Hollywood surname names are huge, and this could be one of the fastest-rising choices for girls.
Celebrity Baby Name Week 2014 continues with Monroe as our Baby Name of the Day.
Monroe: Roots
Back when Hollywood was nothing but citrus groves and fig trees, Monroe was a Scottish surname. It’s drawn from the map. Some say it refers to the River Roe, in Northern Ireland. Or maybe it just means hill, from an older word.
Monroe: Marilyn
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, the future Hollywood icon signed a movie contract in 1946. Monroe was her mother’s maiden name. Marilyn was chosen by a movie exec with an ear for alliteration. The actress didn’t care for Marilyn, but it stuck.
By the early 1950s, she was a sensation and she continued to make hit films until her untimely death in 1962.
Marilyn was often described as a successor to that other blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow. If Harlow can be a fast-rising name for girls, doesn’t it reason that Monroe should catch on, too?
Monroe: A Given
President James Monroe was in office from 1817 through 1825, and many places are named in his honor.
Plenty of babies, too. From 1880 through 1971, Monroe appeared in the US boys’ Top 1000.
Then the name faded. The only one who comes to mind from recent decades? The wacky Monroe Ficus, played by Jm J. Bullock on Too Close for Comfort.
Actor Jackson Rathbone – you know him as Jasper in the Twilight movies – was born Monroe Jackson Rathbone V, and has a son named Monroe Jackson VI.
Steven Tyler called his son Taj Monroe in 1992. Could that be the first sign that this name was poised for great things?
Monroe: Mariah’s Girl
In 2011, singer Mariah Carey welcomed twins with husband Nick Cannon.
Their son is Moroccan, after the decor of the room in which Nick proposed to Mariah.
And their daughter? Monroe, after Mariah’s long-time fascination with Marilyn. Mariah has talked about reading Marilyn’s biography while still young, and she also owns a piano that once belonged to the actress.
Monroe’s ‘o’ ending makes her perfectly on trend with other o-ending favorites – Willow, Shiloh, Margot.
But she’s perfect for Celebrity Baby Week 2014 because it’s the exact same name chosen by Rosie Pope and Tila Tequila.
I’ll let that sink in for a minute.
High-profile maternity concierge Rosie Pope is the mother of four children: James Roderick, Wellington Reade, Vivienne Madison, and Bridget Monroe – J.R., Wells, Vivienne, and Bridget. The Pope family chooses middles with personal significance, so here’s guessing that the British-born celeb wasn’t thinking Hollywood when she chose the name.
Miss Tequila, born Tila Ngyuen, is best known for reality television and racy photo shoots. She’s about as different from Rosie as two women can be. And yet, Tila recently welcomed a daughter named – wait for it – Isabella Monroe.
There’s also Jenna von Oy – you met her as Six on Blossom, back in the 1990s – who welcomed Marlowe Monroe in 2014.
Monroe cracked the US Top 1000 for girls in 2012, charting at #949. By 2013, the name had climbed 189 places to #760.
Add it up, and Monroe is a name to watch. Glamorous, quirky, tailored – I’m not sure what to make of Monroe. But this is undeniably a name on the rise. If Marlowe is the new Madison, Monroe isn’t far behind.
What do you think of Monroe? Is this name catching on, or do you think it is a trend that will quickly fade?
