Chelsea is the modern form of the Old English Celchyth, “landing place for chalk”, a village on the River Thames that became a London borough in 1900.

Numerous places are named after Chelsea, England, including a community in Fillmore County, Nebraska. In 1750, Thomas Clarke named his Manhattan villa Chelsea after a military veterans hospital in London’s Chelsea district. Both London and New York’s Chelseas are now considered wealthy areas.

The idea of ​​making Chelsea a first name probably originated in Connecticut – and the first examples are male. Chelsea Colton (1798-1883), the oldest Chelsea in the United States Census, was born in Tolland, Connecticut and moved to Rootstown, Ohio in 1805 with his parents Stephen and Mary. His obituary states: “The ax was his favorite tool and he enjoyed felling the rulers of the forest.”

The earliest female Chelsea was Chelsea Smith (1841-1935) of New London, Connecticut, whose father Franklin was a wealthy whaling captain. She was born at sea near New Zealand and her parents named a yacht “Chelsea Smith” after her.

Chelsea remained rare and predominantly male until 1969. The 1950 census identified 474 men and 328 women named Chelsea, Chelsey or Chelsie. The first known Chelseas were both men: Chelsea Curtis Fraser (1876-1934), a teacher from Saginaw, Michigan, who wrote many children’s nonfiction books such as “The Boys’ Book of Sea Battles,” and the Connecticut-born jazz trumpeter Chelsea Quealey ( 1905-1950).

Then, in the fall of 1968, Chelsea Brown (1942-2017) became a regular on the television show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Born Lois Brown, she is an enigma, which is why she chose the stage name Chelsea. There have never been more than nine Chelsea girls born in a year since 1880, but 42 were added in 1968. Chelsea made it into the top 1,000 for the first time in 1969, ranking 702nd.

In April 1969, Joni Mitchell’s hit “Chelsea Morning” was released. His imaginative lyrics such as “The light streamed in like butterscotch” were inspired by New York’s Chelsea. Many parents say they named their daughters after the song, but it’s unlikely many would have seen it as a girl’s name if Chelsea Brown hadn’t legitimized it. Brown left “Laugh-In” after one season and moved to Australia, where she appeared in game shows and soap operas.

What really made the name soar, however, was the 1981 film “On Golden Pond,” in which Jane Fonda played Chelsea Thayer Wayne, and the introduction of the volatile character Chelsea Reardon (Kassie DePaiva) in the soap “Guiding Light” from 1986. In 1992, 16,175 Chelseas were born. Along with Chelsey, Chelsie, Chelsi and Chelsy, the name would have placed 8th overall.

Bill and Hillary Clinton decided to name their future daughter Chelsea when they heard Joni Mitchell’s song while walking through London’s Chelsea. When they moved this daughter into the White House in 1993, the name experienced one of its steepest declines ever, falling to 153rd place in 2001. The use of politically connected names had become inappropriate.

In 2023, Chelsea ranked 710th. As a “mom” name, it will likely leave the top 1,000 soon. However, Chelsea will forever remain one of the most successful place names ever converted into a baby name.