Where did the baby name Vendela come from in 1993?

Fashion model Vendela Kirsebom
Vendela

The rare baby name Vendela both debuted and saw peak usage in the U.S. in 1993:

  • 1995: 7 baby girls named Vendela
  • 1994: 7 baby girls named Vendela
  • 1993: 9 baby girls named Vendela [debut]
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

Why?

Because of supermodel Vendela (pronounced VEHN-deh-lah) — born Vendela Kirsebom in Sweden in 1967.

After modeling in Europe for several years, she relocated to New York City to become “the face” of American cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden in 1989.

Though she was often featured in advertisements and on magazine covers, her name didn’t pop up in the U.S. baby name data until she became a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl in early 1993. Importantly, her name was also on the cover:

Vendela's name on the cover of Sports Illustrated (Feb. 1993)
Vendela’s name

Speaking with Glamour magazine in the late ’80s about her name, she said:

I’ve never met anybody else with my first name. It’s old-fashioned and people don’t use it much anymore. When I was younger I didn’t like it because everyone always had to ask again, “What was your name?” Now I like that it’s different.

The name Vendela is a Swedish feminine form of the Germanic name Wendel, which was derived from a Germanic word referring to the Vandals (an ancient Germanic tribe).

What are your thoughts on the name Vendela?

Sources:

Images: Clippings from the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine (22 Feb. 1993)

What gave the baby name Shawnte a boost in 1977?

Shawnte Northcutte on "The New Mickey Mouse Club" (1977-1979)
Shawnte on “The New Mickey Mouse Club“

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Shawnte reached the girls’ top 1,000 for the first and only time in 1977:

  • 1979: 89 baby girls named Shawnte
  • 1978: 113 baby girls named Shawnte
  • 1977: 207 baby girls named Shawnte [rank: 745th]
  • 1976: 32 baby girls named Shawnte
  • 1975: 22 baby girls named Shawnte

A slew of other spellings also saw higher usage that year. Examples include Shante, Shawnta, Chante, Shaunte, Shaunta, Shonta, Shantae, Shawntay, Shauntay, Shawntee, Shonte, Shontay, and, most notably, Shawntae — the fastest-rising girl name of 1977.

What caused this sudden interest in the name Shawnte?

A Mouseketeer named Shawnte Northcutte.

She was part of The New Mickey Mouse Club — Disney’s attempt to revive the original Mickey Mouse Club of the 1950s.

The new version of the variety show featured disco-inspired music and a more ethnically diverse cast.

It premiered in January of 1977. (In fact, several days before it began, the new Mouseketeers were introduced to television audiences during the Disney-produced halftime show of Superbowl XI.)

The New Mickey Mouse Club “couldn’t recapture the magic of the original,” however, and was discontinued after just six months. Reruns finally stopped airing in January of 1979.

Interestingly, Shawnte Northcutte pronounced her first name two different ways. Sometimes she emphasized the first syllable (SHAWN-tay), as in the first episode [vid] of the show, and other times she emphasized the second syllable (shawn-TAY), as in the tenth episode [vid].

What are your thoughts on the name Shawnte? (How would you spell it?)

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of The New Mickey Mouse Club

What gave the baby name Jolene a boost in 1974?

Dolly Parton's album "Jolene" (1974)
Dolly Parton album

The baby name Jolene had been on the decline for more than a decade when, all of a sudden, usage more than tripled in 1974:

  • 1976: 766 baby girls named Jolene [rank: 301st]
  • 1975: 999 baby girls named Jolene [rank: 248th]
  • 1974: 1,052 baby girls named Jolene [rank: 245th]
  • 1973: 293 baby girls named Jolene [rank: 562nd]
  • 1972: 266 baby girls named Jolene [rank: 599th]

Here’s a visual:

What gave the name a boost that year?

Dolly Parton’s memorable song “Jolene,” which was released as a single in October of 1973.

It reached the #1 spot on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart in February of 1974. It even crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at #60 on the Hot 100 chart in March.

The narrator of the Grammy-nominated song begs a beautiful woman named Jolene not to steal her man. (“You could have your choice of men / But I could never love again / He’s the only one for me, Jolene.”)

Here’s what the song sounds like:

The song’s antagonist was (loosely) based on a real person: A particularly pretty bank teller who would flirt with Dolly’s husband Carl during the early days of their marriage.

The character’s name, however, came from a different source. Here’s how Dolly explained it:

One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl — she was probably 8 years old at the time. And she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, and beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. And I said, “Well, you’re just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.” I said, “What is your name?” And she said, “Jolene.” And I said, “Well, Jolene, Jolene. Jolene.’ I said, “That is pretty.” I said, “That sounds like a song. I’m gonna write a song about that.”

What are your thoughts on the name Jolene?

Sources:

What popularized the baby name Deron in the mid-1960s?

Baseball player Deron Johnson (1938-1992)
Deron Johnson

The baby name Deron, which first appeared in the U.S. baby data in the mid-1950s, hit peak popularity in the mid-1960s:

  • 1968: 185 baby boys named Deron [rank: 556th]
    • 24 (13%) born in Ohio
  • 1967: 212 baby boys named Deron [rank: 516th]
    • 38 (18%) born in Ohio
  • 1966: 270 baby boys named Deron [rank: 465th]
    • 58 (21%) born in Ohio
  • 1965: 263 baby boys named Deron [rank: 479th]
    • 65 (25%) born in Ohio
  • 1964: 127 baby boys named Deron [rank: 683rd]
    • 27 (21%) born in Ohio
  • 1963: 26 baby boys named Deron
  • 1962: 26 baby boys named Deron
  • 1961: 48 baby boys named Deron
  • 1960: 20 baby boys named Deron

The usage of the name tracks with the career of baseball player Deron Johnson, a power hitter who played for nine different teams during his 16 seasons in the major leagues.

After graduating from high school in 1956, Johnson signed with the New York Yankees — though he didn’t get called up from the minor leagues until 1960.

During the short time he was with the Yankees (and being touted as the next Mickey Mantle), there was an uptick in the usage of the name.

Usage was highest while Johnson was playing for the Cincinnati Reds, from 1964 to 1967. His second season in Ohio was one of his best: he hit 32 homers and drove in 130 runs to become that year’s National League RBI leader.

A final uptick in 1973 — while the name was on the decline — correlates to the year Johnson became a World Series Champion with the Oakland Athletics.

What are your thoughts on the name Deron?

Sources:

Image: Deron Johnson trading card