July 20 is National Natalie Day

National Natalie Day

Every July 20 is celebrated as National Natalie Day. Natalie is a popular name in England and France. It is derived from the Latin phrase “Natale Domini,” which means the “birth of the Lord.”

According to NationalDay.com, there are 146,000 people in the US  named Natalie. It is one of the 100 most popular girls’ names in America over the past century, according to the Social Security Administration.

Natalie is becoming increasingly more popular. The name has been slowly rising on the US charts since the 1960s, reaching its peak in 2008 at the number 13 spot. In 2022, Natalie was ranked as the 92nd most popular name for baby girls.

National Natalie Day coincides with the birth date of actress Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, also known as Natalie Wood. Wood was born on July 20 in 1938, and she was raised by her Russian immigrant parents who had fled the civil war. She started acting to support her low income family. She signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and starred in “Miracle on 34th Street” in 1947, which became a critical and commercial box office hit. Other notable roles include “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955) and “West Side Story” (1961, which solidified her A-list status. She died in 1981 after a drowning accident.

Other famous Natalies include Academy Award winning actress Natalie Portman and singers Natalie Maines (The Chicks), Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs) and Natalie Imbruglia.

So celebrate the Natalie in your life today. A special shout-out to the Leader-Union editor’s favorite Nat – her niece, Natalie Wiedle, 15 months, of rural Sandoval, pictured.