According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Quentin saw a significant increase in usage at the end of the 1910s:
- 1921: 233 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 401st]
- 1920: 337 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 312nd]
- 1919: 567 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 220th]
- 1918: 480 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 243rd]
- 1917: 72 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 736th]
- 1916: 53 baby boys named Quentin [rank: 869th]
Quentin was the fastest-rising baby name of 1918, in fact.
Here’s a visual:
The name’s sudden trendiness also gave a boost to similarly spelled names, such as Quinton, Quinten, Quenton, and Quenten (which debuted in 1918).
What was behind the rise?
The death of Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of then-president Theodore Roosevelt.
Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, a pilot in the U.S. Army, was killed in action during World War I. He was shot down behind German lines on July 14, 1918.
His three older brothers — Theodore III, Kermit, and Archibald — also served during WWI, but all three survived. Quentin remains the only child of a sitting U.S. president to have died in combat.
One of Quentin’s 1919 namesakes was his own nephew, born to his eldest brother (Ted) in November of that year.
One of his non-human namesakes was the town of Quentin, Pennsylvania. It was formerly called Bismarck, after German statesman Otto von Bismarck, but the town’s residents wished to “remove the odium of [that] Teutonic name” after the U.S. entered the war against Germany.
In his letter of thanks to the town, Theodore Roosevelt noted:
The name, by the way, is pronounced, in English fashion, exactly as it is spelt.
What are your thoughts on the name Quentin?
Sources:
- Quentin Roosevelt – Wikipedia
- “Bismarck, PA., is Renamed Quentin.” New York Tribune 3 Oct. 1920, Graphic section: 22.
- “How Bismarck, PA in Lebanon County was renamed for Teddy Roosevelt’s son, Quentin.” LebTown 4 Jul. 2018.
- SSA
Top image: Adapted from Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, 95th Aero Squadron (public domain)
