Jalen Rose, the First of His Name? ESPN Daily Podcast
Actually, today's podcast is titled "Is Jalen Rose the First Jalen? We Solve a Sports Name Mystery." 41min.
You'll find several "Jalens" in the NFL draft this week, the NBA draft this summer, and any number of games you turn on ... from Jalen Suggs to Jalen Green to Jalen Mayfield. For years our colleague, friend and basketball veteran Jalen Rose has maintained that todays Jalens are named for him (whether they know it or not). We honor Jalen Rose's mother, the recently passed Jeanne Rose, exploring the history and mystery of his name in sports and beyond. With data, experts, and extensive interviews, the Jalen paradox is solved.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
Can they do Harlan Huckleby next?
April 28th, 2021 at 12:25 PM ^
A Rose by any other name would ball so well.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:57 PM ^
Nice. But here's a possibly sweeter smelling edit:
"A Rose by only one other name (Derrick) would ball so well."
April 28th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
Probably true to a good extent. I don't know if he's the first Jalen but the name definitely became a lot more common after he became famous.
There was also a surge of Shaqs born in the 1990s, and I think we can connect the dots on that one, too.
Yes, this is the answer. Name data is widely available and it's easy to find that people were named Jalen before Rose was born. But there is a large spike in popularity of the name during his basketball career. But it's probably more catchy to say "I was the first Jalen" than "I popularized the name Jalen"
Baby Name Voyager. Jalen Rose would have been born in the 1970s. If not the first he's definitely one of the first.
I thought it was cool when a few Raekwons came through, and a Deebo. #genxparents
While there was at least one Jalen born in the United States before Jan. 30, 1973, when Jeanne gave her son the name that was a combination of his father's (James) and his uncle's (Leonard), there's no doubt the popularity of the name can be tied directly to Rose's fame.
"When a name jumps fast, that means that there's something going on, that something is influencing it," said Jennifer Moss, founder and CEO of BabyNames.com. "Why wasn't it anywhere on the charts before 1992? Well, of course, because it must have been influenced by Jalen Rose."
Rose debuted as part of Michigan's Fab Five in 1991. The very next year, Jalen cracked the top 1,000 most popular names, according to the U.S. Social Security Office of the Actuary for U.S. Births. The name debuted at No. 378. The next year, when Rose was helping the Wolverines reach a second consecutive national title game, it jumped to 216.
I just listened to the podcast it was actually great. And he is pretty much the first Jalen.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^
Can we anticipate a flood of bloggers in the near future named Brian, Ace, Seth?
April 28th, 2021 at 12:42 PM ^
Pfft...
Future bloggers will be named <x>VaBlue<x>. Emulation is the sincerest form of acknowledging legacy.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^
I screwed up my handle.
I should have been "Magnus the First."
Not necessarily. "The First" doesn't get applied till there's a "The Second."
F'rinstance, Queen Elizabeth I wasn't "I" until Queen Elizabeth II came along. And the global conflict a century about was called the Great War, not World War I because no one knew WW2 loomed.
So Magnus is great (and "great") all by itself.
One exception: in Scotland, the current queen is referred to as Elizabeth I, to emphasize that the previous Elizabeth did not reign there. To everyone else she is Elizabeth II.
Good catch. A historical exception that tests the rule.
Pope John Paul I designated himself as 'the First', though that didn't work out great for him.
Too true, just like you can't have a first annual anything. It can be the inaugural, then next year the 2nd annual.
You mean Magnus the "Foist". Just kidding!
April 28th, 2021 at 12:33 PM ^
Can somebody who has listened to the podcast tell us the conclusion to this mystery?
April 28th, 2021 at 12:49 PM ^
Maybe.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
Halfway through this podcast. It’s a great listen.
April 28th, 2021 at 12:55 PM ^
Jalen Rose is the oldest notable Jalen on wikipedia:
Not so fast! Check the bottom of that list.
Clearly it's a name favored by Slovenophiles.
I would venture that Jalen Rose has spawned a lot more namesakes than Michael Jordan has Michaels. I think that Jalen and what he represents has meaning for the Black community.
Would invite thoughtful comment about this, especially from board members of the Black community.
You picked the one guy who is probably more transcendent in this conversation than any other athlete, but you focused on the wrong half of his name.
"Jordan" became a wildly popular first name (among both blacks and whites) almost in direct correlation to MJ's career arc:
I personally know more Jordans (boy or girl) than Jalens and I spent my whole life in Detroit outside of a decade in DC. I wouldn't read too much into his name from a cultural perspective except that it is a more popular name in black communities.
As a Black MGoUser, I mostly agree with your sentiment, MGlobules (and agree with the counterpoint that Jordan is the influential name, not Michael). Certainly, many people in the Black community appreciate Jalen Rose for being a torchbearer for the mainstreaming of hip hop culture. But the name is also practical, as it’s easily pronounced, five letters long, percussive and still maintains a sense of Black identity (which has always been important to American-born Blacks since most of our last names are holdovers from slavery).
I always appreciate people asking for Black opinions on race-adjacent topics on the Board; purposeful inclusion usually raises the level of discussion.
While he surely wasn't the first person in history to be named "Jalen", he certainly has a case in his influence on the popularity of the name:
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Jalen
As a reminder, his freshman year was in 1991.
Would bet Peyton has a similar trend line for boys AND girls starting in the 1998-2000 time frame and especially in Indiana.
Nation-wide they match really closely from 1990-2000, but Jalen drops off after 2000 whereas Peyton keeps growing.
I feel bad for kids named Peyton...
The Social Security Administration reports all first names of babies, if there were 5 or more of the same sex born in a year. From what I can find, Jalen first hits that 5 boy threshold in 1976, whereas Jalen Rose was born in 1973. So from that data we can't know whether any were born before 1973, but can assume that there were Jalens born in 1976 who were not named after Jalen Rose. I would take an educated guess that since there were 5 Jalens born a few years after Rose was born, that probably there were some Jalens born before him, but just not enough to hit the 5 baby threshold.
However, the popularity of the name almost certainly is due to Jalen Rose. The Fab Five is Michigan's 1991 recruiting class. In 1990, there were 5 boy babies named Jalen which grows to 15 boys in 1991. But in 1992 there were 612 boys, and the name first hits the chart for girls with 30. In 1993, there were 1392 boys, and 1698 in 1994.
Wolverine,
First, may I call you Zoo?
Second, now that's some solid work. Thanks.
Or in your honor, Thankz.
Blue Vet, aka Blue (probably named for a dog)
Is Ninef Aghakhan the first Ninef Aghakhan?
Go Blue.
I have friend who named their daughter Jalen after Mr Rose
This is the 6th most interesting post i read today. Wait until i tell you what is number 4!
For what it's worth I named my daughter after him but changed the spelling to Jalyn (middle name Rose) leading to a lifetime of teachers and the like calling her Jacqueline and things like that.
His mother combined the names of her two brothers and/or BILs. I believe James and Lynn. Jalen is named after his uncles.
edit: Lynn equals Leonard.
As a young fan, this is something I didn't know. Had no idea that Jalen Rose was basically the first Jalen
This article expands on OP's link