Where did the baby name Merrial come from in 1920? The rare name Merrial was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 1920: Where did it come from? My guess is the story “Mice and Men,” which was serialized in various U.S. and Canadian newspapers that year. The main character was a young American woman, Merrial Houlton — “an amazing wisp of […]
https://www.nancy.cc/2025/07/01/baby-name-merrial/

Baby born to circus performers, named after circus owner Trumpet-playing bandleader Harry James — in full, Harry Haag James — was one of the most popular trumpeters of the big band era. His parents were Maybelle and Everette James, “two of the principal performers in the Might Haag Shows,” which was “a traveling circus that only played small towns touring the South and Southeast.” […]
https://www.nancy.cc/2025/06/3....0/baby-name-story-ha

How did Jet magazine’s “Beauties of the Week” influence baby names? Jet was a pocket-sized weekly magazine focused on African-American news and entertainment. While it was being published in print (1951-2014), Jet was “a ubiquitous presence in black communities” — particularly in places like barbershops and beauty parlors. Most issues of Jet included a full-length portrait of an attractive young woman wearing a swimsuit. The accompanying […]
https://www.nancy.cc/2025/06/2....7/baby-names-cheriss

Popular baby names in Gibraltar, 2024 Last year, the British overseas territory of Gibraltar welcomed 331 babies — 148 baby girls and 183 baby boys. What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia for girls and Noah/Thomas (tie) for boys. Here are Gibraltar’s top girl names and top boy names of 2024: Girl names Boy names The name Jamie […]
https://www.nancy.cc/2025/06/2....6/popular-baby-names

Where did the baby name Micheaux come from in 1983? The curious name Micheaux surfaced in the U.S. baby name data for two years during the 1980s: Why? Because of college basketball player Larry Micheaux (pronounced MEE-shaw). Micheaux was a member of the University of Houston’s successful “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980s. His teammates included future NBA stars Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde […]
https://www.nancy.cc/2025/06/2....4/baby-name-micheaux