In 1968, singer Tom Jones had a hit with a song entitled Delilah:

I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadow of love on her blind
She was my woman
As she deceived me I watched and went out of my mind

My, my, my Delilah
Why, why, why Delilah
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free

There was only a minor blip or increase in newborn girls receiving that name, after all, it was more about failed deception of a one-sided obsession.

However, in 2006 the name exploded around the world.

A significant increase in popularity in both the U.S. and England and Wales occurred after the release of “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s in 2006.

Their guitarist, Tom Higgenson wrote the song:

Hey there, Delilah
What’s it like in New York city?
I’m a thousand miles away
But, girl, tonight you look so pretty
Yes, you do
Times Square can’t shine as bright as you
I swear, it’s true

Hig­genson’s inspiration was Delilah DiCres­cenzo, a professional steeplechase runner, introduced to him by a common friend a few years prior to the song’s release.

Higgenson said in one of his interviews, “I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen… I told her, ‘I have a song about you already.’” 

By July 2007 it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Delilah wasn’t a popular name at its baseline: its highest rank since 1900 never crossed #500. In 2006, the name Delilah ranked #547 in the U.S., with 539 American baby girls named Delilah.

Everything changed in 2007 after the song became popular. From 2006 to 2008, Delilah’s popularity in the U.S. increased by 223%, and the name has seen a fairly consistent increase in popularity ever since. 

In 2016 — 10 years after the song’s release — the name Delilah ranked at #115, with 2,735 baby girls named Delilah.

The trend continues to this day: according to the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), in 2022, the name Delilah ranked at #58 with 3,853 baby girls named Delilah. 

The overall increase in popularity of the name in the U.S. since the song’s release up to the beginning of 2023 was 615%!

“Angie” by The Rolling Stones was released in August 1973 and soared straight to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Like most of the Stones’ songs, “Angie” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Angie, I still love you baby
Everywhere I look I see your eyes
There ain’t a woman that comes close to you
Come on baby dry your eyes

In 1972, Angie ranked at #260, with 1,016 baby girls named Angie. In 1973, Angie ranked #254, and in 1974, the year after the song was released, it jumped up to #170 with 1,590 baby girls being named Angie. The name peaked in 1975 at #140 in the charts — 1,947 baby girls were named Angie.

The name’s popularity decreased drastically towards the end of the 1970s, and even more during the 1980s. By the start of 2023 the rank for Angie was #719, with 405 baby girls named Angie.

“Michelle,” one of the Beatles’ greatest hits, was an immediate success upon its release at the end of 1965. The song was saturated with love, combining English and French:

Michelle, ma belle
These are words that go together well
My Michelle
Michelle, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
I love you, I love you, I love you
That’s all I want to say
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that you’ll understand

The name Michelle became as huge a hit as the song in the U.S. While it already ranked #23 in 1964 and #18 in 1965, between the end of 1965 and 1967, its popularity increased by 90%. Michelle became one of the top 10 girls’ names in the U.S. and remained there for 14 years in a row, ranking as #2 in 1968 and 1969.

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IN GOD WE TRUST

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