In January of 1940, the McMillan family of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, welcomed a baby girl “[a]t the height of a windstorm.”
Naming the child was easy. The McMillans called her Wendie Dae.
Had this scene occurred in the late ’60s instead of the early ’40s, I wonder if the McMillans would have gone for “Windy” instead of “Wendie.”
Why? Because in mid-1967, a song called “Windy” — about a woman named Windy — was the #1 song on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for four weeks straight.
Who’s tripping down the streets of the city
Smiling at everybody she sees?
Who’s reaching out to capture a moment?
Everyone knows it’s Windy
The baby name Windy doubled in usage that year, entering the girls’ top 1,000 for the first time:
- 1969: 178 baby girls named Windy [rank: 756th]
- 1968: 159 baby girls named Windy [rank: 800th]
- 1967: 161 baby girls named Windy [rank: 786th]
- 1966: 83 baby girls named Windy
- 1965: 69 baby girls named Windy
It went on to see peak popularity in 1975 (with a ranking of 553rd).
The similar name Wendy also got a boost from the song “Windy,” though it didn’t need any help: the name Wendy was in the top 100 from the ’50s to the ’80s, reaching as high as 28th in 1970.
Which name do you prefer, Windy or Wendy? (Or Wendie?)
Sources:
- “Daughter Born in Windstorm Is Christened Wendie Dae.” Morning Avalanche [Lubbock, Texas] 18 Jan. 1940: 6.
- Single Stories: The Association, “Windy” – Rhino
- SSA