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The Branch family of Indiana

Indiana politician Emmett Forest Branch (1874-1932)
Emmett Forest Branch

A century and a half ago, Elliott and Alice Branch of Martinsville, Indiana, welcomed four babies, two girls and two boys:

  • Olive L. Branch (b. 1869)
  • Leafy Dell Branch (b. 1871)
  • Emmett Forest Branch (b. 1874)
  • Frank Oak Branch (b. 1878)

According to a newspaper article from 1903, the Branch family was “one of the oldest and best” in Indiana’s Morgan County, but “the names of the children of this branch of Branches the oddest.”

Their mother, who was of a poetic turn, was responsible for the names, Forest, Oak, Leafy Dell and Olive.

Emmett Forest Branch went on to spend three terms in the Indiana House of Representatives (during the first decade of the 1900s) and serve briefly as the governor of Indiana (from April of 1924 to January of 1925).

P.S. Speaking of “olive branch,” did you know that the maternal grandfather of Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall was named Isaiah Olive Branch Williams?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Emmett F. Branch (public domain)

Where did the baby name Drexler come from in 1991?

Basketball player Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler

The surname-name Drexler first appeared in the U.S. baby name data 1991. It reached peak usage the very next year.

  • 1993: 6 baby boys named Drexler
  • 1992: 16 baby boys named Drexler [peak]
  • 1991: 6 baby boys named Drexler [debut]
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Professional basketball player Clyde Drexler, who was named an All-Star ten times during his fifteen-year NBA career (from 1983 to 1998).

He spent most of those years with the Portland Trail Blazers, leading them to the NBA Finals twice: in 1990 (vs. Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons) and again in 1992 (vs. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls).

Following the 1991-92 season, Drexler finished second to Jordan in the vote for the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Drexler was the Blazers’ all-time scoring leader (with over 18,000 points) when he was traded to the Houston Rockets in early 1995. Months later — reunited with former University of Houston teammate Hakeem Olajuwon — he finally won an NBA Championship.

The surname Drexler is derived from the German occupational surname Drechsler, which originally referred to a wood turner.

What are your thoughts on Drexler as a first name?

P.S. “Clyde the Glide” may have also affected the usage of the baby name Clyde during his career, but it’s hard to tell.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Clyde Drexler during the 1992 NBA Playoffs (Western Conference, first round)

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2024

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the countries of England and Wales together welcomed 594,677 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Muhammad.

Here are England and Wales’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 2,761 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 2,448
  3. Lily, 2,185
  4. Isla, 2,056
  5. Ivy, 1,956
  6. Florence, 1,936
  7. Freya, 1,929
  8. Poppy, 1,888
  9. Ava, 1,774
  10. Elsie, 1,727
  11. Isabella, 1,708
  12. Sofia, 1,626
  13. Sophia, 1,610
  14. Mia, 1,609
  15. Maya, 1,592
  16. Bonnie, 1,583
  17. Phoebe, 1,549
  18. Daisy, 1,548
  19. Sienna, 1,537
  20. Evelyn, 1,512
  21. Willow, 1,481
  22. Harper, 1,461
  23. Charlotte, 1,418
  24. Rosie, 1,406
  25. Grace, 1,390
  26. Maeve, 1,265
  27. Millie, 1,255
  28. Margot, 1,243
  29. Evie, 1,231
  30. Arabella, 1,222
  31. Matilda, 1,220
  32. Hallie, 1,218
  33. Delilah, 1,180
  34. Emily, 1,170
  35. Aria, 1,154
  36. Penelope, 1,133
  37. Mabel, 1,113
  38. Lottie, 1,109
  39. Ella, 1,108
  40. Ada, 1,049
  41. Ruby, 1,020
  42. Violet, 1,010
  43. Aurora, 1,002
  44. Maisie, 992
  45. Emilia, 961
  46. Mila, 953
  47. Ayla, 922
  48. Luna, 908
  49. Alice, 896
  50. Sophie, 886

