Category: …inside the U.S.

After ranking among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. for more than three decades, the name Monica suddenly dropped out of the top 100 in 1998:

• 2001: 1796 baby girls named Monica [rank: 182nd]
• 2000: 1,992 baby girls named Monica [rank: 167th]
• 1999: 2,134 baby girls named Monica [rank: 151st]
• 1998: 3,229 baby girls named Monica [rank: 105th]
• 1997: 4,223 baby girls named Monica [rank: 79th]
• 1996: 4,326 baby girls named Monica [rank: 82nd]

The name’s decline in usage was even steeper the following year (-34% in 1999 vs. -24% in 1998). Here’s a visual:

What was negatively influencing the name Monica in the late 1990s?

White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, who’d been married to Hillary Clinton since 1975, began an affair with Lewinsky during his first term in office. They had a total of ten sexual encounters over the course of sixteen months (from late 1995 to early 1997).

News of the affair broke in January of 1998.

Clinton initially denied the relationship (under oath). It wasn’t until August that he finally acknowledged that he’d had “inappropriate intimate contact” with Lewinsky.

Ongoing coverage of the “Monica Lewinsky scandal” (as it was called) dominated the headlines during 1998 and, in October, the Wall Street Journal ran an article about Lewinsky’s impact on other women named Monica:

It’s as if the reputations of Monicas everywhere have been stained by the notorious Lewinsky. “Before this, everyone would say, ‘Monica — what a pretty name,'” Monica Gardner, a 34-year-old bond buyer from Arlington, Va., recalls wistfully. “Now, it’s embarrassing.”

Bill Clinton was impeached (for committing perjury and obstructing justice) in December. He was acquitted of the charges in February of 1999.

The following month, an impressive 70 million people tuned in to watch Barbara Walters interview Monica Lewinsky on 20/20. A poll conducted the next day “found that 72% of [respondents] still have a generally unfavorable impression of [Lewinsky], down just slightly from a high of 78% in September.”

Two weeks later, Lewinsky was on the cover of Time magazine. When the Time interviewer stated, “You’re probably the most famous woman in the world right now,” Lewinsky responded, “Unfortunately.”

What are your thoughts on the name Monica?

P.S. The name’s decline might have been even steeper if not for several less-controversial ’90s associations, such as fictional character Monica Geller (from Friends), tennis player Monica Seles, and mononymous R&B singer Monica (whose duet with Brandy, “The Boy Is Mine,” topped Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks straight in mid-1998).

Sources:

• Monica Lewinsky – Wikipedia
• Clinton-Lewinsky scandal – Wikipedia
• William J. Clinton – Federal Impeachment – Research Guides at Library of Congress
• Waxman, Olivia B. and Merrill Fabry. “From an Anonymous Tip to an Impeachment: A Timeline of Key Moments in the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal.” Time 4 May 2018.
• Carrns, Ann. “‘That woman’ making life tougher for all Monicas.” Santa Cruz Sentinel 9 Oct. 1998: A-7.
• Cloud, John. “Monica’s makeover.” CNN 8 Mar. 1999.
• Duffy, Michael. “Interview: Monica Lewinsky Up Close.” Time 15 Mar. 1999.
• SSA

Images: Adapted from Monica Lewinsky (US DOD) and Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky on February 28, 1997 (White House)