Nowadays we can personalise almost every facet of our lives, from bespoke jewellery to made-to-measure furniture, putting our own personal twist on things allows us to express our individuality. This made us think about the most personal things that we could add an extra level of individuality to, and the obvious answer was our names.
Often we’ll choose names that our relatives or close friends might have, or we’ll pick from the traditional names of our own local culture. However, there has been a rising trend of naming babies after things that we’re just really interested in. This can include our most-loved characters from books, film or TV (thinking of you Arya Stark!), to things such as our favourite places, foods, or even brands, but what about our favourite musicians?
As our taste in music is such a personal and intimate thing, we thought it was only natural that we might name our children after the artists whose music has touched us the most. With that in mind, we’ve found the most popular music-themed names for boys and girls in both the UK and the USA. Let’s take a look!
The most popular musical baby names in the USA
- Drake
In first place, with 23,977 baby boys named after him, is Drake. One of the biggest and most influential rappers of all time, Drake remains a popular artist ten years after the release of his first studio album. With multiple number one hits, four Grammy Awards and a host of other accolades, Drake’s music has a wide and popular appeal to this day. It’s no wonder that his name has become a popular choice for parents.
- Jonas
The Jonas Brothers take second place with 13,627 boys taking Jonas as their first name. Brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick first found popularity performing on the Disney channel and released four albums before splitting up in 2013. They have since released a fifth album in 2019 “Happiness Begins” which topped the US Billboard 200, proving that their fans are as dedicated as ever. This dedication seems to have spilled over into fans’ choice of baby names, turning the sibling’s family name into a popular choice of first name.
- Prince
Taking third place with 10,374 babies taking his name is the legendary Prince, whose music blew away an entire generation and has since influenced musicians across the world. Prince’s flamboyant androgynous style pushed the boundaries of acceptability in many households, and his music was equally groundbreaking. An iconic artist whose impact on the world of music will continue well into the future, he’s certainly earned his name’s popularity.
The top ten musical baby girl’s names in the USA:
- Miley
The most popular musical moniker for girls in the USA is Miley, with 11,974 baby girls taking the name. Miley Cyrus started her career on the Disney Channel as Hannah Montana. Following her success with Disney, Miley Cyrus’ music career continued to attract millions of fans. Often perceived as living the wild life of a rockstar, Miley has never been afraid of saying what she thinks. With a personality this big and such widely appreciated music, her name has become incredibly popular among parents.
- Demi
In second place we have Demi Lovato, with 6,834 babies sharing the same first name. First rising to fame for her appearances in the musical film Camp Rock and its sequel, Demi’s musical prowess led her to develop a highly successful career as an artist in her own right, also appearing in several major films and television series, both as an actor and voice-actor including Glee, Will & Grace, and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
- Rihanna
In third place, we have Rihanna with 5,825 babies sharing her name. One of the most recognisable names, faces and voices in music, it’s fair to say that Rihanna has become something of a global icon. Having touched so many people with her music, it’s no surprise that her name has become such a popular choice.
Musical Monikers in the UK
The top ten musical baby boy’s names in the UK:
- Lennon
In first place, the most popular musical boy’s name in the UK is Lennon, with 4,289 baby boys taking the name. Needing little introduction, John Lennon was a pioneering musician, with The Beatles being one of the most well-known and influential bands of all time.
- Prince
Claiming second place with 1,361 babies taking his name in the UK, Prince is in the top three for both the UK and the USA. Prince’s popularity transcends borders, resonating with people across the world, and will do so for many years to come.
- Jonas
After coming second for US boy’s names, the Jonas Brothers continue their success streak in the UK, claiming third place with 1,237 baby boys taking their name. Having reformed the band in 2019, future releases could see Jonas continuing to grow as a popular boy’s name on both sides of the Atlantic.
The top ten musical baby girl’s names in the UK:
- Demi
The UK’s most popular musical baby name is Demi with 6,333 babies being given the name. This gives Demi Lovato a top-three place in both the UK and the USA, showing how well her music translates across cultures.
- Miley
Another name that has proven popular in both countries, 3,247 babies were named Miley in the UK. Regardless of whether this is due to her musical TV career as Hannah Montana or her later recording career, Miley Cyrus is clearly an incredibly influential artist whose music is enjoyed by millions.
- Billie
Taking third place is Billie Eilish, with 2,153 babies being named Billie in the UK. Billie Eilish has taken the music world by storm, with her distinctive sound and fashion style being a major hit with audiences of all types. She’s quickly become a household name for music fans and in 2020 even performed the theme song for the James Bond film “No Time to Die”.
So, have these musical monikers inspired you to rethink your potential choices of baby names? Would you consider naming your children after your favourite musicians?
See below for expanded results of the most popular musical baby names in the UK and USA.
The top 40 musical baby names in the USA
The UK top 40 musical baby names
Methodology
We wanted to find out which musicians and bands inspired the most parents to name their children after them. Using government data, we looked at baby names for boys and girls in both the UK and the USA from 2000 to 2019.
We then built a list of popular and successful musicians and bands, sourcing them from a wide mix of online publications. We then identified potential baby names from the artists’ names and searched those names against the baby name data. This allowed us to see which artists were the most popular choices for people when naming their children after famous musicians.
Sources
UK baby name data – ons.gov.uk
USA baby name data – data.gov
Musician/artist sources:
rollingstone.com
imdb.com
mojo4music.com
theguardian.com
npr.org
thedelite.com
spinditty.com
top40weekly.com/top-50-artists-of-2020/
top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-00s/
top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-10s/
top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-90s/
top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-80s/
top40weekly.com/top-100-artists-of-the-70s/
udiscovermusic.com
billboard.com
thetoptens.com/electronic/best-electronic-artists/
thetoptens.com/best-grime-artists/
classical-music.com