Boy names

  1. Muhammad, 5,721 baby boys
  2. Noah, 4,139
  3. Oliver, 3,492
  4. Arthur, 3,368
  5. Leo, 3,324
  6. George, 3,257
  7. Luca, 2,814
  8. Theodore, 2,761
  9. Oscar, 2,747
  10. Archie, 2,575
  11. Jude, 2,540
  12. Theo, 2,387
  13. Freddie, 2,369
  14. Henry, 2,360
  15. Arlo, 2,220
  16. Alfie, 2,020
  17. Charlie, 1,956
  18. Finley, 1,886
  19. Albie, 1,820
  20. Harry, 1,765
  21. Mohammed, 1,760
  22. Jack, 1,711
  23. Elijah, 1,661
  24. Rory, 1,588
  25. Lucas, 1,550
  26. Thomas, 1,543
  27. William, 1,517
  28. Louie, 1,516
  29. Teddy, 1,506
  30. Jacob, 1,484
  31. Edward, 1,461
  32. Roman, 1,454
  33. Reuben, 1,442
  34. Oakley, 1,432
  35. Adam, 1,410
  36. Alexander, 1,365
  37. Isaac, 1,360
  38. Ezra, 1,339
  39. Tommy, 1,324
  40. James, 1,252
  41. Rowan, 1,246
  42. Hudson, 1,216
  43. Reggie, 1,194
  44. Max, 1,140
  45. Sebastian, 1,116
  46. Hugo, 1,094
  47. Louis, 1,092
  48. Ethan, 1,086
  49. Ronnie, 1,059
  50. Joshua, 1,027

In the girls’ top 10, Poppy and Elsie replaced Willow and Isabella.

In the boys’ top 10, Archie replaced Henry.

At the other end of the spectrum I spotted Bryher (given to 5 baby girls), no doubt inspired by Bryher Island, located off the coast of Cornwall.

And, speaking of rare names, here’s a selection of those that were given to just three babies each in England and Wales (combined) in last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Ascia, Barley, Clementina, Drashti, Euphemia, Fodhla, Gwenlli, Hyacinth, Isidora, Jindh, Kanak, Letizia, Migle, Ngoc, Olayinka, Pearly, Quinnie, Rennala, Sorella, Tirion, Unathi, Valora, Wallis, Xanthi, Yuet, ZhilaAelfred, Bramwell, Canelo, Doulton, Erling, Ferdia, Gursimran, Horace, Iorwerth, Jolyon, Kenshin, Llywelyn, Mawgan, Nikunj, Ozair, Penuel, Quintus, Rudolph, Shabsi, Teifion, Ugnius, Vishvam, Western, Xyleek, Ynyr, Zaroon

Some facts/thoughts about a few of the above…

  • Canelo is the Spanish word for “cinnamon.” (It’s also used as a nickname for a redheaded person.)
  • Erling is the first name of Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland (who currently plays for Manchester City).
  • Gwenlli is a short form of the Welsh name Gwenllian.
  • Migle is based on the Lithuanian word migla, meaning “mist.”
  • Teifion may be based on the name of the River Teifi in Wales.
  • Xyleek, which debuted impressively in the U.S. data last year, may have been inspired by a TikTok video.
  • Ynyr is the Welsh form of the Latin name Honorius.

Finally, here are the 2024 rankings for Scotland and Northern Ireland — the other two countries in the United Kingdom — and the 2023 rankings for England and Wales, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

What gave the baby name Iesha a boost in 1991?

Scene from the music video for "Iesha" (1990) by Another Bad Creation
Scene from the music video for “Iesha”

The name Iesha, which first surfaced in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1960s, saw a distinct spike in usage in 1991:

  • 1993: 384 baby girls named Iesha [rank: 604th]
  • 1992: 581 baby girls named Iesha [rank: 432nd]
  • 1991: 1,896 baby girls named Iesha [rank: 157th]
  • 1990: 285 baby girls named Iesha [rank: 732nd]
  • 1989: 161 baby girls named Iesha

Why?

Because of the song “Iesha” by Another Bad Creation (ABC), an Atlanta-based hip-hop group made up of five young boys: Romell Chapman, Chris Sellers, David Shelton, and brothers Marliss and Demetrius Pugh.

“Iesha,” which was ABC’s debut single and biggest hit, “told the story of a playground attraction that turned into a Nintendo-and-cereal date.” The song was released in October of 1990 and peaked at #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in April of 1991.

Here’s what it sounds like:

The song was written (in new jack swing style) by record producer Dallas Austin and ABC’s manager Michael Bivins (a member of Bell Biv DeVoe).

What are your thoughts on the name Iesha?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Iesha”