She was a Top Ten pick for more than two decades. Can she still sound fresh today?
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting Susan as our Baby Name of the Day.
Susan’s heyday was 1946 through 1968, peaking at #2 in the late 1950s, behind only the enduring Mary. But it wasn’t just about Susan:
- Little Zuzu uttered the famous line “… every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings” in 1946’s holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life;
- A year later, Natalie Wood played Susan Walker in the equally evergreen Miracle on 34th Street;
- The Everly Brothers scored a smash hit with “Wake Up Little Susie” in 1957;
- Also in 1957, Dale Hawkins scored a modest success with “Susie Q,” though Credence Clearwater Revival’s 1968 cover is far more famous;
- Sue, Suzanne, Susie, Susanne, Suzette, Suzan, Susanna, Susana, Suzy, Suzanna, and Suzie all appeared in the US Top 1000 in the late 1950s;
- Dion scored a #1 hit with “Runaround Sue” in 1961.
By the time Johnny Cash recorded “A Boy Named Sue” in 1969, Sue was an iconic name for a girl, clearly not suited for a son. (Unless you had an ulterior motive to toughen up your boy.)
But Susan was no recent arrival. In her various forms, she’s enjoyed a long history of use. Susanna appeared in the Bible, from the Hebrew Shoshannah, derived from the Persian shoshan – lily. Susan has a second botanical connection: for centuries, a wildflower has been known as the Black-Eyed Susan, thanks to a folktale turned poem by John Gay.
Historical Susans range from seventeenth century Susan de Vere, Countess of Montgomery, to nineteenth century suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
But in 2009, Susan stood at a chilly #762. Actresses like Susan Sarandon, Susan Lucci, Susan Dey, Susan Olsen, and Susan St. James have long since abandoned the role of the ingenue. After all, Susan Olsen debuted as the youngest of The Brady Bunch in 1969, and Susan Dey played the musical Laurie Partridge on TV in the 1970s. Meet a Susan today, and she’s more likely to be the grandmother than the newborn baby girl.
And yet Susan could make an appealing option for parents seeking that elusive familiar-but-uncommon choice. Consider:
- Susan is the only variant of the name currently in the US Top 1000, but she’s instantly familiar to anyone;
- Susan’s u is completely current – from Lucas to Ruby, Lulu to Jude;
- Susan might have been a girls’ name in use since early days, but her ends-in-n sound fits in with tailored, gender neutral choices from Madison to Jordan;
- Her nicknames range from the retro Susie to the quirky Sukie to the exotic – yet silver screen-worthy – Zuzu.
It’s easy to imagine parents embracing Susan today. Only trouble? Odds are that any mention of Susan will conjure up a host of aunts, neighbors, your dad’s cousin, the secretary from your work study job at college, your first boss, your sister’s field hockey coach. If you’re lucky, and all of those Susans are lovely, generous women, then you might have that elusive find – a familiar name that your child will never share with anyone her age.
My gut reaction is to think Susan is dated, but I find that I really do like it. I know Susans of all ages, and not a bunch all grouped up in one era, so perhaps that helps. In our church, there is a Susan who is in middle school – she’s one of seven kids (J@mes, L@uren, M@ryGlen, J0hn, Susan, and twins Andrew & Peter). I think it fits her so well, especially with the occasional Susie as a nn.
I think I actually find Suzanne a bit more dated somehow. Perhaps seeing Suzanne Somers on new commercials these days, haha. Susannah is lovely, though.
No offense to anyone, but I personally find Susan to be quite dated. I don’t think it’s old enough to be quirky cute like Hazel or Beatrice. I really like Shoshannah though and can even get behind Susannah, but not Susan.
I agree with the other Sarah A! Plus I have a rather awful aunt with that name and it’s my rather awful mother-in-law’s name. I don’t think this name has any good associations for me… Oh wait Susanna from Marriage of Figaro is a nice, lively character who is plenty of fun to sing.
Hm. I’ve always had an issue with Sue – to me, its rather humdrum and dowdy. I know, that sounds horrible.
I can’t say I’m a fan of Susan or Susanne or Suzanne, though I know a delightful one of those. I even work with a Suzin, but the name hasn’t grown on me. I do find Susannah and Susanna to be pretty fun and flirty and light, in the same way Violet or Clementine might be, and Shoshanah is just a touch exotic and flamboyantly whimsical – I definitely like her!
