What popularized the baby name Mya in the late 1990s?

Mýa's self-titled debut album (1998)
Mýa album

Mononymous R&B singer Mýa (pronounced MIE-uh) became famous in the late 1990s, when her songs started popping up on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart:

  • “It’s All About Me” (with Sisqó) peaked at #6 in May of 1998
  • “Ghetto Supastar” (with Pras Michel and Ol’ Dirty Bastard) peaked at #15 in August of 1998
  • “Movin’ On” (with Silkk The Shocker) peaked at #34 in September of 1998
  • “Take Me There” (with Blackstreet, Mase, and Blinky Blink) peaked at #14 in January of 1999
  • “My First Night With You” peaked at #28 in April of 1999

Mýa sang the hook on “Ghetto Supastar,” which has been described as “the most deliriously irresistible song of the summer of ’98.” The single became a worldwide hit, and was nominated for a Grammy Award (for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group) in early 1999.

As a result of Mýa’s success, the baby name Mya — amid the ongoing rise of the like-sounding name Maya — saw a swift increase in usage during the last two years of the century. In fact, Mya’s rise seems to have accelerated Maya’s rise in 1998 specifically.

Girls named MyaGirls named Maya
20001,839 [rank: 175th]3,019 [rank: 113th]
19991,885 [rank: 166th]2854 [rank: 113th]
19981,284 [rank: 238th]2685 [rank: 123rd]
1997196 [rank: 995th]1675 [rank: 182nd]
19961511,445 [rank: 201st]

But the influence doesn’t end there. A number of names ending with “-mya” also saw higher usage during those years. (The same can be said for names ending with “-maya,” such as Amaya, Jamaya, and Tamaya.)

199719981999
Amya1042168
Jamya1376163
Shamya2260131
Tamya1474127
Kamya102157
Lamya82051
Ramya182438
Samya72232

Dozens of other “-mya” and “-myah” names (like Damya, Zamya, Camya, and Amyah) appeared for the very first time in the U.S. baby name data during the late 1990s.

Mýa was born Mya Marie Harrison in Washington, D.C., in 1979. Curiously, she was more interested in dancing than in singing as a child. She even studied under tap dancer Savion Glover for a time.

What are your thoughts on the name Mya? Do you like this spelling, or do you prefer Maya?

P.S. Intriguingly, the rise of Mia (pronounced MEE-uh) — which went on to become a top-10 girl name — slowed down in the late 1990s. Did Mya steal some of Mia’s thunder, I wonder…?

Sources:

What popularized the baby name Mandy in the mid-1970s?

Barry Manilow's album "Barry Manilow II" (1974)
Barry Manilow album

According to the U.S. baby name data, Mandy more than sextupled in usage in 1975:

  • 1977: 3,100 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 94th]
  • 1976: 2,924 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 100th]
  • 1975: 2,710 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 106th]
  • 1974: 446 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 435th]
  • 1973: 384 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 473rd]

Amanda — the name from which Mandy derives — also saw a discernible increase in usage in 1975.

What gave these names a boost?

The Barry Manilow song “Mandy,” which was released in October of 1974. It reached the top spot on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in January of the following year.

Here’s what it sounds like:

Interestingly, “Mandy” is a cover of a song called “Brandy” that was first recorded by Scott English and released in early 1972. The single became popular in both the UK and Australia, but was only a minor hit in the U.S.

When Barry Manilow recorded his version in mid-1974, he (and Bell Records president Clive Davis) decided to change the title from “Brandy” to “Mandy” so as to avoid confusion with the Looking Glass song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).”

The baby name Mandy went on to see peak usage several years later — either in 1977 (highest ranking) or in 1978 (highest number of babies), depending on how you look at it.

What are your thoughts on the name Mandy?

P.S. The similar name Mindy was also most popular in the late 1970s…

Sources: Mandy by Barry Manilow – Songfacts, Barry Manilow – Billboard, Brandy (Scott English song) – Wikipedia, SSA

What gave the baby name Tracee a boost in 1973?

Tracee Joy Silberstein on lap of mom Diana Ross (1973)
Tracee Joy Silberstein (b. 1972)

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Tracee more than doubled in usage from 1972 to 1973:

  • 1975: 95 baby girls named Tracee
  • 1974: 138 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 918th]
  • 1973: 313 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 536th]
  • 1972: 124 baby girls named Tracee [rank: 978th]
  • 1971: 99 baby girls named Tracee

What caused that spike?

A celebrity baby named Tracee Joy.

She was born in October of 1972 to Diana Ross, former lead singer of The Supremes, and music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein.

Tracee’s birth was mentioned in the newspapers in late 1972, but, more importantly, photos of her family (which included older sister Rhonda Suzanne) were featured in Ebony magazine in January of 1973.

Today, Tracee — known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross — is an actress best known for her role as Dr. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish (2014-2022).

What are your thoughts on the name Tracee? (Do you like this spelling, or do you prefer Tracy?)

P.S. Diana Ross’ three other (biological) children are named Chudney Lane, Ross Arne, and Evan Olav.

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the cover of Ebony magazine (Jul. 1973)

What happened to the baby name Osama in the early 2000s?

Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden (1957-2011)
Osama bin Laden

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Osama — which had been rising slowly since the 1970s — saw a steep drop in usage following the turn of the century:

  • 2003: 11 baby boys named Osama
  • 2002: 11 baby boys named Osama
  • 2001: 37 baby boys named Osama
  • 2000: 54 baby boys named Osama
  • 1999: 65 baby boys named Osama
  • 1998: 47 baby boys named Osama

What made the name less popular?

Its association with Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of the militant Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda.

In 2001, Al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks, during which 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners inside the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City, one was flown into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the final plane — initially aimed at a government building in Washington, D.C. — crash-landed in rural Pennsylvania. The four coordinated attacks killed a total of 2,977 people.

The ensuing search for Osama bin Laden lasted until mid-2011, when he was finally found (and killed) in Pakistan by the U.S. military.

Osama bin Laden (who was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the late 1950s) was named after Usama ibn Zayd, a companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The name Usama/Osama means “lion” in Arabic. (The spelling Usama dropped out of the U.S. baby name data entirely after 2001, notably.)

Sources: Osama bin Laden – Wikipedia, Manhunt for Osama bin Laden – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Adapted from Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri 2001 by Hamid Mir under CC BY-SA 3.0.