why there are so few Sharons in song

Subject: why so few Sharons in song?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 03:28 PM

I just came across this, from 1999:

--- quote ---
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7225/1615

The much maligned "Sharon", "Tracey" and "Sandra", who have been the butt of so many Essex girl jokes, are finally vindicated in this week's Christmas issue of the BMJ as researchers find that the real culprits of easy virtue are "Kelly" and "Louise".

In an analysis of 16-24 year old females attending a genitourinary clinic in Southampton, Dr Elizabeth Foley and colleagues found that contrary to popular belief, Sharon and Tracey were not the most popular names of attendees. They actually found that of the 1462 women who attended the clinic the top ten names most frequently seen were:-

1. Sarah
2. Emma
3. Kelly
4. Louise
5. Claire
6. Lisa
7. Rachel
8. Clare
9. Michelle
10. Nicola

The authors are quick to point out that they compared these findings with data from the Office of Populations Censuses and Surveys and they found that most of the top 10 names for women attending the department were seen with the frequency expected by the incidence of the name in the population. Nevertheless, some names were more popular among the study group at the clinic than they were in the general population, including Kelly, Louise and Clare (with no "i").

The much maligned Sharon, Tracey and Sandra, however, were seen half as often as expected and the authors say that as we enter the new millennium these names should make way for the more popular "Hampshire Girls".
--- end quote ---

Now, it seemed to me that these frequencies ought to correlate with the frequency of occurence of names in song. But I can only think of songs or tunes featuring about half of those names, and none for a Kelly or Clare. And 200 years ago would the pox wards have been full of Janets and Nancys?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: ClaireBear
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 03:45 PM

Oh dear. Should I change my name?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:01 PM

Now, I have to apologize that I was unaware that Essex girls were the butt of humor, er, humour. According to Wikipedia, I gather that they're comparable to dumb blonde jokes.

Is "Nicola" a common name in the UK? It's Nicole in the US - are we THAT different? As for Sharon not being in song, I guess my opinion is that it's just not a musical, poetic name. I'd contend that the use of women's names in song has far more to do with the musicality of the song rather than the name-bearer's susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases....

I have to say that this thread may not last long in the music section. It has to develop some legitimate music information if it is to continue living here at the top of the Forum Menu.

-Joe, fabled in many songs-

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:06 PM

At least, there is a Song for Sharon by Joni Mitchell.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: pdq
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:11 PM

David Bromberg's "Sharon" evolved into one of the greatest pieces of 'rock theatre' ever.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: ClaireBear
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:13 PM

Isn't there a really long anthem in the Sacred Harp called "Rose of Sharon"? I think it's like 12 pages long, and it mentions Sharon simply heaps of times.

(Oh, and Gilbert O'Sullivan wrote a song about Claire, by the way.)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: frogprince
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:26 PM

It's a long, long way, from Claire to here...

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Bernard
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:27 PM

I met her on a Monday, and my heart stood still...
Sharon-ron-ron-ron, Sharon-ron-ron!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:33 PM

For Claire:

By the way,again, there's a lovely song about a little girl who's angry with her teddy bear for jumping into hedgerows all the time!Taken from the Walking Oliver CD Paul Austin Kelly/Rap 'N Roll:

Ah, where's he gone now?
Oh, no! Not there!
He's jumped into the hedgerow!
Ooh, my Black Bear

How am I going to fetch him
Out of there?
It's as thorny as a cactus
Oh, my Black Bear

I'll tear my pretty trousers
My new pair
They'll be holy as a Swiss cheese
My Black Bear

I'll skin my lovely elbows
White and fair
A sight I'll be to see then
My Black Bear

I'll have a dozen burdocks
In my hair
Then no one will want to kiss me
My Black Bear

I'll prob'ly die an old maid
A lot you care
Well, I'll leave you in that hedgerow!
Oh, my Black Bear

Ah here, give us your paw then
Mmm, come to Claire!
Or else my bed is empty
Oh, my Black Bear

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: ClaireBear
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:38 PM

Ah, that's lovely! Thank you, Leadbelly -- I shall have to look that up.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 04:51 PM

Ten most common female names in US:

1. Mary
2. Patricia
3. Linda
4. Barbara
5. Elizabeth
6. Jennifer
7. Maria
9. Susan
9. Margaret
10. Dorothy

From this source.

