Cleveland Evans: Lainey's cool again, as country star drives name's new popularity
Omaha oughta know Lainey this Friday.
Lainey Wilson, the Country Music Association's 2023 Entertainer of the Year, whose first number one hit was "Things A Man Oughta Know" (2020), appears at Omaha's CHI Health Center Nov. 8.
Lainey and Laney were originally nicknames, usually explained as pet forms of Elaine, an Old French form of Helen (Greek "torch") that Thomas Malory used for Galahad's mother in his 15th-century "Le Morte d'Arthur," the first popular version of King Arthur's saga.
Laney's origin is actually more complicated. Elaine wasn't given to real girls until Alfred Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" appeared in 1859. The first Elaine in the United States census, Elaine Goodale of Massachusetts, was born Oct. 9, 1863.
There were already over 300 women called Laney in the 1850 census. Some were officially Helena or Helene, Latin or French forms of Helen sometimes pronounced and occasionally respelled Helaina and Helaine. While most 2024 newscasters rhymed September's disastrous Hurricane Helene with "lean," a few said "Helaine."
In 1850, some Laneys in the South were officially Delaney. Norman French "alder grove" or Irish "dark Slaney (River)," Delaney was one of the first surnames regularly used as a girl's first name.
At least one 1850 Laney was officially Magdalena, derived from St. Mary Magdalene, where it means "woman from Migdal," a village on the Sea of Galilee.
Perhaps because of these multiple origins, some of 1850's Laneys are "Laney" on all records found on Ancestry.com .
Laney remained uncommon, with all spellings ranking well below the top 1,000 baby names when Social Security's data begins in 1880.
Surprisingly, actor Lainie Kazan (born 1940), best known as the bride's mother in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002), never had much impact on the use of the name.
Laney Gibbs, a tomboy played by Valri Bromfield in the one-season sitcom "Best of The West" (1981), caused newborn Laneys to jump to 53 in 1981 from 27 in 1980, but the number was back to 26 in 1982.
A more lasting increase was inspired by "Dream A Little Dream" (1989), a fantasy film where teenager Bobby (Corey Feldman), obsessed with fellow student Lainie (Meredith Salenger), has his mind switched into the body of an elderly professor (Jason Robards). The number of babies named Lainey, Lainie, Laney and Lanie, 129 in 1989, surged to 250 in 1990, staying around that level through 1998.
Then in 1999 Rachael Leigh Cook played Laney Boggs in "She's All That," another teen rom-com where popular Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) tries to turn awkward art student Laney into a prom queen, partly on a bet and partly to spite his cheating ex-girlfriend. Though Laney is devastated when she finds out about the bet, Zack has fallen for her. They end up together at film's end.
"She's All That" was the top box office movie the week it was released. The four main spellings of Laney went from 239 in 1998 to 394 in 1999. Laney entered the top 1,000 list in 2000 and Lainey in 2003. After 2011, Lainey became the more common spelling.
Wilson's fame skyrocketed the name. 1,634 Laineys (in all spellings) were born in 2019, and 4,926 in 2023, ranking it 55th. Wilson oughta know she already has thousands of namesakes at the start of what may be a long country music career.
