Nicole.  Danielle.  Michelle.  

Chances are you know a woman wearing one of those names.  But what about another French feminization?

Thanks to Toni for suggesting Simone as Name of the Day.

Danielle peaked at #14 in 1987.  Nicole at #6 in 1982.  And Michelle at #2 in 1971.

We tend to talk about French names coming in and out of fashion, but it is more accurate to say that specific French names rise and fall – just like any other appellation.  Search through the Top 100 from virtually any year, and a few français will slip in.  For example:

• Genevieve, Marguerite and Elaine in 1921;
• Suzanne, Jacqueline and Lorraine in 1946;
• Christine, Denise and Annette in 1962.

Simone could fit into nearly any era.  Instead, somehow she’s been overlooked.  Her first appearance in the US rankings was back in 1937, but she didn’t linger long.  She has ranked every year since 1960, but today stands at just #533 – down from her peak of #312 back in 1988.

Of course, Simone can’t be called fading because she was never truly fashionable.  While Simon and Simeon are Biblical, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that a feminine version was in use.  Even then, it wasn’t the familiar Simone in use, but the slightly more exotic Ximena or Jimena.

hee MAYN uh doens’t sound much like seh MONE, but they share roots.  Spanish Medieval legend tells of the heroic Bernardo del Carpio.  Bernardo’s mother was Jimena.  But even though his stories were recited by jongleurs in the early Middle Ages, it is perfectly possible mom’s name was added or updated over the years.

The first historical Ximenas surfaced in the 900s.  That’s because Jimeno I  was the father of Garcia Jiménez of Pamplona.  Garcia established the Jiménez Dynasty.  He and his descendants would rule much of Spain right through the 1200s.  Several of their daughters became known as Jimena.

There’s also the wife of El Cid, Jimena Diaz.  El Cid – Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar – was a highly educated aristocrat.  After being exiled from Castile, he went on to govern Valencia – a job his wife assumed after his death.

I’m not clear on why Simone surfaced in France in the early part of the 20th century, but it caught on in a big way.  Plenty of notables bear the name, including:

• Feminist writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir;
• Ocean-going partner to her more famous husband, Simone Cousteau;
• French cinematic powerhouse Simone Simon, remembered in the US for her role in the 1942 classic Cat People.

There’s also legendary soul singer Nina Simone and tween starlet Raven-Symoné.  (Just go ahead and ignore the accent on Symone – even though it should transform her name to Raven-seh-moh-NAY, she’s just plain ol’ Raven-seh-MONE.)  

Simona is sometimes heard as a variant, splitting the difference between Jimena and Simone.

Maybe Simone has never caught on in a big way in the US because of her lack of an easy nickname – Mona feels dated and Simmi seems a smidge awkward.  Compared to Dani, Nicki and Chelle, Simone is less flexible.

Of course, it is also worth noting that Daniel, Nicholas and Michael have consistently been more popular than Simon.  With fewer Simons to honor, maybe it is no surprise that there have been fewer Simones.

Overall, she’s a nickname-proof appellation that manages to sound sophisticated, familiar and comfortably underused.