(I was shocked to find "Heather" was only number 53.)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: pdq
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:01 PM

Allan Sherman struck a blow for equality with his song "My Zelda". Good show, Sherm'.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:14 PM

That's the german top ten for 2004:
1. Marie
   2. Sophie
   3. Maria
   4. Anna, Anne
   5. Lea(honie)
   6. Lea(h)
   7. Laura
   8. Lena
   9. Katharina
10. Johanna

Mary, Marie, Maria seemed to be favourites in US and Germany.
Obviously no chance for Claire. I'm so sorry about this result because I do like your name.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: maeve
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:17 PM

I don't give any value to the notion that people with certain names are more likely to suffer from any particular disease with any more frequency. Rubbish.

On the song side, There's the "My Friend Sharon" round by Jan Harmon.

maeve

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:23 PM

Meave, you are completely right. In so far, this thread is some kind of rubbish. But it's quite amusing, is'nt it? Let's go on.
And what's about Jack Campin? Is he still alive?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 05:41 PM

Maybe there's no chance for Claire in Germany, but what about Clara?

I have friends with a little daughter named Clare. They love Ireland, have been there more than once, and deliberately named her after the Clare in Ireland.

As for why there are no Sharons in song, I think it's because few songs actually contain individual names. Not having them makes the song applicable to more people. After all, if you are a couple named Brad and Jennifer, you can't very well say that a song addressed to Mavis, say, is your song.

The last such song I can recall is Mandy by what's-his-name, although some here claim that Rod Stewart sang a song called "Maggie May." Doesn't sound likely.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 07:07 PM

I have no idea why there are so few Sharons in songs. But I know that there is a Sharon in Connecticut!! It's the home of the Patons and Folk Legacy Records---(and William F. Buckley. ;-)


Art

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: michaelr
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 07:51 PM

Because the fat bastard doesn't DESERVE a song!

Oh, wait...

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: freightdawg
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 09:44 PM

I aint sharin' Sharon,
Wis out swearin
She's my very own
You better leave her alone
(you get your head stomped on)

I aint sharin' Sharon
in case your darin'
I'll tell you what you are
You'll be a walkin' scar
All the kings horses and all the kings men
will never put you back together again
I'll do you bodily harm
I'll break your back your nose your neck your tooth your toe and your arm

I aint sharin' Sharon
wis out swearin
She's my very own
You better leave her alone

No I aint sharin Sharon, with you, you, and that means you.
(Jim Stafford)

Freightdawg

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: johnross
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:53 AM

It's much more interesting to look at the way popularity of names changes over time. For lists of American baby names dating back over a hundred years, look at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html.

Or for a Java tool that displays the way different names become more or less popular in a graph, follow the link from http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/.

As for Sharon, she peaked in the 1940's (Rank:8), dropping every decade since (1950s: 14, 1960's: 23, 1970s: 63, 1980s: 169, 1990s: 331)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 01:32 AM

My Sharon-a by The Knack...

Sharon hasn't really been accepted as a girls name for more than 100 years. It's mostly been confined to a place name (it means 'forest') or a plant name - Rose of Sharon.

Searching through parish records in Dorset, I didn't find a single Sharon until about 1900 and that was a boy, spelt with 2 r's.

LTS

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 01:51 AM

Liz: It means "forest"??? I've never read that (and I've had reason to read quite a bit about the name over the years)! I've read that it means "plain" as a place name, and also that it means "princess". Where did you find the info on "forest"?


Freightdawg, that was so beautiful... *sniff* :,^)

There's another "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" song, by Hank Williams Jr.

...and yet another "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" performed by James Darren. I can't find the lyrics posted anywhere, but you can hear a clip at Yahoo Music and elsewhere.

We also have: "S.H.A.R.O.N." by Deacon Blue & Ricky Ross

"Sharon" by David Bromberg

"Rose of Sharon" by Xiu Xiu

"Rose of Sharon" by Kevin Clay

...and the hymn "Jesus, Rose of Sharon"

Then there's "Sherry Baby" by Frankie Valli, which is a bit of a stretch, but as a kid my family called me Sherry (and my older brothers used to sing that song at me to tease me!).

