How popular is the baby name Vickey 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 Vickey.

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Popularity of the baby name Vickey


Posts that mention the name Vickey

Baby names with KEY: Keyla, Hawkeye, Mickey

keys

What’s the key to finding a great baby name?

Perhaps it’s checking out a long list of names that contain the word KEY!

Top baby names with KEY

First, a quick rundown of the most popular names with the letter sequence “k-e-y,” according to the current U.S. baby name data.

Top girl names with “k-e-y”Top boy names with “k-e-y”
Keyla
Keyli
Keylani
Keylin
Keyani
Keya
Keyari
Keyanna
Lakeyn
Keyana		Mickey
Keyon
Rickey
Keylor
Keyden
Keyan
Mikey
Keyshawn
Keyler
Keylan

Now here are the same names again, this time with links to popularity graphs and, in some cases, explanations/definitions. (Most of these are modern names without a distinct origin, so I can’t add as much extra information as I did in similar posts, e.g., VAN, ICE, CAR.)

  • Keya
  • Keyan
  • Keyana and Keyanna were likely popularized by Qiana.
  • Keyani
  • Keyari
  • Keyden
  • Keyla
  • Keylan
  • Keylani may be a combination of the English word key and Hawaiian word lani, meaning “sky, heaven.”
  • Keyler
  • Keyli is a variant spelling of Keely, which can be traced back to Caollaidhe, an Irish (male) personal name based on the word caol, meaning “slender.”
  • Keylin
  • Keylor
  • Keyon was probably influenced by similar-sounding names such as Dion and Leon.
  • Keyshawn is an elaboration of Shawn, which is an Anglicized form of Seán, the Irish form of John.
  • Lakeyn
  • Mickey and Mikey are diminutives of Michael, which is based on a Hebrew name meaning “who is like God?” (rhetorical question).
  • Rickey is a diminutive of Richard, which is based on a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “ruler, king” and “hardy, brave.”

More names with KEY

What other names have KEY in them? Here are some less-common choices. (Nearly all of these come directly from the SSA’s baby name data.)

