• fubo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    “Chad” is an old English name. In WWII, it was used by British soldiers in a form of the “Kilroy was here” meme. It was not common in the US prior to the 1940s, so we can hazard a guess that Americans picked it up from Brits during WWII.

    It peaked in popularity for baby boys in the early 1970s. Around 20 years later, it became identified as a stereotypical name for an upper-class “frat boy” in Chicago. The more recent slang usage is a distant descendant of that usage.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_(name)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here

    • Z3k3@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The fact it was old English kinda blows my mind. I’m from Scotland and never once heard it. Interesting read thank you