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Baby born in Colorado City, named Colorado

Birth announcement for Colorado Johnson (1859)
Colorado Johnson’s birth announcement

On August 13, 1859 — during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush — the settlement of Colorado City was established in western Kansas Territory (near the base of Pikes Peak itself). The abundance of red sandstone in the area is what inspired the founders to use the Spanish word colorado, meaning “red,” in the settlement’s name.

A mere two weeks later, Colorado City welcomed its first baby. The Rocky Mountain News (which was just four months old at the time) published the following announcement:

BIRTH. — Born in Colorado City, Aug. 28th, Colorado Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. [William] Johnson, late of Pensylvania [sic].

In consideration of its being the first birth in the embryo city of Colorado, a share of eight lots was donated to the new comer.

Colorado City became part of the newly organized Colorado Territory in 1861. (Interestingly, the territory was not named after the city, but after the Colorado River, whose headwaters were located within the boundary of the territory.) Today, the settlement is a neighborhood within the city of Colorado Springs.

P.S. Colorado City was founded several weeks before the settlements of Auraria and Denver to the north.

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the Rocky Mountain News (10 Sept. 1859)

What gave the baby name Alice a boost in the early 1900s?

Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (in 1902)
Alice Roosevelt (in 1902)

On September 14, 1901, U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt ascended to the presidency following the assassination of William McKinley.

Days later, he moved into the White House with his wife, Edith, and their six children: Alice, Theodore III, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin.

Seventeen-year-old Alice — the only child born to Roosevelt’s late first wife — was intelligent and photogenic, but also spoiled and rebellious. Dubbed “Princess Alice” by the press, she was in the headlines nearly as often as her father was during his presidency. Her antics included smoking cigarettes in public, driving a car without a chaperone, sneaking alcohol into dry parties, attending (and betting on) horse races, and carrying a pet garter snake (named Emily Spinach) in her purse.

Her father was quoted as saying, “I can be President of the United States, or I can attend to Alice. I can’t do both!”

Three events drew particular attention to Alice:

  • Her debutante ball, which was held in the White House on January 3, 1902.
  • Her travels through Asia, from July to October, 1905. (She accompanied Secretary of War William Howard Taft on a diplomatic trip that featured stops in in Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Korea.)
  • Her wedding to Ohio Congressman Nicholas Longworth, which was held in the White House on February 17, 1906.
Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (as a bride, in 1906)
Alice Roosevelt (in 1906)

Among the things named in honor of Alice were a color (Alice Blue), several songs (e.g., “Alice Roosevelt March“), and hundreds of babies:

  • 1908: 4,270 baby girls named Alice [rank: 9th]
  • 1907: 4,107 baby girls named Alice [rank: 9th]
  • 1906: 4,192 baby girls named Alice [rank: 8th]
  • 1905: 3,610 baby girls named Alice [rank: 10th]
  • 1904: 3,131 baby girls named Alice [rank: 13th]
  • 1903: 2,996 baby girls named Alice [rank: 12th]
  • 1902: 3,135 baby girls named Alice [rank: 10th]
  • 1901: 2,562 baby girls named Alice [rank: 12th]
  • 1900: 3,059 baby girls named Alice [rank: 14th]

The name Alice — already very popular during the first decade of the 20th century — saw distinct increases in usage in 1902, 1905, and 1906.

Dozens of the baby girls named Alice during that period were given the middle name Roosevelt. Some examples…

What are your thoughts on the name Alice?

Sources:

Images from the Library of Congress: Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1902), Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1906)

Popular baby names in Karlsruhe and Pforzheim, 2024

Flag of Germany
Flag of Germany

The German cities of Karlsruhe and Pforzheim are located about 20 miles away from one another in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.

What were the most popular baby names in each city last year?

Let’s look at the larger one first…

Karlsruhe

The city of Karlsruhe — whose name means “Karl’s repose” in German — welcomed approximately 4,600 babies last year. (Notably, more than half of these babies were born to parents who lived outside the city.)

Here are Karlsruhe’s top 10+ girl names and top 10+ boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Emma, 34 baby girls
  2. Mila, 33
  3. Lina, 26
  4. Ida, 23
  5. Ella, 22
  6. Malia, 21 (tie)
  7. Marie, 21 (tie)
  8. Leni, 18 (tie)
  9. Mia, 18 (tie)
  10. Anna, 17 (4-way tie)
  11. Lia, 17 (4-way tie)
  12. Lotte, 17 (4-way tie)
  13. Nora, 17 (4-way tie)
  14. Amelie, 16 (3-way tie)
  15. Lara, 16 (3-way tie)
  16. Mara, 16 (3-way tie)
  17. Sophie, 15

Boy names

  1. Levi, 29 baby boys (tie)
  2. Noah, 29 (tie)
  3. Elias, 28 (tie)
  4. Emil, 28 (tie)
  5. Paul, 27
  6. Liam, 25 (tie)
  7. Samuel, 25 (tie)
  8. Leon, 24 (tie)
  9. Milan, 24 (tie)
  10. Luca, 23
  11. Anton, 22 (tie)
  12. Ben, 22 (tie)
  13. Jakob, 21
  14. David, 20 (5-way tie)
  15. Finn, 20 (5-way tie)
  16. Jonathan, 20 (5-way tie)
  17. Leo, 20 (5-way tie)
  18. Theo, 20 (5-way tie)
  19. Emilio, 19

Pforzheim

The city of Pforzheim welcomed more than 2,700 babies last year. (As of December 19, the total count was 2,731.)

Here are Pforzheim’s projected top 3 girl names and top 3 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Lina, 20 baby girls
  2. Sophia, 16
    • The spelling “Sofia” was given to another 9 baby girls.
  3. Emilia, 14

Boy names

  1. Leon, 23 baby boys (tie)
  2. Liam, 23 (tie)
  3. Elias, 18

I’ve never posted rankings for either Karlsruhe or Pforzheim before, but here are the most recent (albeit unofficial) rankings for Germany itself.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Germany (public domain)

What gave the baby name Rashaan a boost in 1995?

Football player Rashaan Salaam (1974-2016)
Rashaan Salaam

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Rashaan reached the boys’ top 1,000 for the first and only time in 1995:

  • 1997: 52 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1996: 62 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1995: 140 baby boys named Rashaan [rank: 940th]
  • 1994: 38 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1993: 19 baby boys named Rashaan

What was drawing attention to the name that year?

College football player Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman Trophy in December of 1994.

As a junior at the University of Colorado, Salaam (a running back) rushed for 2,055 yards — becoming the fourth player in college football history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season — and scored 24 touchdowns. The Colorado Buffaloes ended up with an overall record of 11–1, placing third in the NCAA rankings.

Salaam forewent his senior year to enter the 1995 NFL draft. After a successful rookie season with the Chicago Bears, his performance declined, and he left the league several years later.

Sadly, after battling with depression (which was fueled by his belief that he’d failed to live up to expectations), Salaam committed suicide in 2016.

What are your thoughts on the name Rashaan?

P.S. Runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 was Ki-Jana Carter…

Sources:

Image: Rashaan Salaam trading card