How did Colin Kelly influence baby names in 1942?

USAAF pilot Colin P. Kelly, Jr. (1915-1941)
Colin P. Kelly

On December 8, 1941, the Empire of Japan began its attack on the U.S. territory of the Philippines.

General Douglas MacArthur was aware that Pearl Harbor had been attacked hours earlier but, despite this, U.S. forces in the Philippines were not prepared. The Japanese ended up destroying most of the B-17s and pursuit planes at Clark Field, the U.S. Army Air Base on Luzon.

One of the U.S. pilots stationed in the Philippines at that time was Captain Colin P. Kelly, Jr. (whose first name was pronounced KOH-lin).

Two days after the attack, in one of the few remaining B-17s, Kelly and his crew of seven men took off from Clark Field in search of enemy warships.

Kelly spotted a Japanese ship off the north coast of the island and dropped three bombs in that location. (Though it was widely reported that he’d destroyed a battleship, in truth he damaged a cruiser.)

While attempting to return to Clark Field, Kelly’s plane was chased by Japanese Zeroes that, “in repeated firing runs, raked the aircraft with machine gun and cannon fire.” One crew member was killed instantly, and the B-17 was set ablaze.

Kelly ordered the surviving men to bail out while he stayed at the controls and struggled to keep the bomber level. Soon after, the plane exploded in mid-air.

Colin Kelly poster

At a time when nearly all war news was bleak, the story of Colin Kelly’s bravery and sacrifice “profoundly affected the American public.”

His name remained in the news for months. It also started popping up elsewhere: on posters, on trading cards, even in song [vid].

As a result, the usage of the baby name Colin more than quadrupled in 1942:

Boys named ColinBoys named Kelly
1944237 [rank: 394th]275 [rank: 363rd]
1943320 [rank: 345th]275 [rank: 369th]
1942349 [rank: 323rd]249 [rank: 385th]
194175 [rank: 713th]160 [rank: 470th]
194058 [rank: 822nd]142 [rank: 485th]

The usage of variant spellings like Collin and Colon also increased that year, as did the male usage of the name Kelly.

Records reveal that dozens of the babies named Colin in the early 1940s also got the middle name Kelly. For example, a boy born in Vermont in mid-1942 was named Colin Kelly Ducolon.

One of Colin Kelly’s later namesakes was his own nephew, Colin Kelly Howerton, born to his sister (Emmala) in 1948.

And at least one pre-existing Colin — former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (b. 1937) — changed the pronunciation of his name from KAH-lin to KOH-lin in honor of Kelly.

What are your thoughts on the name Colin? (Which pronunciation do you prefer?)

Sources:

Images:

What gave the baby name Arlo a boost in 2016?

The character Arlo from the movie "The Good Dinosaur" (2015)
Arlo from “The Good Dinosaur”

The baby name Arlo, which has been on the rise since the early 2000s, saw higher-than-expected usage in 2016 specifically:

  • 2018: 1,267 baby boys named Arlo [rank: 277th]
  • 2017: 1,092 baby boys named Arlo [rank: 316th]
  • 2016: 977 baby boys named Arlo [rank: 349th]
  • 2015: 579 baby boys named Arlo [rank: 501st]
  • 2014: 518 baby boys named Arlo [rank: 537th]

Why?

Because of Arlo, the animated dinosaur at the center of the movie The Good Dinosaur, which was released in November of 2015.

Arlo was a timid young apatosaurus who lived on a farm with his parents and siblings. One day, during a rainstorm, he was swept hundreds of miles downriver. As he made the long and perilous journey back home (with his unlikely companion, a feral caveboy named Spot), Arlo began confronting his fears and gaining confidence in himself.

Despite being one of Pixar’s least-successful films, The Good Dinosaur clearly had an influence on expectant parents. (It also had an influence on Oklahoma toddler Jentree Joles!)

What are your thoughts on the name Arlo?

Sources: The Good Dinosaur – Wikipedia, The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios, SSA

Image: Screenshot of The Good Dinosaur

What popularized the baby name Corbin in 1987?

The character Arnie Becker (played by Corbin Bernsen) from the TV series "L.A. Law" (1986-1994)
Corbin Bernsen as Arnie Becker

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Corbin nearly tripled in usage in 1987:

  • 1989: 525 baby boys named Corbin [rank: 406th]
  • 1988: 374 baby boys named Corbin [rank: 473rd]
  • 1987: 234 baby boys named Corbin [rank: 592nd]
  • 1986: 79 baby boys named Corbin
  • 1985: 54 baby boys named Corbin

Why?

Because of actor Corbin Bernsen, who played Arnold “Arnie” Becker on the popular NBC legal drama L.A. Law, which began airing (on Thursday nights) in September of 1986.

Arnie Becker was an “oily but effective” divorce attorney who drove a Porsche 911 (license plate: LITIG8R) and led a promiscuous lifestyle. He was described as “television’s first unapologetically yuppie antihero” by a Rolling Stone writer (who noted that Alex P. Keaton was a mere “cuddly yuppie puppy” compared to Becker).

For his portrayal of Becker, Corbin Bernsen received nominations for both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

The first name Corbin often comes from the surname Corbin, which has several possible derivations — including the Old French/Middle English word corbin, a diminutive of corb, meaning “crow, raven.”

P.S. The name saw another jump in usage in the late 1990s, thanks to the sci-fi movie The Fifth Element…

Sources:

  • L.A. Law – Television Academy Interviews
  • Kilday, Gregg. “Networking Class Hero.” Rolling Stone 4 Jun. 1987.
  • Asimow, Michael, Kathryn Brown and David Ray Papke. (Eds.) Law and Popular Culture: International Perspectives. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014.
  • Hanks, Patrick, Simon Lenarcic and Peter McClure. (Eds.) Dictionary of American Family Names. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
  • SSA

Image: Screenshot of L.A. Law

What gave the baby name Maren a boost in 2017?

Maren Morris' album "Hero" (2016)
Maren Morris album

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Maren saw a distinct increase in usage during the second half of the 2010s:

  • 2019: 610 baby girls named Maren [rank: 515th]
  • 2018: 498 baby girls named Maren [rank: 606th]
  • 2017: 465 baby girls named Maren [rank: 635th]
  • 2016: 291 baby girls named Maren [rank: 942nd]
  • 2015: 230 baby girls named Maren

What was influencing the name?

Country singer Maren Morris.

Her breakout single, “My Church,” was released in January of 2016. It peaked at #5 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart in March, at #50 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in April, and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance in early 2017.

Two of her follow-up singles, “80s Mercedes” and “I Could Use a Love Song,” also reached the Hot 100.

The name Maren was most popular during the first years of the 2020s, following Morris’ two biggest hits: the dance-pop collaboration “The Middle,” which peaked at #5 in the spring of 2018, and the pop/country crossover “The Bones,” which peaked at #12 in the spring of 2020.

So, how did Maren Morris (who was born in Texas in 1990) get her name?

Here’s what she told radio host Bobby Bones during a recent interview:

I think I was originally going to be called Bailey, and my mom was watching an old episode of Battlestar Galactica, and one of the actresses’ names (…) was Maren something — Maren Jensen, I think. And she’s like, “Oh, that goes good with Morris.” And so, yeah, it’s not a stage name — that is my name. I think it’s a variation of Mary. I’ve looked up that it means “of the sea,” so maybe like marine.

What are your thoughts on the name Maren?

Sources: