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Choosing what to call a child can be somewhat of a tall order. Despite the weight of deciding something so monumental, 35 percent of parents reported that naming their baby was the most exciting part of their pregnancy.
Some parents choose to continue vintage family names, while others look toward modern, trendier options. Pop culture remains another strong source of inspiration. Parents who want to highlight their affinity for pop culture but don’t want a little Loki or Daenerys running around may be inspired by music rather than television or movies.
Using data provided by the Social Security Administration in 2021, 24/7 Tempo determined the most popular music-inspired baby names in the United States. Some of the monikers reflect musical terms and characteristics (Harmony, for example), while others are a nod to famous musicians and songs.
The Most Popular Music-Inspired Baby Names
Name | Number of Boys with the Name | Number of Girls with the Name |
|---|---|---|
Sebastian | 8867 | 12 |
Harper | 149 | 8388 |
Dylan | 6718 | 534 |
Aria | 20 | 6348 |
Layla | 7 | 6303 |
Miles | 5694 | 17 |
Waylon | 4624 | 30 |
Axel | 4516 | 13 |
Delilah | 0 | 3735 |
Aaliyah | 0 | 3588 |
Piper | 8 | 2727 |
Jude | 2491 | 126 |
Melody | 0 | 2449 |
Cecilia | 0 | 2085 |
Norah | 0 | 1780 |
Lennon | 1268 | 399 |
Harmony | 0 | 1499 |
Selena | 0 | 1443 |
Cash | 1395 | 9 |
Nico | 1351 | 35 |
The top musically themed baby name was Sebastian. Classical music fans could look to celebrated composer Johann Sebastian Bach; Disney fans could interpret it as an homage to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid (1989). Either way: It’s musical on all accounts!
Harper—which is likely derivative of the harp, a popular instrument—placed second. Dylan, which came in third, refers to none other than famous singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The name wasn’t particularly popular in the U.S. before he reached the height of his fame in the 1960s. Selena, like Sebastian, could have two sources of inspiration: The late queen of Tejano music, who died in 1995, or Selena Gomez.
There are several references to song titles on the list, too. Delilah comes from the Plain White T’s 2006 single (or maybe the 1967 Tom Jones hit); Jude from the 1968 Beatles song; and Cecilia from the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel tune.
As more parents mine pop culture for their music-inspired baby names in the coming years, maybe we’ll see some Ke$has and Gagas in future kindergarten classrooms.