Something that jumps out of Baby Name Wizard is how popular Spanish names were in the first half of the 20th Century. For example, Juan is, not surprisingly, growing in popularity, but the interesting thing is how popular it was before there were many Hispanics in America. Today, about 0.5% of all boys are named Juan, but during the first half of the 20th Century, the number of Juans ran consistently at about 1/3 the current rate.
For example, in "The Aviator," Alec Baldwin plays Howard Hughes' archrival Juan Terry Trippe, founder of Pan Am, Yale grad and son of a Wall Street tycoon.
Similarly, Juanita and Juana were fairly popular girls names in the 1920s, but they have since dropped out of the top 1000. Similarly, the upscale girls name Consuelo has disappeared.
Apparently, Spanish first names used to be considered aristocratic and romantic, but now they are considered plebian and depressing.
A reader writes:
In the early 20th Century, there was indeed some Hispanophilia reflected in pop culture. See, for example:, Zorro (created in 1919 by an Anglo pulp writer).
In California, there was a huge Spanish Mission fad in the 1920s, which was responsible for the gorgeous rebuilding of Santa Barbara after the 1923 earthquake. To this day, the Spanish Mission style remains the best architectural style for Southern California landscapes.
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