Where did the baby name Troas come from in 1969?

Beauty queen Troas Hayes in 1968
Troas Hayes (in 1968)

The intriguing name Troas was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data, appearing in 1969 only:

  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: 5 baby girls named Troas [debut]
  • 1968: unlisted
  • 1967: unlisted

The source?

Troas Hayes, a young woman from California. She won the Miss California contest in June of 1968 and went on to represent the state at the Miss USA contest in Miami Beach in May of 1969. She didn’t win, but did come in 4th runner-up.

Where did her unique name come from?

Contemporary sources stated that her father’s name was Walter Hayes, but research reveals that he was actually her step-father. Her biological father was named Virgil Troas Hoffmeister. (He died when Troas was a baby.) I don’t know the story behind Virgil’s name, but both of his given names have classical roots — Virgil being an ancient Roman poet, and Troas being an ancient region in what is now Turkey.

What are your thoughts on Troas as a girl name?

P.S. The 1969 Miss USA contestant from Alabama also had an interesting name: Hitsy Parnell. “Hitsy” was a nickname; her real first name was Wilhelmina.

Sources:

Image: © 1968 Sacramento Bee (from the Center for Sacramento History)

Where did the baby name Taina come from in 1955?

Finnish actress Taina Elg
Taina Elg

Today we have the tale of two Tainas — one pronounced TIE-nah, the other pronounced tah-EE-nah.

The first version of the name Taina debuted in the U.S. baby name data in the mid-1950s:

  • 1957: 12 baby girls named Taina
  • 1956: 8 baby girls named Taina
  • 1955: 21 baby girls named Taina [debut]
  • 1954: unlisted
  • 1953: unlisted

The inspiration here was Finnish dancer/actress Taina (pronounced TIE-nah) Elg, who was being introduced to American audiences in 1955 in the film The Prodigal, a biblical epic starring Lana Turner.

A bizarre advertising campaign from the same year asked readers to rename Taina:

Taina advertisement
Taina Elg re-naming contest

Hurry and enter! Just suggest your choice of a name for Taina Elg — the star with the most unusual name in Hollywood. She’s an acclaimed ballerina, and an actress with M-G-M! She’s 5’5?, with dark blonde hair and sparkling gray-green eyes. Taina (rhymes with Dinah) loves to cook, delights in outdoor sports. […] With that in mind, what do you think her name should be? Look through your telephone book and make up original name combinations. The first name that pops into your mind right now — might very well be the winner! Just find a name you think fits this lovely young star.

Her name, which is a Finnish diminutive of the name Tatiana, was never changed (of course). Elg went on to win two Golden Globes later that decade — one in 1957, the other in 1958 — and also have success on stage and in television. In fact, usage of the name spiked in 1980, the year Taina Elg could be seen on two different U.S. soap operas: Guiding Light (1980) and One Life to Live (1980-2).

Now fast forward to 2001, when the name Taina was suddenly boosted into the top 1,000 for the first and only time:

  • 2003: 130 baby girls named Taina
  • 2002: 168 baby girls named Taina
  • 2001: 248 baby girls named Taina [ranked 913th]
  • 2000: 73 baby girls named Taina
  • 1999: 61 baby girls named Taina

The inspiration in this case? The short-lived Nickelodeon series Taina that aired from early 2001 to mid-2002. The main character, Taina (pronounce tah-EE-nah) Morales, was “a sassy 15-year-old Latina” in NYC played by actress Christina Vidal.

…So Taina is a name with one spelling, but two distinct pronunciations. Which pronunciation do you prefer?

Sources:

Where did the baby name Andamo come from in 1960?

The character Andamo from the TV series "Mr. Lucky" (1959-1960).
Andamo from “Mr. Lucky“

The one-hit wonder baby name Andamo popped up for the first and only time in the data in 1960:

  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 15 baby boys named Andamo [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

It wasn’t just a mere one-hit wonder, though — it was the top one-hit wonder of the year. In fact, it was one of the top one-hit wonder boy names of all time — tied for 3rd with Alfy and Eriksson, if we ignore the 1989 glitch names.

So, getting back to Andamo…where did it come from?

The single-season TV show Mr. Lucky (1959-1960), which was very loosely based on the 1943 film of the same name starring Cary Grant.

In the show, main character Lucky was the owner/operator of a gambling ship, and Andamo (pronounced ahn-DAH-moh), played by actor Ross Martin, was Lucky’s Latin-American right-hand-man. If the two main characters had proper first names, those names were never revealed over the course of the 34-episode series.

The show was cancelled, despite decent ratings, when a sponsor couldn’t be secured for the second season.

P.S. Lucky’s primary girlfriend, Maggie, was played by Pippa Scott.

What gave the baby name Kylian a boost in 2018?

French soccer player Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé

Usage of the baby name Kylian more than tripled from 2017 to 2018, according to the U.S. baby name data:

  • 2020: 211 baby boys named Kylian [rank: 996th]
  • 2019: 227 baby boys named Kylian [rank: 943rd]
  • 2018: 172 baby boys named Kylian
  • 2017: 55 baby boys named Kylian
  • 2016: 27 baby boys named Kylian
  • 2015: 12 baby boys named Kylian

Why?

Because of French soccer player Kylian Mbappé (pronounced kee-lee-ahn em-bah-pay).

He began his professional career in 2015, when he was just 16. He has been the French Ligue 1 top scorer for the last three seasons straight, and has twice been named both the French Player of the Year and the Ligue 1 Player of the Year.

But his international play is what caught the attention of expectant parents in the U.S.

At the international level, Mbappé was part of the French squad during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which France ultimately won (defeating Croatia in the final game). Mbappé scored an impressive four goals during the tournament, receiving the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award for his performance.

What are your thoughts on the name Kylian?

P.S. Not surprisingly, usage of the name Kylian in France has also increased over the last few years…

Sources: SSA, Kylian Mbappé – Wikipedia, Ligue 1 Player of the Year – Wikipedia, French Player of the Year – Wikipedia
Image: Adapted from Mbappé playing against Dynamo Dresden by Sandro Halank under CC BY-SA 4.0.