Nameberry of the Day: Eldridge
May 1
Eldridge Cleaver, who died on this day in 1998, is best known as a leader in the Black Panther Party who wrote the seminal work of black literature Soul on Ice while in prison. It was Cleaver who coined the rallying cry, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.”
But the second most interesting thing about Eldridge Cleaver is that, after spending seven years in exile from the US, he returned in 1975 radically transformed into a conservative Republican.
While not quite a One Person Name the way Oprah or Madonna are, Eldridge is so closely associated with Cleaver that it’s pretty much off the table as a baby name. While it ranked among the Top 1000 baby names until the early 1950s, last year only 13 baby boys were named Eldridge.
Though it may be off the table for style reasons too. An English name meaning “old wise leader” or “old ridge,” Eldridge is in the company of other Old School surname names for boys like Maynard and Sheldon.
In case you missed these Names of the Day:
Nameberry of the Day: Bessie
American aviator Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman — the first African American woman as well as the first Native American person to hold a pilot license — passed away on April 30, 1926 at the age of 34 years old. Bessie was born in Texas, working in her early years on a cotton plantation alongside her family. As there were no pilot training opportunities avail…
Nameberry of the Day: Alfred
English film director Alfred Joseph Hitchcock passed away on April 29, 1980 at the age of 80. Widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the history of cinema — known as the “Master of Suspense” — Alfred’s career spanned six decades and brought the world masterpiece movies like