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As I am named Tammy. I don't know why there would be a burst of my name. I have grew to like my name over the years cause well My mom wanted to name me that and I was her only child. But I wouldn't give the name Tammy to a child today not even in an honoring way. I would use Tamsin or even Tamar.

Interestingly - popularity is as fickle as "clouds of dignity...held from falling with so weak a wind / That it will quickly drop (Henry IV 2 IV 5)."

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A little girl's doll "hast stol'n that which after some few hours were mine without offence (Henry IV 2 IV 5)." The grace by whom I fell is the grace that saved my place - which is quite an excursion for any boy to boast!

I don't know about all of them, but Tevin sounds like an early Kaden/ Braden. I'm more surprised that it was that high than it dropping suddenly.

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Nakia sounds like a cell phone company (Nokia). But the name was used way before cell phones became common.

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Tennille sounds like she was named after the duo Captain and Tennille. So it would be the same as naming a kid Presley after Elvis. Only a very dated version.

I don't know about Yulissa but a bunch of issa names had their surge of popularity centered on about 1997 (Carissa Karissa Larissa Marissa Alyssa).

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Tammy - I think it just went out of style. Started to sound mediocre. The way Kayla has done. Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband's scandals in the late 80s might've sealed its fate. Her name was a household word for a while. She had a particularly ridiculous appearance.

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Brittany - was a trendy name to begin with, but the rise of Britney Spears probably shortened its lifespan (Spears made the name seem less spiffy, and more trashy. Hit me baby one more time?)

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Chelsea - also a trendy name to begin with, and I suspect it might've had its lifespan cut much shorter by the election of Bill Clinton whose daughter was Chelsea. Kelsey might also have been negatively affected by the popularity of "Frasier" starring Kelsey Grammer (a man). But I feel less sure about that.

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Nakia - look at the submitted name page. http://www.behindthename.com/name/nakia/submitted

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Tevin, Nira, Tennille - others answered you

This message was edited 8/28/2015, 8:04 PM

Yulissa (#423 in 1997 and disappeared from the charts) I'm guessing it was superseded by Julissa. You see the y substituting for J a lot in Hispanic names, like Yoselin, Yessica, and Yulissa.
Tammy It just ran its course. All the Tammys grew up and had Brittanys.
Brittany: Burned too hot and burned itself out.
Chelsea/Kelsey: Same deal.
Tevin (in the '90's, got as high as #162) There was a popular r&b singer in the early nineties called Tevin Campbell. I guess some boys were named after him, or their names were inspired by his, and then people got tired of the Kevin/Tevin/Devin confusion.
Nakia (suddenly appeared for both genders in 1974, but soon dropped off completely for boys) I have never heard of this on a boy.
Nira (charted in 1933 only) There was something that FDR instituted called the National Industrial Recovery Act, abbreviated as Nira, so that might explain it's brief burst of use. The timing is about right.
Tennille (debuted in 1976 at #300) Probably got famous because of the Captain and Tennille, and then they faded away and so did the name.

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What's up with those name? The answer is that many people have neither taste nor talent. You should know that, having hung around here for a while.

Well, I can *maybe* explain Tevin and Tennille. In the 90's, there was an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell, and in the 70's, there was a pop duo called Captain & Tennille. Some people name their kids after musical acts they like.