Tallulah
I'm thinking of writing my next column on Tallulah and thought I'd get some quick opinions from you all on it.
Do you think Tallulah has the potential to substantially increase in use in the USA like other "older Hollywood glamour" names like Ava, Audrey, and Lana have?
Or does it have the sort of sound that will keep it confined to kids of very "artsy" parents?
And does this name have a different feel to parents in the UK than the USA? (I noticed through Googling that a surprising number of Tallulahs these days seem to be British.)
Do you think Tallulah has the potential to substantially increase in use in the USA like other "older Hollywood glamour" names like Ava, Audrey, and Lana have?
Or does it have the sort of sound that will keep it confined to kids of very "artsy" parents?
And does this name have a different feel to parents in the UK than the USA? (I noticed through Googling that a surprising number of Tallulahs these days seem to be British.)
Replies
It has a celebrity feel to me (in Britain) because I know three celebs who have babies called Tallulah. It's got a slightly eccentric, arty, frilly, creative vibe to me. But I dont' think it's that popular among ordinary people.
I think it's a great name, but I don't think it has quite the same appeal to parents these days, as names like Ava, Audrey and Lana. It seems to have more of an "Artsy, aristocratic British" vibe.
I think it's going to remain an artsy parents' name for at least another generation in the US. I know I think of it as a celebrity name.
Yes, I definitely think Tallulah could potentially have an enormous popularity growth spurt, mainly due to its popular use among celebrity babies. But I doubt that it will reach the levels of popularity that Ava has reached. Tallulah is too frilly, IMO, to become the next Ava or Madison. But I definitely don't see Tallulah as artsy. To me the name comes off as more of something you'd call a chihuahua dressed in a pink tutu. I don't much see the appeal. But that's all opinion.
Do you think Tallulah has the potential to substantially increase in use in the USA like other "older Hollywood glamour" names like Ava, Audrey, and Lana have?
- No. I think it has the potential to rise a little bit, but I don't see it anywhere near the top 100. I think it might start to rise in the next 5 years but it will rise rather slowly up to number 500 (this is the highest I can see it at. Most likely 700 or 800, though) and then fall again. I think if it was going to be in the top 100 or top 200 it would have risen already, but it didn't. It's not even in the top 1000. and people have definitely heard of it. I think everybody knows this name thanks to Tallulah Belle, the daughter of Bruce and Demi and Talulla Fyfe, the daughter of Patrick Dempsey and his wife. Everybody knows Bruce's daughter and she is in the media all the time so if the name had potential it would have caught on at least a little bit but it hasn't. All the other other names you mentioned, Ava, Audrey and Lana caught on almost immediately (a year or so) after celebrities had used it and Tallulah hasn't been used very recently by celebrities, it was already used 15 or so years ago so people know it but decided not to use it. I love the name but I think many people think it's weird or they think of Tallulah Bankhead. Also the name is very tied to Bruce's daughter. Ava was already getting more popular before Reese and Ryan used it so I guess it would have become popular no matter what.
Or does it have the sort of sound that will keep it confined to kids of very "artsy" parents?
yes. It has an interesting but unusual sound. I think it's too weird for the ordinary parent to use.
And does this name have a different feel to parents in the UK than the USA? (I noticed through Googling that a surprising number of Tallulahs these days seem to be British.)
- hmmmm don't know. I'm from Germany and I like it. It doesn't seem British at all to me.
- No. I think it has the potential to rise a little bit, but I don't see it anywhere near the top 100. I think it might start to rise in the next 5 years but it will rise rather slowly up to number 500 (this is the highest I can see it at. Most likely 700 or 800, though) and then fall again. I think if it was going to be in the top 100 or top 200 it would have risen already, but it didn't. It's not even in the top 1000. and people have definitely heard of it. I think everybody knows this name thanks to Tallulah Belle, the daughter of Bruce and Demi and Talulla Fyfe, the daughter of Patrick Dempsey and his wife. Everybody knows Bruce's daughter and she is in the media all the time so if the name had potential it would have caught on at least a little bit but it hasn't. All the other other names you mentioned, Ava, Audrey and Lana caught on almost immediately (a year or so) after celebrities had used it and Tallulah hasn't been used very recently by celebrities, it was already used 15 or so years ago so people know it but decided not to use it. I love the name but I think many people think it's weird or they think of Tallulah Bankhead. Also the name is very tied to Bruce's daughter. Ava was already getting more popular before Reese and Ryan used it so I guess it would have become popular no matter what.
Or does it have the sort of sound that will keep it confined to kids of very "artsy" parents?
yes. It has an interesting but unusual sound. I think it's too weird for the ordinary parent to use.
And does this name have a different feel to parents in the UK than the USA? (I noticed through Googling that a surprising number of Tallulahs these days seem to be British.)
- hmmmm don't know. I'm from Germany and I like it. It doesn't seem British at all to me.
Tallulah has become much more popular here in the UK recently, especially among celebrities. I think it will increase in the USA too. I really don't see it as glamourous though, and don't think it will be confined to usage by "artsy" parents. It seems slightly tacky to me.
Agree about the slight tacky feel. Even though it does have that old Hollywood feel to it, I would equate it more with Zsa-Zsa than Ava. It has a certain frivolousness to it that makes it less appealing than Audrey. It isn't as classic. I can see it getting popular as a retro-cute name, though. It also has the soft L sound going for it, and that's gotten Elle, Lily, Amelia, etc., a lot of mileage.
+ As I was reading Lily's reply, I realized more what I meant when I said it feels more like Zsa-Zsa than Ava. Think of the images those celebrities displayed. Avas and Audreys were classic not just in name but in persona. I think parents are channeling that as much as just Old Hollywood.
+ As I was reading Lily's reply, I realized more what I meant when I said it feels more like Zsa-Zsa than Ava. Think of the images those celebrities displayed. Avas and Audreys were classic not just in name but in persona. I think parents are channeling that as much as just Old Hollywood.
This message was edited 12/7/2008, 2:27 PM