Buffy

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Buffy is thought to have been derived from the English nickname or pet form of Elizabeth -- and based on children's unsuccessful attempts to pronounce that name. It is also a variation of Bunny, although that not being a mainstream name does not contribute much to Buffy’s traceable and relevant etymology. With the name Buffy reaching some measurable popularity in at least the United States during the 1970s, it may represent a greater acceptance of more casual names and even somewhat legitimizing what were previous exclusively pet and nicknames.^{[1] [1]}

POPULARITY

According to the Social Security Administration, Buffy has not been one of the 1000 most popular names in the United States since 1977. Since 1880, the first year the Social Security Administration started making records of names’ popularity available, Buffy has only appeared on this list 11 times. This ranking occurred during a straight set of years from between and including 1967 and 1977. During that time, Buffy actually came on rather strong, ranking 791st in 1967 and remaining in the mid to high 600s during that period. At its height in 1972, Buffy ranked as the 529th most popular name in the country. Then, from 1976 when it ranked 696th, to 1977 when it ranked 904th, it experienced a severe drop in popularity and vanished completely from the list by 1978. These dates of popularity coincide almost exactly with the popularity of the one-time successful television program A Family Affair and featuring a main character named Buffy and played by Anissa Jones. It has not returned despite some steady success from some pop culture appearances by the name, which sometimes influences a name’s popularity, through the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie and television series which first came to the public consciousness in the 1990s.

FACTS

• Buffy also indicates the color of buff, a light shade from deep yellow to beige or light brown.

NAMESAKES

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a motion picture (1992) and later a [television series(1977 - 2003) about a teen aged girl gifted with special physical and other powers that enabled her to track and kill vampires. Her name was Buffy.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother a/k/a Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900–2002) was called Buffy as a child.
• Buffy Sainte-Marie (b. 1941) is an artist and Academy Award winning musician composer and activist. She is Canadian.^[1]
• Buffy Tyler (b. 1978 as Buffy Yvonne Pribyl) is a former Playboy Playmate.

Author: Mike Szimanski

NOTES