As for Susan nicknames, I’ve already commented on Sue, which is find more plain than the so-called (but lovely) “Plain Jane,” and Susie is a bit cutesy for my taste, too much Susie Q. I think Sosie – as in celebrity child Sosie Ruth Bacon – has immense appeal as it isn’t as sweet as Sadie but it also has more standout appeal than, say, Ellie. And then we’ve got Sukie, or Sukey, or maybe even Suki, which always reminds me of that character on Gilmore Girls and feels a bit like a modern Stacey to me.
I know an absolutely fabulous Susan who is exactly my age, so while I do find it unusual for my generation, I can’t separate her from the name. I don’t think she’s ever answered to Sue.
Sosie from Susan is great.
It’s not uncommon for people to mistakenly think we’ve said “Susanna” when we introduce Roseanna to them. She’s also been called Susanna by people (usually elderly) who have simply forgotten what her name actually is. I don’t really mind, because I rather like Susanna, and if it’s simply forgetfulness and not a miss-hearing I don’t always correct the person in question.
I definitely prefer Susanna to Susan, which sounds more dated to me. Two famous historical Susanna’s who immediately come to my mind when I hear the name. One is Susanna Moodie, who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada in the 1830s and 40s (and whose record of convicted murderer Grace Marks inspired Margaret Atwood’s _Alias Grace_). The other is Susanna Wesley, famous mother of John and Charles Wesley who founded the Methodist Church; she is often referred to as “The Mother of Methodism” due to the strong influence she had on her children as their primary educator.
I don’t believe I’ve ever come across a Susanna or Susan my own age, but a Suzanne did attend my school. She went by Zanne (rhymes with ran).
I meant to say, “Two famous historical Susanna’s immediately come to my mind when I hear the name,” not “who immediately come to my mind”.
Su (pronounced like Sue) is a fairly common name prefix in both Korea and India. In Korea it’s gender neutral, while in India it’s more commonly found in girls’ names (Supriya, Sujina, Sunaina, etc.).
I didnt know Zuzu was short for Susan.. I do like Susan, but it is a tad mundane for me, but Zuzu as a nn would be fresh and fun for young life and Susan would be nice for an adult.
Eh, Susan sounds to dated too me. I’d much rather use Susannah/Susanna/Susana or the lovelier Shoshana. I like the nickname Sannah, or Sanne. Suki is kind of cute, too. Both of my parents have cousins named Susan/Suzanne and mostly called Sue or Suzie. I guess if I use Susannah I could honor A LOT of relatives.
While I’m not in love with the name, it has grown on me recently. I know a LOT of Sue/Susans which makes it a bit hard to get excited about the name. I currently work with several Sues – one Suzanne born in the 60s and two Susans – one born in the 50s and one in the 80s. I grew up with a few Susans my age (born in the 70s). However, a middle school acquaintance has a little girl called Suzannah – it’s nice – it fits in with Hannah and Savannah without being quite so trendy. (I also know a baby girl who is named partly after her grandmothers – both Sues – as Suv@nn@h – wish I knew if her nickname was Sue-related!)
I also think of Sue Sylvester on Glee which is just a bit of fun!
It’s one of those names that, while linked to a decade or two most strongly, has persisted long enough during my life that I know people of all ages with the name, so it seems like a classic. Zuzu makes the name a bit more fun, but in honesty, I’d be more inclined to consider Shoshonnah. Hmmm… thinking about those sounds and also Shoshonnah made me think of the Brazilian children’s entertainmer, Xuxa – I think that’s a Su-related name, too… definitely doesn’t seem as dated, even if it kinda looks like it is trying too hard.
How COULD I forget Sue Sylvester! Thanks for that. And there was a Susan in high school – totally forgot about that.
There were actually TWO Susans in my year alone – so about 6% of the girls in my graduating class were Susan… I think perhaps only the name Lauren equalled/surpassed that! I also had 2 neighbors on my street growing up – one my age one a few years younger – who were called Susan. Lotsa Susans!
Shakespeare’s daughter was actually named Susanna, not Susan. Susanna/h, to me, sounds fresher than Susan – it’s more lyrical.
Right you are, Joanna. Fixing it now!
Love it although I’d probably reserve it as a middle. Although, the datedness of Bonnie and Susan really appeals to me. I’ve already used Anne and Francesca so perhaps Susan is pushing the -an business. I also spit in Sue’s general direction so perhaps the name isn’t for me.
Susan definitely scream “I was born circ 1953.” I really dislike the nickname Sue. So dull and boring.