Where did the baby name Radames come from in 1950?

Richard Tucker (Radamès) and Herva Nelli (Aida) in the NBC radio/TV broadcast of "Aida" in 1949.
Richard Tucker and Herva Nelli performing “Aida“

The curious name Radames has appeared in the U.S. baby name data rather consistently since the early ’50s.

  • 1952: 5 baby boys named Radames – all 5 born in NY
  • 1951: 6 baby boys named Radames – all 6 born in NY
  • 1950: 5 baby boys named Radames [debut]
  • 1949: unlisted
  • 1948: unlisted

The name Radames was created by Giuseppe Verdi for the opera Aida (1871), which was set in ancient Egypt. The character Radamès was a soldier involved in a love triangle: he was in love with Aida, the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, who was in love with him.

A full concert-version of Aida was performed by the NBC Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Arturo Toscanini) in New York City in 1949. The performance — featuring tenor Richard Tucker as Radamès and soprano Herva Nelli as Aida — aired not just on radio, but also on television. Due to length, it was divided into two broadcasts (March 26 and April 2).

Thanks to these broadcasts, more people experienced a performance of Aida at one time “than had seen the work performed in the previous 60-some years of its existence.” This could account for the debut of Radames in 1950. After all, the name Aida saw increased usage in 1949, and much of that increase happened in New York specifically:

  • 1951: 105 baby girls named Aida – 39 (37%) born in NY
  • 1950: 107 baby girls named Aida – 42 (39%) born in NY
  • 1949: 112 baby girls named Aida – 50 (45%) born in NY
  • 1948: 73 baby girls named Aida – 31 (42%) born in NY
  • 1947: 76 baby girls named Aida – 32 (42%) born in NY

That said…there’s also immigration to consider.

Puerto Rican immigration to New York City peaked in the early 1950s. The name was already in use on the island, so some of the 1950s New York usage of Radames is no doubt attributable to Puerto Rican families. (And this is on top of the pre-existing low-level usage of Radames in the city thanks to the Italians.) So immigration is another possible explanation for the debut.

Actor Sophia Loren as the title character in the movie "Aida" (1954).
Sophia Loren in “Aida“

But, getting back to the opera…in October of 1954, a movie-version of Aida (starring teenage Italian actress Sophia Loren) was released in the U.S. The same year, we see higher usage of both Aida and Radames:

Girls named AidaBoys named Radames
1956163 [rank: 766th]9
1955173 [rank: 718th]7
1954193 [rank: 669th†]10
1953129 [rank: 810th].
1952128 [rank: 800th]5
†Peak ranking

So we can assume that pop culture had at least some influence on these names during the ’50s.

What are your thoughts on the name Radames? Which factor — radio/TV or immigration — do you think had more of an influence on the usage of Radames in 1950?

Sources:

Where did the baby name Yaphet come from in 1971?

Actor Yaphet Kotto as the character Dr. Kananga in the movie "Live and Let Die" (1973)
Yaphet Kotto in “Live and Let Die“

The uncommon name Yaphet first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1971, and it saw peak usage the very next year:

  • 1973: 15 baby boys named Yaphet
  • 1972: 20 baby boys named Yaphet [peak]
  • 1971: 9 baby boys named Yaphet [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

Where did it come from?

African-American actor Yaphet (pronounced YAH-fet) Kotto — though it’s hard to know what caused the name to debut/peak in those years specifically.

The influence couldn’t have been Kotto’s memorable depiction of corrupt Caribbean dictator Dr. Kananga in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die (1973).

The 1971 and 1972 usage must have been influenced by something earlier — perhaps his starring role in the 1970 TV movie Night Chase (which also featured David Janssen), or the coverage he was receiving in African-American magazines (like Jet and Ebony) around that time.

