdicated in order to marry twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.
Here’s a newspaper account of one of the baby girls named Wallis in 1936:
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Grieve have named their new-born daughter Wallis — for the only woman in modern history who rocked the throne of England.
Wallis and Edward were married in June of 1937. Known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, they remained together until Edward’s death in 1972.
Wallis Simpson’s first name at birth wasn’t Wallis, but Bessie. She was born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896, and called “Bessie Wallis” in her youth. The first name “Bessie” honored her mother’s elder sister, while the middle name “Wallis” honored her father, Teackle Wallis Warfield (who was known as “Wallis”). The surname Simpson came from her second husband.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Wallis? Do you prefer it as a boy name, or as a girl name?
Sources:
- “Baby Named for Wally.” Pittsburgh Press 23 Dec. 1936: 8.
- Wallis Simpson – Wikipedia
P.S. Wallis Simpson reminds me of Ebba Bernadotte…