Where did the baby name Tamarick come from in 1993?

Football player Tamarick Vanover
Tamarick Vanover

The name Tamarick debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1993:

  • 1996 13 baby boys named Tamarick
  • 1995 9 baby boys named Tamarick
  • 1994 8 baby boys named Tamarick
  • 1993 19 baby boys named Tamarick [debut]
    • 9 born in in Florida
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

What put it there?

Wide receiver Tamarick (pronounced tah-MAHR-ik) Vanover, who spent most of his years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (1995-1999).

But the name debuted several years before his professional career began. And many of those babies were born in Florida specifically. Why?

Because of Tamarick’s successful (if short) college career. He was a key member of Florida State’s football team in 1993 — the year the Seminoles won their first national championship.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Tamarick? (Not to be confused with the name Tamarisk from earlier this week!)

Sources: Tamarick Vanover – Wikipedia, SSA

Where did the baby name Tamarisk come from in 1979?

The book "Tamarisk" (1978)
The book “Tamarisk“

The curious name Tamarisk first popped up in the U.S. baby name data in 1979. It stuck around for one more year, then disappeared again:

  • 1981: unlisted
  • 1980: 5 baby girls named Tamarisk
  • 1979: 9 baby girls named Tamarisk [debut]
  • 1978: unlisted
  • 1977: unlisted

Where did it come from?

A romance novel.

The historical romance Tamarisk (1978) was written by British novelist Claire Lorrimer (pen name of Patricia Robins). It was set in Georgian-era England and the main character was a capricious teenager named Tamarisk Barre.

The book "Tamarisk" (1978)
The book “Tamarisk“

Tamarisk was part of Robins’ “Women of Fire” trilogy, which included Mavreen (1976) and Chantal (1980).

I’m not sure how the character came to have the name “Tamarisk,” but the word refers to the flowering trees/shrubs of the Old World genus Tamarix. Tamarisk trees may have gotten their name from the river Támaris (today called the Tambre) in Spain.

What do you think of Tamarisk as a baby name? Would you use it?

Sources: SSA, Tamarix – Wikipedia, Patricia Robins – Wikipedia

Where did the baby name Zhane come from in 1993?

The Zhané album "Pronounced Jah-Nay" (1994)
Zhané album

The name Zhane first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1993. It saw peak usage the very next year:

  • 1995: 203 baby girls named Zhane [rank: 934th]
  • 1994: 391 baby girls named Zhane [rank: 584th]
  • 1993: 69 baby girls named Zhane [debut]
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

Here’s a visual:

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

The sudden trendiness of Zhane gave boosts to similar names (like Zana) and produced a crop of sound-alike names, such as…

1992199319941995
Jhane.12*6337
Zhana.8*4826
Zhanae..14*8
Jhanae..10*10
Zhanee..10*.
Jhanee..5*5
Zhanea..5*.
*Debut

It also inspired parents to create Zhane-based names, including Dazhane, Dezhane, Azhane, Daizhane, Tazhane, Auzhane, Dayzhane, Razhane, Ajhane, Dezhanae, Dejhanae, Zhania, and Zhanaya.

So, what was influencing all of these names?

R&B duo Zhané (pronounced zhah-NAY), made up of vocalists Jean Norris and Renée Neufville.

Zhané’s biggest hit, the catchy “Hey, Mr. D.J.,” was released in August of 1993 and reached #6 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. Their next-biggest hit, “Groove Thang,” came out early the following year.

Both songs were included on the duo’s 1994 debut album, the cleverly titled Pronounced Jah-Nay.

So how did the two singers — who met while attending Temple University in Philadelphia in the early 1990s — come up with the name “Zhane”? Here’s what Norris told Soul Train about a decade ago:

For our name, Renée had the idea of using the French pronunciation of our names Jean and Renée, which sounded like “Jahnay”. We added a Z for a little flavor and we came up with Zhané.

What are your thoughts on the name Zhane?

Sources:

P.S. The duo’s success may have had an influence on the similar-sounding name Dijonnaise as well…

Where did the baby name Journey come from in the 1980s?

The Journey album "Escape" (1981)
Journey album

Back in 1981, Journey popped up for the first time in the U.S. baby name data:

Girls named JourneyBoys named Journey
198476
198356*
1982..
19817*.
1980..
1979..
*Debut

What gave the noun-name a boost that year?

My guess is the influence of the rock band Journey, which was fronted by vocalist Steve Perry during that era.

The group had been putting out music since 1973, but 1981 is the year Journey released its most successful album, Escape — the one with the hit singles “Who’s Crying Now,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and “Open Arms.”

And the album was promoted, of course, by an equally successful tour:

Full-page advertisement for Journey tour in the Los Angeles Times (Oct. 4, 1981)
Full-page newspaper ad, 1981

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the name returned to the data in 1983, the year the band released its second most successful album, Frontiers — the one with the hit singles “Separate Ways”, “Faithfully”, and “Send Her My Love.”

What are your thoughts on Journey as a given name? Would you use it?

Sources: Escape (Journey album) – Wikipedia, Frontiers (Journey album) – Wikipedia, SSA