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:16 AM

It was from some 'meaning of names' site that now eludes me, which also gave Sherry as a derivitive.


LTS

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:54 AM

Our folk club has theme nights and last year one of the themes was 'songs or poems that have people's names in them' - one could gain extra (imaginary) bonus points if the song had one's own name in it!

I found "When the sheep are in the fold Jennie dear", an old tearjerker from nigh on 100 years ago; "Poor Jenny" by the Everly Brothers (although I don't spell my name with a Y); and "Amazing Grace" - Grace is my middle name.

How many songs have your name in them?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:01 AM

I forgot "Jennifer juniper" - wasn't that in the 60s, by the Hollies or a similar group?

In the book "Freakonomics" there is a whole chapter devoted to how different socio-economic backgrounds are responsible for trends in names.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:24 AM

that list of names will change in years to come (pun not intended)

Fashions in peoples' names is a constantly moving feast.

Good job Jenny Taylor was not in the list

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Mikefule
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:39 AM

Tracy, Tracy, give me your answer do...
Let`s get racy in my Ford XR2.
It`s a car you won`t disparage,
I`ve just had it tuned at the garage
And you`ll cling to your seat as we burn up the street
In my turbo-charged XR2.

Kevin, Kevin, this is my answer true:
Pick me up at seven, and show me what it will do.
I`ll bring Wayne and Karen,
And Gavin and Darren and Sharon
And we`ll have fun as we`re doing the ton
In the back of your XR2.

Tracy, Tracy, you didn`t understand:
When I said "racy" it was not just a drive I`d planned.
I know a place where we can park
And at half past eight when it gets dark
I`ll give you a treat in the reclining seat
Of my turbo-charged XR2.

Kevin, Kevin, you mustn`t try it on
Or I`ll get Gavin to come round and thump you one
For he is my true lover
And when it comes to burning rubber
His car will beat yours down any street
It`s a Toyota MR2.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:52 AM

The much maligned "Sharon", "Tracey" and "Sandra", who have been the butt of so many Essex girl jokes...

Well, this is another example of how UK culture is different than American culture. I never knew that these names were maligned. And I've never heard of "Essex girl jokes" before reading that phrase in that post.

I suppose it probably goes without saying that there are different naming traditions within the USA. A list of African American favorite names and commonly used names for females would be very different than the lists that have been shared thus far in this thread. And a lot of those names on those lists were/are hardly ever given to Black {African American} females. A list of favorite American male names would also be different than the names that African Americans give to males since the 1960s.{Though there is a bit more convergence between White and Black Americans with regard to male names}.

Fwiw, the names Sharon and Karen used to be popular names for Black twin girls in the 1950s. In my experience, the only rivals in popularly for twin names at that time were Brenda and Linda. In my experience and as a result of my informal research, I would say that since the late 1950s/mid 1960s, the female names I cited are seldom given to African American females, with the possible exception of the name "Linda".

I'm not sure what the most popular African American female twin names are nowadays. But I know that they are either rhyming names like "Kia" {also spelled Keeya, Keya, Kya} and "Breeya" {also spelled "Briya"}or they have the same first letter such Latosha and Latoya or the same ending sound such as Tiyanna and Breanna.

And whereas a name like Jennifer was popular among White and non-White Americans in the 1970s, you hardly ever see that name given to an African American girl in the early/almost mid 2000s.

I hasten to say that some of my best girl friends have what African Americans nowadays would consider to be old fashioned names like Sharon, Karen, Cynthia, Deborah, Delores, Barbara, and Brenda.

Heck, I used to have one of these names myself!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:12 AM

Azizi, reading your post about names for female African American twins made me think that, around here at least, African American females tend to have names that end in "-sha" (Aisha, Lanisha, Moesha, etc.). Then I started wondering if the "-sha" has any ties to the interpretation of the name Sharon as "princess." Know anything about that?

I've been Googling the meaning of "Sharon" and, for the most part so far, I'm coming up with "plain" or "fertile plain" or "fruitful" (referring to fertile, I guess), along with one or two "princess"es (and one "exotic princess"-- whee!). Everyone seems to agree that it has its origins in the Hebrew language. I found only one interpretation of "forest" and that was on Wikipedia, so the accuracy of that reference is in doubt! Even so, "forest" may be another translation of the fertility factor in the original word (i.e. lots of vegetation growing on the plain).

As for the Essex girl jokes, I too was unaware of that bit of European culture! No wonder I don't git no respect around here... ;^)

Sharon the Unstereotypical

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Genie
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:37 AM

From the musical "Finian's Rainbow," in which the female lead character is Sharon McLonergan, there's the song "When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love (I Love The Girl I'm Near," which contains the line (sung by the leprechaun Og):

"for Sharon I'm carin', but Susan I'm choosin' --
I'm faithful to who's 'un is near ... "

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,ifor
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:41 AM

" I am the rose of Sharon and the lilies of the valley."

Song of Solomon
Solomon 2:1

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: cptsnapper
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 05:48 AM

Don't forget Sharon Fountain, the singer / songwriter from Barnsley.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:03 AM

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Sharon gives this information for the name Sharon:

"The girl's name Sharon \sh(a)-ron\ is pronounced SHARE-en. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "a fertile plain". Biblical place name: refers to flat land at the foot of Mount Carmel. The Song of Solomon describes the beloved Schulamite woman as a flower of Sharon. Actresses Sharon Gless, Sharon Stone.

Sharon has 28 variant forms: Charin, Cheron, Shara, Sharan, Shareen, Shareena, Sharen, Sharena, Sharene, Shari, Sharie, Sharla, Sharolyn, Sharona, Sharonda, Sharonna, Sharren, Sharrin, Sharron, Sharronne, Sharyn, Sheran, Sheron, Sherri, Sherron, Sherry, Sheryn and Sherynn."

-snip-

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon :

Sharon (שָׁרוֹן, Standard Hebrew Šaron, Tiberian Hebrew Šārôn) is a Female (or, less frequently, male) name which can be spelt with one "r" or two (Sharron). It also refers to several places in the world: From an Old Testament place name meaning "forest" in Hebrew, referring to a fertile plain near the coast of Israel. This is also the name of a type of flowering shrub, the rose of Sharon. Various nicknames of Sharon include Sharai, Sharona, Sharonald, Sharry, Sherri, Sherrie, Sherye, Shazz, Shazzy and Shazza.
-snip-

[Personally, I;ve never hear the name Shazz, Shazzy, and Shazza, as nicknames for Sharon or otherwise]

**
Pamela Samuelson's book Baby Names For The New Century {Harper Books, p. 914; 1994} gives this information:
"Sharon {SHAR-on} English, Hebrew; "flat plain". reference to the fertile plain between Jaffa and Mount Carmel, Isreal. Movies and Television: Sharon Ritchie, Miss America 1956; Sharon Stone actress (Basic Instinct); Literature: Sharon Falconer, character in Sinclair Lewis' novel Elmer Gantry "
-snip-

**
SharonA, note that the wikipedia entry includes the name Sharai. Samuelson's book gives this information for that name:
"Sharai {shah-RYE} Isreal, Hebrew, "queen's daughter". origin of the English name "Sharon". {p. 913}

Samuelson {and other sources} note that the Hebrew female name "Sarah" means "young royal" or "princess." Samuelson gives more than 25 variants of the nae Sarah [including the name Sally which is featured in a great many folk songs & children's rhymes]. Yet that editor doesn't include the name Sharon in that list, which is curious to me since, according to the entries in her book, both the name Sharon and Sarah mean "princess".

**

In my opinion, ancient Hebrews may have selected the name Sharon name for their daughter because of the association with "fertility" i.e."the fertle plain" or the rose of Sharon ["Sharon" being the flat plain where these roses were found], or because of the status meaning {if that association with Sharai and Sharon is indeed correct]. Perhaps the status meaning came before the place name meaning.[?]..I think that Americans' selection of the female name Sharon were much more influenced by the conection with the Biblical "rose of Sharon" and not "the flat plain" meaning {if most Americans know this meaning, which I doubt}. The fact that Miss America, 1956 was named Sharon probably contributed to that name's popularity- at least until the 1970s when it became "the thing to do" to select multicultural and/or "unique" and/or "different" [meaning names different from the "old fashioned" names of the1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

According to books I have read, African Americans always have had a deeper pool of female and male personal names to draw from than European Americans {since that "pool" included those European names, Hebrew names, and variants of names from those languages, and names from other sources}. Female African American names have aways been more diverse than African American male names. However, since the 1990s, African American male names appear to diverge from "mainstream American names" much more than they ever have before.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:06 AM

darn! I didn't mean for the italic feature to remain on.

Sorry about that.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: John J
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:37 AM

cos they're all Nancies.

John

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:42 AM

Or Mollies.

LTS

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:49 AM

Jennifer Juniper was Donovan

Rose of Sharon also features as a name in Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath"

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:59 AM

around here at least, African American females tend to have names that end in "-sha" (Aisha, Lanisha, Moesha, etc

SharonA, imo, there are certain sound preferences that groups of people have that greatly influence the type/s of musical voices that members in that group find attractive and find unattractive. For instance, one major type of singing voice that African Americans and Jamaicans {and perhaps other Afro-Caribbean people} like are gritty, gravelly, smokey voices. {But as a group, African Americans also like falsetto male voices}.

Just as groups of people have preferences for singing voices, I think that groups of people also have preferences for the sounds that make up certain personal names. A name's length {whether it is one syllable, or it is two syllables or three syllables or more are important factors which determine if a specific name will be considered attractive. Other considerations are whether the name has "unusual" [for that group]and therefore difficult to pronounce consonents clusters. In addition, cultural connotations associated with specific sounds help to determine if that sound is pleasing or displeasing to a particular group. For instance, imo, the letter "u" {pronunced "oo"} at the end of a name has the negative association sound of a cow "mooing" {few Americans want to name their daughter or son after a cow}. And the beginning letter "U" has even more negative associations for Americans as it is the beginning letter for the word "ugly". Given this theory, I figured that the Black doll which was heavily marketed in the 1970s and was given the Swahili female name Tamu {tah-MOO} which means "sweatness" wasn't going to sell-partly because of that name. I also guessed correctly that the name Tamu would rarely be selected by parents as their daughter's name. Other African/Arabic names which became known during that decade have become "standard" African American names. But not Tamu.

What I'm suggesting {and surely someone else has articulated this theory before ?} is that certain prefixes {beginning elements, and their sounds} and certain suffixes {ending elements, and their sounds}are more aesthetically pleasing to some groups of people than others. I don't know why this is, but preferences for the beginning and/or ending sounds of personal names/nicknames certainly appears to exist among specific groups of people. The group's preference for some of these preferred prefixes and suffixes may wax & wane or over time be rejected {as I think has happened with African Americans with regard to the "Th" beginning sound and the "ous","us" and "eos" ending sounds in male names such as Theodous, Theophilus, and Thaddeus. But sometimes, the preference for specific sounds of names stays very constant {examples anong African Americans are the "La" prefix, particularly in female names [I've read that some "La" names were collected among African Americans as early as the late 19th century. And "La" as a prefix is very common among African Amerian girls since the 1980s {Examples of La names-Latisha, Latosha, Latoya}. "Da" {pronounced DAY} is a prefix that is very popular among African American males since at least the 1980s. When combined with the commonly used suffix or middle syllable "aun", "on", and aun's variant "quan", you get male names such as "Daquan" {pronounced DAY quan} and Davonte {pronounced day-VON-tay. The standard nickname for both of these male names and a host of other male names that start with "Da" is "Day Day".

All of this to say, there appears to me to be little doubt that "sha" {"cha"} is one of the most consistently preferred prefixes {at least since the l950s and maybe earlier than that} for African American females {and to a somewhat lesser extent African American males. "Sha" {"Cha"} is pronounced "SHAH". I'm not sure why the sound of this prefix is so aesthetically pleasing to African Americans {and I'm curious if other people of African descent, for instance, Black Britons have the same sound preferences as African Americans}. I could speculate that that sound preference among African Americans came from that prefix's use in the Biblical name Sharon and/or from the Arabic names such as the female names Shadha - Aromatic; Shadiyah - Singer, story teller; and Shareefa - Noble that begin with "Sha" {since there is historical documentation that some Africans who were brought to the United States and enslaved were Arabic speaking Muslims.} The Arabic male name Sharif {Shareef} and its female variant Sharifa {Shareefah} are very similar spellings and meanings as the Persian word/last name Shah.
But that would be pure speculation.

However, it is interesting to see the similarities in spelling and meanings between certain Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian "sha" names.   Given the history of these people, I wouldn't at all be surprised if there was some connection between each of these names. But I don't know {though I think some researchers must know} which names came first-the Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian "Sha" royalty names.

**

Since the late 1960s, early 1970s "isha" has been a commonly used suffix in African American names. "Isha" is pronounced and also written as "eesha". A variant form of that suffix is "iesha" {pronounced EYE-eesha}. The suffix probably became familiar to African Americans through the Arabic female names Ayesha, Maisha, and the West African name Keisha {said to mean "favorite daughter"; however I think that this name is also related to the Hebrew female Kezia .

**

This is a long response to a short question so I'll stop right here.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 11:50 AM

In "Entering Marion", John Forster passes through Sharon as well (not to mention Beverly)

-- Gary

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:09 PM

Here are the Bible verses that refer to Sharon. Many of them are beautiful to read, though it is startling to hear that Sharon had suburbs.
=====

Acts 9:35 All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 5:16 They lived in Gilead in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.

1 Chronicles 27:29: and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite

Song of Songs 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.


Isaiah 33:9 The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

Isaiah 35:2 It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon's glory Lebanon will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh's glory, the excellence of our God.

Isaiah 65:10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in

====
I think it interesting that "Sharon's" popularity peaked in wartime. I think these Bible images of a mysterious place with flocks, roses, lilies and yes, suburbs, appealed to people.

Most Sharons I have known have the middle name Rose.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:32 PM

I'm sure someone knows the definitive answer to the original question, but so far they aren't, you know, sharon.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Becca72
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:21 PM

I don't think I've ever heard a song with my name in it. Other than the one my sister made up when I was a kid in which she rhymed Becca with Pecka...apply the northern New England accent and you'll understand why I used to get upset :-)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:07 PM

To Becca:
There's a Becca song on YouTube. Please have a look.

For promotional purposes you would have had a chance in the 60': Lovely Miss Becca is listening to Decca (a record company). Aarrrgh, rubbish.

But I suppose your real name is Rebecca, isn't it?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: dulcimer42
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:28 PM

I'm a Sharon, and there just don't seem to be many of us in the younger generation. We were all over the place in the 50s. In my class of 24 in a little country school, there were 4 sharons and 2 karens. Today? Probably 0 at the entire local school, let alone in the songs being written.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: pdq
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:37 PM

In kindergarten, we must have had a girl named Sharon Sharalike. Heard about her a lot but don't recall seeing her.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 09:05 PM

Jennifer Juniper was Donovan? well well.....it has been a long time after all.

I don't remember any Sharons in my generation at school in a NSW country town. We had a Karen, and she pronounced her name with a long a, I have never come across that before or since.

Many of the girls I went to school with were called Jennifer. Or Joan, Judith, Jean, J names were very popular in the late 40s-early 50s. Helen, Susan, Wendy, Pamela, Yvonne - names I remember from high school.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Genie
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 03:22 AM

Gary, that "Entering Marion" song is hilarious!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:23 AM

To JennieG:

I believe you think of "Jennifer Eccles" by the Hollies.

Manfred

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:33 AM

To document the stereotype a bit further I googled "Fat Slags" - I misremembered, they're Sandra and Tracy, not Sharon and Tracy. The list of click-throughs Google thinks you might be interested in is a bit surprising.

Meanwhile there is more on the stereotype at http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/s.htm

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:56 PM

G'day Azizi,
About your "the name Shazz, Shazzy, and Shazza, as nicknames for Sharon", I've heard the first and last of your three (never "Shazzy", though) in Oz-speak. Mostly as part of overemphasising Ozness by lampooning it and mostly in the last 30 years.

Cheers, Rowan