Where did the baby name Aleera come from in 2005?

The character Aleera from the movie "Van Helsing" (2004).
Aleera from “Van Helsing

Happy Halloween! Today let’s look at the name Aleera, which first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 2005:

  • 2007: 7 baby girls named Aleera
  • 2006: 8 baby girls named Aleera
  • 2005: 12 baby girls named Aleera [debut]
  • 2004: unlisted
  • 2003: unlisted

What put it there?

The action/gothic horror film Van Helsing, which was released in mid-2004.

Set in Transylvania in the 1880s, the movie and depicted legendary monster-hunter Gabriel Van Helsing (played by Hugh Jackman) battling Dracula and his three brides: Verona, Marishka, and Aleera.

All three vampire-brides were slayed over the course of the film — Marishka first, Verona second, and Aleera third. Because Aleera (played by Spanish actress Elena Anaya) lasted the longest, it seems logical to assume that she had the biggest influence on movie-going audiences.

The name Verona saw a slight rise in usage in 2004, and this could have been due to the film as well. Same with the name Marishka, though the even-steeper rise of Mariska makes me suspect that both names were influenced by SVU actress Mariska Hargitay rather than by Dracula’s bride.

What are your thoughts on the name Aleera? Which of the three brides’ names do you like most?

Sources: Van Helsing – Rotten Tomatoes, Van Helsing (film) – Wikipedia, SSA
Image: Screenshot of Van Helsing

Where did the baby name Peerless come from in 1999?

Football player Peerless Price
Peerless Price

The curious name Peerless first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1999:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: 6 baby boys named Peerless [debut]
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

And that’s the only time it’s ever popped up, making it a one-hit wonder.

Where did it come from?

Wide receiver Peerless Price, who played football in the NFL for nine seasons (1999-2007).

The thing that boosted his name into the SSA data, though, was his memorable senior year at the University of Tennessee.

In 1998, the Tennessee Volunteers football team wasn’t expected to do as well as it had in 1997, because several key players (including quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker Leonard Little) had graduated.

Defying expectations, it did even better. The Vols went undefeated in 1998, thanks in large part to Peerless Price. They also won the national title by beating the Florida State Seminoles at the Fiesta Bowl on January 4, 1999. Peerless was named co-MVP of the game, and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated a week later.

Peerless Price was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1976. Here’s how his mother, Vinder Burress, chose his unusual first name:

It was the name of a moving company I’d seen ads for. I liked the name, so I looked it up in the dictionary. It means without equal.

And how did Peerless himself feel about the name? Toward the end of his final college football season, he said:

In sports I felt I had to prove myself because of my name. They say your name doesn’t make a difference, but it really does.

What are your thoughts on the name Peerless?

P.S. The Vols play in Neyland Stadium, which explains why the baby name Neyland is particularly popular in the state of Tennessee. And the Vols’ fight song, “Rocky Top” (1967), was composed by Nashville songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine (11 Jan. 1999)

Where did the baby name Stryker come from in 1990?

Title of the TV series "B. L. Stryker" (1989-1990)
B. L. Stryker

The name Stryker debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1990:

  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: 6 baby boys named Stryker
  • 1990: 7 baby boys named Stryker [debut]
  • 1989: unlisted
  • 1988: unlisted

Why?

Because of the the short-lived TV series B. L. Stryker, which aired from early 1989 until May of 1990.

The detective drama starred actor Burt Reynolds as Buddy Lee “B. L.” Stryker, a former New Orleans policeman who moves to Palm Beach, Florida, “where he runs a disreputable private detective business and lives on a houseboat with two parrots.” (The birds are named Gilbert and Roland.)

The series consisted of 12 two-hour episodes that aired as ABC Mystery Movies every few weeks, alternating with episodes of similar shows, including Columbo and Kojak.

The name dropped out of the data in 1992, but re-emerged a few years later, thanks to the Mortal Kombat 3 character Kurtis Stryker.

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

Sources:

What gave the baby name Cyndi a boost in the 1980s?

Cyndi Lauper's debut album "She's So Unusual" (1983)
Cyndi Lauper album

The name Cyndi saw a steep rise in usage during the second half of the 1950s, thanks to a song featuring the name Cindy.

It saw another increase in the mid-1980s — though this second spike didn’t last as long, or reach as high. Here are the numbers, followed by the graph:

  • 1986: 58 baby girls named Cyndi
  • 1985: 88 baby girls named Cyndi
  • 1984: 61 baby girls named Cyndi
  • 1983: 28 baby girls named Cyndi
  • 1982: 25 baby girls named Cyndi
Graph of the usage of the baby name Cyndi in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Cyndi

What caused the smaller spike?

Music again — but this time it was a singer, not a song.

Eclectic pop star Cyndi Lauper released her debut album, She’s So Unusual, in October of 1983.

The album produced six singles, four of which became top-5 hits on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart during 1984:

  • “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (reached #2 in March)
  • “Time After Time” (#1 in June)
  • “She Bop” (#3 in September)
  • “All Through the Night” (#5 in December)

Also in 1984, the video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (below) won the inaugural MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.

Cyndi Lauper was born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper in 1953 — several years before the names Cynthia and Cindy reached peak trendiness.

At the age of eighteen, she started going by “Cyndi” instead of “Cindy” at the suggestion of a friend with whom she’d been hitchhiking:

So Richie and I headed to Massachusetts, and we would set up camp and sleep in the woods along the way. We were sitting by the fire one time and he said to me, “You know what? You shouldn’t spell your name ‘Cindy,’ you should spell it C-Y-N-D-I.” So I did.

What are your thoughts on the name Cyndi? Which spelling do you prefer?

Sources: