KFC gives baby $11,000 because her parents named her after Colonel Sanders

KFC offered parents college tuition money to name their child after Colonel Sanders and someone actually did it.

We were half expecting a small white suit, tiny bow tie and miniature black-rimmed glasses — but to be honest, the baby who won the Harland Sanders naming contest looks super cute in her satin hair bow and floral dress.

Yes, this baby Harland is a girl.

» KFC offering college fund for first baby named for Colonel Sanders on Sept. 9

Let's back it up and see how we got here. KFC had a problem. The name of their founder isn't popular these days and is sort of dying out. In fact, the last time Harland cracked the top 1,000 names for American baby boys was about 70 years ago. According to BabyCenter.com, it dropped to 5,477 in 2018.

In an attempt to boost the sagging popularity of the name, Kentucky Fried Chicken offered a challenge in August: Be the first family to have a child on the Colonel's birthday (Sept. 9), and then name that baby Harland to receive $11,000 toward college tuition.

Where does the very specific winning price amount come from? It's related to the 11 herbs and spices used in the Colonel's world famous chicken recipe.

Now we know that at least one family took the bait. Harland Rose — who weighed in at 8 pounds and 1 ounce — won the prize.

For the record, her parents plan to call her "Harley."

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