According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Vance saw a spike in usage in 1969:
- 1971: 339 baby boys named Vance [rank: 446th]
- 1970: 407 baby boys named Vance [rank: 398th]
- 1969: 555 baby boys named Vance [rank: 328th] (peak usage)
- 1968: 331 baby boys named Vance [rank: 424th]
- 1967: 288 baby boys named Vance [rank: 446th]
What gave the name a boost that year?
The country song “Vance” by Roger Miller. It was released in late 1968 and reached #15 on the Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart in early 1969. (It also appeared on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for several weeks, ranking as high as 80th.)
“Vance” is a rambling, spoken-word song in which the narrator talks about his son, Vance. Here’s how it starts:
He was born one mornin’, it was cold and it was snowin’,
And from the start he never had a chance.
And though the doctors said he couldn’t live, his mama had some faith to give,
And they brought him to her and his mama named him Vance.
Here’s how it sounds:
What are your thoughts on the name Vance?
P.S. A couple of years later, another song about a son, “Watching Scotty Grow,” also influenced both the music charts and the baby name charts…
Sources: Roger Miller discography – Wikipedia, SSA