Where did the baby name Tiffaniamber come from in 1993?

Actress Tiffani-Amber Thiessen in the TV series "Saved by the Bell" (1989-1993)
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen in “Saved by the Bell“

The curious compound name Tiffaniamber has appeared in the U.S. baby name data a total of four times, all during the 1990s:

  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: 9 baby girls named Tiffaniamber
  • 1996: unlisted
  • 1995: 7 baby girls named Tiffaniamber
  • 1994: 6 baby girls named Tiffaniamber
  • 1993: 6 baby girls named Tiffaniamber [debut]
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

Why?

Because of ’90s teen idol Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, who had starring roles on two different TV shows during the 1990s.

First, the actress played popular cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the Saturday morning sitcom Saved by the Bell (1989–1993).

Second, she played manipulative Valerie Malone on the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210. She joined the cast in 1994 (following the sudden departure of actress Shannen Doherty) and remained on the show until 1998.

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen was born in California in 1974. According to one source, her “filigreed first name” was created because “her parents liked Tiffani; her grandparents liked Amber.”

Saved by the Bell producer Peter Engel noted that the Los Angeles Times “made fun of Tiffani-Amber Thiessen’s name” in a negative review of the show’s very first episode.

In 2000, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen decided to drop the hyphen and shorten her professional name to Tiffani Thiessen. (Incidentally, her Saved by the Bell co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar retains his hyphen to this day.)

What are your thoughts on the name Tiffani-Amber?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Saved by the Bell

What gave the baby name Shanice a boost (multiple times)?

Shanice's self-titled album (1999)
Shanice album

During the late 20th century, the name Shanice saw four distinct spikes in usage: two prominent ones in 1988 and 1992, flanked by two smaller ones in 1985 and 1999.

Here’s some of the data:

  • 1994: 782 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 342nd]
  • 1993: 1,345 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 213th]
  • 1992: 1,859 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 167th]
  • 1991: 304 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 700th]
  • 1990: 289 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 725th]
  • 1989: 537 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 452nd]
  • 1988: 938 baby girls named Shanice [rank: 270th]
  • 1987: 140 baby girls named Shanice
  • 1986: 39 baby girls named Shanice

And here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Shanice in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Shanice

All four increases can be attributed to the same thing: mononymous R&B singer Shanice.

The initial uptick, in 1985, corresponds to her appearances on the TV talent show Star Search in 1984. As 11-year-old Shanice Wilson, she competed — at least twice — in the junior female vocalist category. Her performances earned her $5,000 in prize money. (She later said, “When I got that $5,000, you would’ve thought we hit the lottery.”)

Shanice Wilson on "Star Search" in 1984
Shanice Wilson on “Star Search“

She also appeared on more than a dozen episodes of Kids Incorporated in 1984, but, surprisingly, she didn’t sing on the show — she was one of the backup dancers.

In 1988, following the release of Shanice’s initial singles the previous year, the name jumped into the girls’ top 1,000 for the first time ever. Shanice’s most successful early song, “(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance,” reached #50 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in December of 1987.

The name’s highest-ever usage, in 1992, was fueled by Shanice’s biggest hit, “I Love Your Smile” (1991). The upbeat song was produced by Narada Michael Walden and stayed stuck at #2 on the charts for three weeks straight in February of 1992. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” category, but lost to a song by Chaka Khan.

Here’s the music video:

The name’s peak usage was also bolstered by the 1992 songs “Silent Prayer” and “Saving Forever for You,” which topped out at #31 and #4 (respectively) on the Hot 100.

The final uptick, in 1999, corresponds to Shanice’s last Hot 100-charting song, “When I Close My Eyes,” which climbed to #12 in April of 1999.

What are your thoughts on the name Shanice? Would you use it?

Sources:

Third image: Screenshot of Star Search

What gave the baby name Mescal a boost in 1924?

The characters Jack Hare and Mescal from the movie "The Heritage of the Desert" (1924)
Jack and Mescal from “The Heritage of the Desert“

The curious name Mescal, which began popping up in the U.S. baby name data in the mid-1910s, saw its highest usage in the mid-1920s:

  • 1926: 12 baby girls named Mescal
  • 1925: 17 baby girls named Mescal
  • 1924: 22 baby girls named Mescal (peak)
  • 1923: 11 baby girls named Mescal
  • 1922: 12 baby girls named Mescal

Where did the name come from, and what happened in 1924?

It all starts with the Zane Grey western The Heritage of the Desert (1910). The book’s main character was Jack Hare, and Jack’s love interest was a half-Navajo, half-Spanish woman named Mescal.

More than a decade after the book was published, a silent film based on the book was released. The Heritage of the Desert (1924) starred actor Lloyd Hughes as Jack and actress Bebe Daniels as Mescal.

(Interestingly, one baby born in Alabama in 1930 was named Mescal Bebe — a nod to both the character and the actress.)

According to the book, Mescal was named after a cactus flower by her grandfather, a Navajo chief. In fact, in one scene, Mescal took Jack to see the eponymous flower:

“Jack, this is mescal,” said the girl, pointing to some towering plants.

All over the sunny slopes cacti lifted slender shafts, unfolding in spiral leaves as they shot upward and bursting at the top into plumes of yellow flowers. The blossoming stalks waved in the wind, and black bees circled round them.

The problem with Zane Grey’s description, however, is that the word mescal — besides referring to a type of alcoholic drink made from agave — signifies the peyote cactus specifically. Peyotes are squat, round, and just a couple of inches tall — definitely neither “towering” nor “slender.”

The word mescal (also spelled mezcal) comes from the Nahuatl word mexcalli, which is made up of the elements metl, meaning “maguey” (a type of agave) and ixca, meaning “to cook.”

Grey’s book was made into a movie twice more, in 1932 and 1939, but in both remakes the primary female character was given a more mainstream name (Judy in 1932, Miriam in 1939).

What are your thoughts on the name Mescal?

P.S. Tequila is another agave-based baby name…

Sources: The Heritage of the Desert (film) – Wikipedia, Peyote – Wikipedia, Online Nahuatl Dictionary, SSA

Image: Screenshot of The Heritage of the Desert

What popularized the baby name Neymar in the early 2010s?

Brazilian soccer player Neymar
Neymar

The curious name Neymar debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2010. It was the fastest-rising boy name of 2011, and it reached peak usage in 2014:

  • 2016: 245 baby boys named Neymar [rank: 891st]
  • 2015: 294 baby boys named Neymar [rank: 793rd]
  • 2014: 499 baby boys named Neymar [rank: 551st]
  • 2013: 377 baby boys named Neymar [rank: 649th]
  • 2012: 338 baby boys named Neymar [rank: 704th]
  • 2011: 190 baby boys named Neymar
  • 2010: 19 baby boys named Neymar
  • 2009: unlisted
  • 2008: unlisted

What made the name Neymar so trendy during the first half of the 2010s?

Mononymous Brazilian soccer player Neymar (pronounced NAY-mar), widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world.

Neymar made his professional debut as a teenager in 2009, playing for Santos F.C. in Brazil. He helped the team win the Libertadores Cup in 2011, and he was named South American Footballer of the Year in both 2011 and 2012.

On the international stage, he participated in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where Brazil earned a silver medal. He helped Brazil win the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, after which he was awarded both the Golden Ball (as the tournament’s most valuable player) and the Bronze Boot (for being its third-highest scorer). Though he wasn’t able to lead Brazil to victory in the 2014 FIFA World Cup — after fracturing a vertebra during the quarterfinals, he couldn’t play in the last two games — he was still one of the highest scorers of the tournament.

So how did Neymar (born Neymar da Silva Santos) come to have his unusual first name? It was passed down from his father, Neymar Sr., who was also a professional footballer. Neymar Sr.’s father was named Ilzemar; “Ilzemar” could be where the mar element of “Neymar” came from.

What are your thoughts on the name Neymar? Do you like it more or less than, say, Nomar?

Sources: Neymar – Wikipedia, Neymar – Britannica, SSA

Image: Adapted from Neymar Junior the Future of Brazil by Christopher Johnson under CC BY-SA 2.0.