Musician Baby Names

Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even further than that. Queen was a noted name among enslaved people in America, along with other royal choices such as Duke, Squire, and Prince.

When Kate Hudson named her second son Bingham and announced that she would be calling him Bing, it put this zingy nickname name out on the table. Before that, there was only one, further nicknamed Der Bingle -- and he was really Harry Lillis Crosby.

Less appealing than some other Irish surnames, such as Malone and Sullivan, unless used as a tribute to jazz musician Gerry. There could be some Mulligan stew teasing.

Sounds like and is often confused with Asia, though it has an air of retro cool via the seminal Steely Dan album. Or, pronounced eye-ah, it can be an alternate spelling of the international favorite Aya.

A melodic choice for lullaby-lovers.

Surname that is occasionally used as a given name in tribute to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

A rising surname name for girls — it's overwhelmingly feminine, despite the association with Kenny Chesney.

Romantic Italian choice.

Many will associate Rihanna with the Barbados-born singer, known mononymously by her middle name. During her early years of fame, when "Umbrella" was on the radio and "Take a Bow" was playing through the iPod Shuffle, the name shot up the charts in the US, UK, France, and Puerto Rico. Though the name did fall out of the charts as rapidly as it entered and while some parents might feel it is way too tied to the mid-2000s, Rihanna was given to 165 babies in 2023.

There's still only one.

Basie is a fabulous jazz name to honor the Count, whose birth name was William, the influential pianist, organist, bandleader and composer who led his band for almost fifty years.

A daring middle name possibility for classical concertgoers. Alternatives are Wolfgang and Amadeus.

Diminutive of Andre. Associated with the rapper Dr. Dre.

There's only one. Okay, two.

One of the rare cases where spelling a name with a y makes it less rather than more feminine. Birdie might be the freshest choice in this aviary.

A simple, self-possessed, somewhat serious surname, which might work better as a middle.

Destined to remain a one-person name -- in this country anyway.

Association with the Irish singer-activist and the good things conjured up by the syllable 'bon', could inspire some parents to consider this name.

Naples-born Enrico Caruso was one of the greatest opera singers of all time. Recordings of his powerful singing voice are still in circulation today, nearly 100 years after his death.

When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice, with the nice three-syllable lilt of of such other Irish surnames as Finnegan and Flanagan. It can also be spelled Morrisey.