Actor Yaphet Kotto (1939-2021)
Yaphet Kotto

His role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the early 1977 TV movie Raid on Entebbe not only earned him an Emmy nomination, but also likely helped popularize the names Idi and Amin. (Though these names were also being influenced by current events, by a similar TV movie called Victory at Entebbe, and by a list of African names in Ebony magazine.)

Later on, he had parts in the sci-fi–horror film Alien (1979) and the dystopian action film The Running Man (1987).

His name dropped out of the baby name data during the 1980s, but returned in 1994, no doubt thanks to Kotto’s role on the lauded TV series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999).

Yaphet Kotto was born in New York City in 1939 to parents who had converted to Judaism. His first name is based on the Hebrew name Yefet, meaning “enlarged.” (The Biblical name Japheth is also based on Yefet.)

What are your thoughts on the name Yaphet?

Sources:

Images: Screenshot of Live and Let Die; clipping from the cover of Jet magazine (9 Mar. 1967)

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

UFC "Ring Girl" Arianny Celeste
Arianny Celeste

The name Arianny, which started popping up in the U.S. baby name data in the 1990s, began rising in usage around 2008 and peaked in 2013:

  • 2014: 126 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2013: 158 baby girls named Arianny [peak]
  • 2012: 147 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2011: 149 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2010: 120 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2009: 55 baby girls named Arianny
Graph of the usage of the baby name Arianny in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Arianny

Why?

I’d say the most direct influence was model and “octagon girl” Arianny (pronounced ahr-ee-AH-nee) Celeste, who was born (as Penelope López Márquez) in Las Vegas in 1985.

She started working as a ring girl with the mixed martial arts promotion company UFC in 2006, and she was declared “Ringcard Girl of the Year” four times in a row (2008-2011) by the World MMA Awards. (She has since won the award two more times, in 2014 and 2015.)

That said…the prevailing trendiness of names like Arianna and Ariana must have made the name Arianny sound particularly appealing to expectant parents around that time. (Interesting fact: Both of those names saw peak usage the year after Ariana Grande released her 2013 debut album, then immediately started slipping.)

What are your thoughts on the name Arianny?

P.S. Another UFC-related name, Chael, peaked the very same year…

Sources: Arianny Celeste – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Adapted from AriannyLopez (public domain)

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

MMA fighter Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen

The interesting name Chael, after first appearing in the U.S. baby name data in the early 2000s, rose to peak usage in 2013:

  • 2015: 35 baby boys named Chael
  • 2014: 60 baby boys named Chael
  • 2013: 96 baby boys named Chael [peak]
  • 2012: 61 baby boys named Chael
  • 2011: 34 baby boys named Chael

What was the influence?

Mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen (pronounced CHAYL SUN-en; first name similar to “jail”), whose career lasted from the late 1990s to the late 2010s.

He was most famous during the early 2010s, when he was a top contender in two different UFC weight classes. Also during that time period, he cemented his reputation as one of MMA’s best trash-talkers.

Sonnen’s initial fight with Anderson Silva* for the UFC Middleweight Championship in August of 2010 was voted Fight of the Year at the annual World MMA awards. Ahead of their highly anticipated re-match in July of 2012, a Bleacher Report writer said:

Chael Sonnen is a name that seems to be on the tip of every MMA fans’ tongues these days. Whether you’re online or watching UFC televised programming, Sonnen’s name and face are everywhere.

(Later the same year, a poster at the MMA Underground forum asked, rather presciently: “Will Chael be the hot new boys name for 2013?“)

In April of 2013, Sonnen lost his third and final title bout, this time against Jon Jones in the Light Heavyweight division. But he did win MMA Personality of the Year in 2013 — ousting the usual recipient, Joe Rogan.

So how did Sonnen, who was born in Oregon in 1977, get the first name Chael? Here’s what he said during a Reddit AMA a few years ago:

My Mom took the name “Michael” and removed the “Mi”.

She also altered the pronunciation, of course.

What are your thoughts on the name Chael?

*Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva are both from Brazil, but they’re not related.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of a Stack interview with Chael Sonnen