  • Akeya, Akeyia
  • Akeyla, Akeylah
  • Akeyra
  • Beckey
  • Bjarkey
  • Buckey
  • Chakeya
  • Corkey
  • Dickey
  • Frankey
  • Hawkeye
  • Ikey
  • Ikeya, Ikeyia
  • Jackey
  • Jakey
  • Jakeya
  • Jakeyla
  • Karthikeya
  • Karthikeyan
  • Kartikeya
  • Key, Keye
  • Keyaan
  • Keyah
  • Keyahna
  • Keyair
  • Keyaira, Keyairah, Keyairra
  • Keyajah
  • Keyaki
  • Keyala
  • Keyanah, Keyannah
  • Keyanda
  • Keyandra
  • Keyandre
  • Keyandrea
  • Keyania
  • Keyanni
  • Keyansh
  • Keyanta
  • Keyante
  • Keyara, Keyarah, Keyarra
  • Keyaria
  • Keyarie
  • Keyasha
  • Keyashia
  • Keyasia
  • Keyatta
  • Keyaun
  • Keyauna
  • Keyawna
  • Keydan
  • Keydi
  • Keydon
  • Keydra
    • Siblings named Keydra, Keyden, and Keyvar were mentioned in name quotes #115 earlier this year.
  • Keydren
  • Keydy
  • Keyan
  • Keyen
  • Keyera, Keyerah, Keyerra
  • Keyeria
  • Keyetta
  • Keygan
  • Keyia
  • Keyiana
  • Keyik
  • Keyilah
  • Keyion
  • Keyiona
  • Keyira
  • Keyisha
  • Keyjuan
  • Keylah, Keyhla
  • Keyland
  • Keylanie
  • Keyle
  • Keylea
  • Keylee, Keyleigh, Keylie, Keyly
  • Keyleen
  • Keylei
  • Keylen
  • Keyleth
  • Keyliana
  • Keylianis
  • Keylianiz
  • Keylli, Keylly
  • Keylon
  • Keylyn
  • Keymani
  • Keymar
  • Keymari
  • Keymarion
  • Keymaya
  • Keymi
  • Keymia, Keymiah, Keymiyah
  • Keymon
  • Keymoni
  • Keymond
  • Keymonte
  • Keymora
  • Keymya
  • Keyna
  • Keynan
  • Keynen
  • Keyner
  • Keynia, Keyniah
  • Keynon
  • Keynu
  • Keyo
  • Keyoka
  • Keyomi
  • Keyona, Keyonah, Keyonna
  • Keyonce
  • Keyonda
  • Keyondra
  • Keyondre
  • Keyondria
  • Keyone
  • Keyoni, Keyonie
  • Keyonia, Keyonnia
  • Keyonis
  • Keyonn
  • Keyonne
  • Keyonni, Keyonnie
  • Keyonta
  • Keyontae, Keyontay
  • Keyontai
  • Keyonte
  • Keyora
  • Keyosha
  • Keyoshia
  • Keyra, Keyrra
  • Keyren
  • Keyri, Keyry
  • Keyria
  • Keyrin
  • Keyron
  • Keysa
  • Kaysan
  • Keysean, Keyshaun
  • Keyser
  • Keysha
  • Keyshana, Keyshanna
  • Keyshauna, Keyshawna
  • Keyshia
  • Keyshla
  • Keyshon
  • Keyshona
  • Keyshonda
  • Keyshone
  • Keyshun
  • Keysi
  • Keysia
  • Keyson
  • Keystal
  • Keyston
  • Keyuana, Keyuanna
  • Keyun
  • Keyuna, Keyunna
  • Keyundra
  • Keyunta
  • Keyuntae
  • Keyur
  • Keyva
  • Keyvan
  • Keyveon
  • Keyvin
  • Keyvion
  • Keyvon
  • Keyvonna
  • Keyvonte
  • Keywan
  • Keywana, Keywanna
  • Keywanda
  • Keywon
  • Keyziah
  • Lakeya, Lakeyah
  • Lakeycha
  • Lakeyda
  • Lakeydra
  • Lakeyia
  • Lakeyla
  • Lakeysa
  • Lakeysha
  • Lakeyshia
  • Lakeysia
  • Lakeyta
  • Lekeya
  • Lekeysha
  • Luckey
  • Mackey
  • Mackeyla
  • Makeya
  • Markey
  • Markeya
  • Markeyda
  • Markeyia
  • Markeyla
  • Markeysha
  • Markeyta
  • Mckeyla
  • Mikeya
  • Mikeyia
  • Mikeyla
  • Myrkey
  • Nakeya, Nakeyah, Nakeyia
  • Nakeysha
  • Nekeya
  • Nekeysha
  • Nickey
  • Nickeya, Nikeya, Nikeyia, Nikkeya
  • Nykeya
  • Oakey
  • Okey
  • Pinkey
  • Rakeya
  • Rickeya
  • Rikey
  • Rockey
  • Rokeya
  • Sakeya
  • Sankey
  • Shakeya, Shakeyia
  • Shakeyda
  • Shakeyla
  • Shakeyra
  • Shakeyta
  • Shikeyla
  • Smokey
  • Starkey
  • Sukey
  • Takeya, Takeyah, Takeyia
  • Takeyla
  • Takeyoshi
  • Takeyra
  • Takeysha
  • Takeyshia
  • Takeyuki
  • Tekeya, Tekeyah
  • Tekeyla
  • Tikeya, Tikeyah
  • Tkeya, Tkeyah
  • Tkeyha
  • Tykeyah
  • Vickey
  • Whiskey
  • Zakeya, Zakeyah, Zakeyia
  • Zikeyah

Some of the above are non-traditional spellings of more common names, such as Becky, Vicky, and Keith.

Which KEY name do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Top view of old vintage keys by Ivan Radic under CC BY 2.0.

What gave the baby name Vicki a boost in the late 1930s?

Vicki Lester's name in lights (outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre) in the movie "A Star is Born" (1937).
Vicki Lester’s name in lights

In April of 1937, the film A Star Is Born was released. It starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March as a married couple at opposite ends of their Hollywood careers: hers beginning, his ending.

The husband was named Norman Maine. The wife, on the other hand, had several identities. At first she was North Dakota farm girl Esther Victoria Blodgett. Then she morphed into movie star Vicki Lester for most of the film. Finally, in that memorable last line, she said: “Hello everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine.”

So how did she go from Esther Blodgett to “Vicki Lester”? Here’s the scene:

Press Agent: Do you know what her name is? Esther Victoria Blodgett.
Producer: Gee, we’ll have to do something about that right away.
Press Agent: …Esther Victoria Blodgett…
Producer: Well that Blodgett’s definitely out. See, uh…Esther Victoria, Victoria, Vicki…how about Vicki?
Producer’s Secretary: Oh I think that’s terribly cute.
Producer: Let’s see, Vicki…Vicki what?
Press Agent: Vicki Vicki, pronounced Vicki Vicki. [sarcasm]
Producer: Siesta, Besta, Sesta, Desta, Fester…
Press Agent: Oh that’s very pretty.
Producer: …Jester, Hester, Jester, Lester…Vicki Lester!
Secretary: Oh I like that!

Everyone in the office started chanting the newly minted name Vicki Lester…and with that the star was born.

On the name charts, the entire name-group — Vicki, Vickie, Vicky, Vickey, and so forth — rode a wave of trendiness that started in the ’30s, peaked around 1957, and was over by the ’80s. It’s hard to say how much of this trendiness (if any of it) was fueled by the movie, but one thing definitely attributable to the movie is the higher-than-expected usage of “Vicki” in the late ’30s:

  • 1941: 542 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 274th]
  • 1940: 405 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 316th]
  • 1939: 334 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 355th]
  • 1938: 367 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 332nd]
  • 1937: 148 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 555th]
  • 1936: 82 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 738th]
  • 1935: 70 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 822nd]

Notice how the number adjusted downward in 1939 before the name was picked back up by the wave.

Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that several baby girls born in the late ’30s were named “Vicki Lester.” In 1940, for instance, the Seil family of Washington included parents Orval (26 years old) and Beryl (25) and daughters Arlene (4) and Vicki Lester (1).

vicki lester, census, 1940
Vicki Lester Seil on 1940 U.S. Census

History repeated itself in 1954 upon the release of the first A Star is Born remake, which starred Judy Garland as Esther/Vicki. The name Vicki was again nudged upward a few years ahead of schedule:

  • 1958: 7,434 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 57th]
  • 1957: 8,101 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 51st]
  • 1956: 7,762 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 57th]
  • 1955: 7,978 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 52nd]
  • 1954: 8,220 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 50th]
  • 1953: 6,822 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 61st]
  • 1952: 6,774 baby girls named Vicki [ranked 61st]

And, again, records from the mid-1950s reveal a handful of baby girls named “Vicki Lester.”

In the second remake — the 1976 Barbra Streisand version — the character was called Esther throughout the film. Even if there hadn’t been a name change, though, the popularity of Vicki was plummeting by the ’70s and I doubt the film could have done much to boost its image/usage.

Currently the name Vicki is only given to about a dozen baby girls in the U.S. per year. But another version of A Star is Born is in the works — a Lady Gaga version slated for 2018. If this third remake materializes, and if it features the name Vicki, do you think it will influence the baby name charts?

(While we wait for 2018, check out the original version of A Star is Born (1937), which is in the public domain.)

Sources: SSA, U.S. Census
Image: Screenshot of A Star Is Born