Baby name story: Patrick

Australian cyclist Patricia "Pat" Hawkins (1921-1991)
Patricia “Pat” Hawkins

In March of 1940, an 18-year-old woman from Perth named Patricia “Pat” Hawkins broke several Australian cycling records, including the “seven days” record (by cycling 1546.6 miles in a week) and the women’s “1,000 mile” record (with a time of 104 hours and 9 minutes).

On the night of March 14, a baby was born at Perth’s Harrisdale Hospital, which is located on the Canning Highway.

Pat Hawkins frequently passed the hospital on her record-breaking ride, [and] won the admiration of the mother who decided to name her baby Patricia. As the baby was a boy she changed the name to Patrick.

P.S. Did you know what the Canning Highway is the road being referenced in the title of the 1979 AC/DC song “Highway to Hell“?

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the Sporting Globe (20 Mar. 1940)

Where did the baby name Kessel come from in 2017?

Hockey player Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel

The rare name Kessel was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 2017:

  • 2019: unlisted
  • 2018: unlisted
  • 2017: 5 baby boys named Kessel [debut]
  • 2016: unlisted
  • 2015: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Professional hockey player Philip “Phil” Kessel.

During the second half of the 2010s, Kessel played with the Pittsburgh Penguins (alongside teammate Sidney Crosby). The team won the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons: 2016 and 2017.

The name Kessel does not appear anywhere in the SSA’s state-by-state data, meaning that Pennsylvania was not the birthplace of all five of the baby boys named Kessel (curiously). We do know that at least one of the winger’s namesakes was born inside the Keystone State, though — to Pittsburgh parents Nicole and Adam Hillman. Their baby boy, Kessel Ryan Hillman, arrived in May of 2017 (during the Eastern Conference Finals).

The German surname Kessel is derived from a Middle High German word meaning “kettle, cauldron.” It originally referred to a person who made copper cooking vessels.

What are your thoughts on Kessel as a first name?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Phil Kessel 2017-06-08 by Michael Miller under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Baby name story: Alexis Olympia

Tennis player Serena Williams
Serena Williams

In September of 2017, tennis player Serena Williams — winner of 23 Grand Slam women’s singles titles and four Olympic gold medals — and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed a baby girl.

Her name?

Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.

“Alexis” was passed down from her father, “Olympia” is a nod to her mother, and the initials “A.O.” are a reference to the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won (by defeating her older sister, Venus, in the women’s singles final) when she was approximately 2 months pregnant.

The couple’s second child, another baby girl, was born in August of 2023 and named Adira River.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Williams S. RG18 (17) by si.robi under CC BY-SA 2.0.

What do you think of the name Poplar?

Eastern cottonwood tree

Earlier this month, a Mississippi newspaper ran a short item about a young girl named Poplar:

Precious little Poplar Murphy spent Christmas on Poplar Avenue with her grandparents, Steve and Jenny Lynn Wilkerson, in their Philadelphia [Mississippi] home. She was named after the street where her mother, Lacie Wilkerson Murphy, grew up.

I’ve come across the names Peuplier (“poplar” in French) and Mîtos (“poplar” in Cree) before, but I believe this is the first time I’ve spotted the name Poplar itself.

Interestingly, the word poplar refers not just to poplar trees, but also to aspens and cottonwoods. All three are part of the genus Populus.

What are your thoughts on the name Poplar? Considering the current trendiness of names like Aspen and Poppy, do you think Poplar could start seeing more usage soon?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) by Jay Sturner under CC BY 2.0.