Anyone else as jazzed as I was to find out that the totally bizarro Twin Peaks will be coming back—with its Log Lady, cherry pie, doughnuts, and damn fine cups of coffee? It’ll be a Showtime series for 2016—and while no casting has been revealed, the fact that Kyle MacLachlan (aka Agent Dale Cooper) was recently lunching with series creator David Lynch could be a very good sign. (And his recent tweet about firing up the percolator and finding his black suit probably means he’s a go!)
The fictional town of Twin Peaks was populated with a lot of people with very old-fashioned names—but many of those names have seen a revitalization in the 25 years since the show hit the air. Here are some of my favorites—and how they fared.
Cooper His first name, Dale, never really recovered, but Agent Dale Cooper’s surname spiked in popularity as a baby name after the show first aired, and hasn’t come down from that high ever since. Perhaps the revitalization of the show may bring Cooper even closer to the top 10.
Laura This classic name, meaning “from the laurel tree,” actually started a downward trend after Twin Peaks aired. (Perhaps the negative association with a girl who had a seedy double life hurt it?) It’s still a lovely pick.
Harry Another, far more popular Harry appeared during the 25 years since Twin Peaks fared, but neither Sheriff Truman nor the Boy Who Lived could keep Harry from sliding further down the popularity charts.
Lucy Ditzy Lucy Moran, secretary for the sheriff’s office, didn’t seem to impact the popularity of her classic name—in fact, Lucy slid down the charts during the two years the show aired. But it quickly rebounded, and is currently in the top 100.
Audrey Audrey was already on an upswing before the retro-cool teen Audrey Horne first made her appearance on the screen. But thanks mostly to its association with screen legend Audrey Hepburn, this is still on a climb toward the top.
Nadine One of the truly weird characters in Twin Peaks has to be Nadine, the eye-patched wife of mechanic Ed. (She’s the one who was obsessed with silent curtains, if you recall.) This classic, that means hope, took a nosedive after the series premiered, and dropped out of the top 1000 not long afterward.
Madeleine Actress Sheryl Lee got to play two parts in the show—murder victim Laura Palmer, and her lookalike cousin Madeleine. Madeleine had just begun a swift climb toward the top as the series premiered, and has settled in the top 500 names.
Leo Violent truck driver/drug dealer Leo Johnson was hardly someone to emulate—but his name, which means “lion,” became a big hit after Twin Peaks, and is now just below the top 100 names in the U.S.
Tell us: Are you looking forward to the return of Twin Peaks? Are any names from the show on your short list?
If you’re still looking for the perfect name, send your dilemma to me at lamilbrand@gmail.com, or check out our Baby Name Finder for some DIY advice. And don’t forget to like In Name Only on Facebook to keep up with the very latest in baby names.
