The television show Dynasty – remember that one? About the personal and business intrigues of a rich American family? – ran from 1981 to 1989. It was extremely popular in its day, but maybe the best measure of its impact is this: people named their babies after its characters.
The elegant patriarch of the family, Blake Carrington – played by the silver-haired, honey-voiced John Forsythe – and the vampy seductress, Alexis Carrington – played by the, well, vampy and seductive Joan Collins – may not have been terrific moral role models for a generation of American children, but their glamorous-sounding given names certainly were.
This happens a lot. There was a surge of baby boys called James after the first two Bond films were released with Sean Connery in that iconic role. The 1970s saw an uptick in the names Luke (think Luke Skywalker) and Clint and Farrah (as in Eastwood and Fawcett, of course) but also odder choices, like Bonnie from Bonnie & Clyde, a rather violent and gruesome picture that ended with the title characters riddled with bullets.
It’s hard to imagine seeing that film and that scene and immediately thinking to yourself, “you know, Bonnie is such a lovely name”, but a disproportionate number of expectant parents did exactly that. Maybe it’s not really about the specifics of the movie or television show. Maybe just hearing a name said aloud – having it float around the ether of the popular culture – is enough to inspire a parent.
As those babies get older, of course, the names lose their immediate Hollywood association, so maybe it’s not such a terrible idea. There were plenty of Jameses and Lukes and Bonnies before those hit movies entered the cultural mainstream, so when those children introduced themselves – “Hi, I’m Clint, and this is my friend Luke” – it wasn’t immediately obvious that their parents were highly suggestible movie buffs.
Not so the unfortunate children of Dynasty – those born to parents under the sway of that over-the-top and barely-believable series. They are now in their mid-twenties, out on their own, looking for jobs and getting apartments and doing all of the things that young adults do. The names Blake and Alexis weren't unknown before the series, but anyone over the age of, say, 40, who meets a young Blake or a young Alexis or, even more hilariously, a young Blake and Alexis at the same time, can be forgiven for erupting into giggles.
In the mid-1990s, the most popular television show in the world was Baywatch, which was about – and I can't really believe I have to say this, but if you're younger than 30 this might be ancient history – an ensemble of beach lifeguards in Southern California.
The star of the show, David Hasselhoff, played a character called Mitch, though that apparently did not inspire a bubble of baby Mitches around the world. David Hasselhoff, despite being the most-watched person on Earth at the time, simply couldn't sell anyone on his character's given name. There were no reports of an explosion of Mitches around the globe. The Baywatch-inspired Mitch babies would be in their early 20s by now. I haven't met any. Have you?
Hasselhoff’s son on the show, on the other hand, was called Hobie, which isn’t even a given name to begin with. Hobie is a brand of surfboards and small sailing craft based in Southern California. It wasn’t clear in the show whether Hasselhoff’s Mitch had named his son after the brand, but that didn’t matter to its worldwide audience.
Not too long ago, when I was travelling through eastern Europe, I encountered several young Hobies – the living echoes of their parents'Baywatch obsession. And for the record: not one of them surfed.
According to a recent survey, there has been a noticeable upswing in the following odd-sounding names for newborn children: Lux and Ludwig are more popular than ever for boys; Valencia and Juno are spiking for girls.
What do all of those names have in common? Is there a popular television show or motion picture with characters with those names? Well, if you check out Instagram, the most popular photo-sharing app in the world, and look at the available “filters” it offers to help touch-up and glamourise your camera-phone snaps, you’ll see Lux, Ludwig, Valencia and Juno among the choices.
Yes, that’s right: some people are naming their children after Instagram filters.
Which, I suppose, doesn’t seem all that outlandish when you think of the Blakes, Alexises, Hobies and Bonnies running around. In fact, as the generations unfold, it’s entirely possible that in 20 years, a middle-management Hobie might interview a young and enthusiastic Juno or Lux for a job. Of course, before any job is offered, the young Ludwig or Valencia will probably have to have a brief meeting with a now-senior level Blake or Alexis.
Bonnie, Clint and Luke, by this time, will be retired and living on their pensions.
Rob Long is a writer and producer in Hollywood
On Twitter: @rcbl
