Tuesday, August 27, 2024

In 1946, Rita Hayworth very briefly revived the popularity of Gilda as a baby name for girls

 

Gilda's first appearance on the baby names chart lasted 34 years.  She peaked at # 381 in 1927.

Her second, and shorter, run began in 1944 and lasted until 1961.  

"Gilda" starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, debuted on March 26, 1946.  In that year, the popularity of Gilda as a baby name rocketed from #920 to #442 and peaked at #441 the following year.  

As Gilda Radner notes in her biography:
In Radner's autobiography she stated, “I was named after my grandmother whose name began with G, but 'Gilda' came directly from the movie with Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth.”

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