Thanks to the United States Social Security Administration, we know there are more Rhiannons than Ajas, there are just a smattering of Sharonas, and Delilah is more popular than ever.
Not every song created a baby bump. For instance, there was no significant increase in Athenas, Valeries or Elviras after those songs hit in the early '80s, and Little Richard didn't reverse the downward trend of Lucille, but these songs led to a measurable uptick in the names from their titles.
Not every song created a baby bump. For instance, there was no significant increase in Athenas, Valeries or Elviras after those songs hit in the early '80s, and Little Richard didn't reverse the downward trend of Lucille, but these songs led to a measurable uptick in the names from their titles.
Aja (Steely Dan - 1977)
Peak baby name year: 1978 with 491, making most Ajas 47
Estimated number of Ajas in America: 8,000
"Aja" (pronounced "Asia") was the title track to Steely Dan's 1977 album. Donald Fagen got the name from a high school friend whose brother was in the army and came back with a Korean wife named Aja, although he wasn't sure how she spelled it.
These days, there are about 50 Ajas born every year. Notable Ajas include:
Aja Naomi King (actress, How to Get Away with Murder)
Aja Volkman (lead singer of the band Nico Vega)
Aja Evans (Olympic bobsledder)
Aja Pecknold (manager of the band Fleet Foxes, fronted by her brother Robin)
"Aja" Songfacts entry
Amanda (Boston - 1986)
Peak baby name year: 1987 with 41,856, making most Amandas about 37
Estimated number of Amandas in America: 750,000
Amanda was already a pretty popular name when Boston's 1986 song was a #1 hit. They gave it an extra boost, but the name went downhill fast after that.
Boston's songs, including "Amanda," were written by their guitarist, Tom Scholz, who was more concerned with flow than story. The name is extremely singable, with all those delicious A sounds, giving frontman Brad Delp plenty to work with. Rule of thumb: the more singable a name in a song is, the more likely it's not inspired by a real person.
These days, there are about 600 Amandas born every year. Notable Amandas include:
Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!)
Amanda Gorman (poet, inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate)
Amanda Beard (Olympic gold medalist swimmer)
Amanda Nunes (UFC mixed martial artist)
"Amanda" Songfacts entry
Bernadette (The Four Tops - 1967)
Peak baby name year: 1958 with 1,494, making most Bernadettes about 67
Estimated number of Bernadettes in America: 80,000
Lamont Dozier, who co-wrote this Motown classic, had a crush on a girl named Bernadette, who inspired the song.
There was a Bernadette bump from the 1967 Four Tops song, but that name was most popular in the '50s. It started trending higher in 2010 after the character Bernadette (played by Melissa Rauch) was introduced on The Big Bang Theory. There's a scene in a 2009 episode where her love interest Howard sings an altered version of the song to her as an apology, and it wins her heart.
These days, there are about 185 Bernadettes born every year. The most famous woman with that name (not counting Saint Bernadette) is Broadway star Bernadette Peters.
"Bernadette" Songfacts entry
Delilah (Tom Jones - 1968, Plain White T's - 2005)
Peak baby name year: 2024 with 4,031
Estimated number of Delilahs in America: 55,000
Tom Jones' "Delilah" didn't move the needle on baby names when it was released in 1968, maybe because she gets murdered in the song. But after Plain White T's released "Hey There Delilah" in 2005, the name caught on, and it's been trending upward since. With about 10 times as many (4,031) born in 2024 than in 2004 (464).
Plain White T's frontman Tom Higgenson happened to have a crush on one of the few Delilahs around: a steeplechase runner named Delilah DiCrescenzo. They never got together romantically, but she was his date at the Grammy Awards when it was nominated for Song Of The Year.
These days, there are about 4,000 Delilahs born every year. Notable Delilahs include:
Delilah Hamlin (model and reality TV star, daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin)
Delilah Rene (radio host)
Delilah Cotto (actress, dancer, and model)
"Delilah" Songfacts entry
Isis (Bob Dylan - 1976)
Peak baby name year: 2005 with 563, making most Isises about 20
Estimated number of Isises in America: 11,000
In Bob Dylan's 1976 song, Isis is a proxy for Sara, his wife. The song is seen as an allegory for the crumbling of their marriage. There were fewer than five babies named Isis born in 1976, but 87 in 1977 and 72 in 1978. The name became a lot more popular in the 2000s though, before dropping off dramatically around 2013 when the terrorist organization ISIS was in the news.
By the way, the name Dylan started trending in the early '90s, peaking in 2001 with 16,496. We know at least a few that are named after Bob, and maybe someday we'll meet one with a daughter named Isis.
These days, there are about 228 Isises born every year. Notable Isises include:
Isis King (model, actress, and fashion designer)
Isis Anchalee (software engineer and founder of #ILookLikeAnEngineer)
Isis Gaston (real name of rapper Ice Spice)
"Isis" Songfacts entry
Jolene (Dolly Parton - 1973)
Peak baby name year: 1974 with 1,052, making most Jolenes about 51
Estimated number of Jolenes in America: 37,000
Dolly Parton started a trend with her 1973 song Jolene, about woman who steals her man. The name came from a young fan who asked for an autograph. When Parton asked her name, she responded, "Jolene."
"That is pretty," Parton said. "That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that."
The name nosedived in the '80s but came back in the 2010s as Parton's career reached new heights.
These days, there are about 550 Jolenes born every year. Notable Jolenes include:
Jolene Blalock (actress, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Jolene Anderson (Australian actress and singer)
Jolene Purdy (actress, Orange Is the New Black, Under the Dome)
"Jolene" Songfacts entry
Layla (Derek & the Dominos - 1970)
Peak baby name year: 2013 with 6,479, making most Laylas about 12
Estimated number of Laylas in America: 110,000
There were hardly any Laylas when Eric Clapton released the song in 1970 as a member of his band Derek & the Dominos, but soon there were about 100 born every year. It got a lot more popular in the 2010s, when the name was given to about 5,000 baby girls every year.
The name comes from an ancient poem called Layla and Majnun by the Persian author Nizami, which is based on a story that goes back to the 7th century. Layla is a stand-in for Pattie Harrison, wife of one of Clapton's best friends, George Harrison. Clapton was having an affair with Pattie (George knew about it and was sort-of OK with it) and wrote the song to express his love. They ended up getting married in 1977, and although they divorced 12 years later, Pattie inspired another Clapton classic: "Wonderful Tonight."
These days, there are about 6,000 Laylas born every year. Notable Laylas include:
Layla Summers (daughter of Andy Summers of The Police)
Layla El (professional wrestler)
Layla Spring (singer)
"Layla" Songfacts entry
Maggie (Rod Stewart - 1971)
Peak baby name year: 2007 with 1,872, making most Maggies about 17
Estimated number of Maggies in America: 59,000
We're going to give Rod Stewart credit for reviving the name Maggie. When his song "Maggie May" was a #1 hit in 1971, the name had been declining for years, but Stewart's song sent it on an upward trajectory that didn't peak until 2007.
The song is about a real woman, but Stewart never knew her name - he was 16 when she deflowered him at a jazz festival. For the name, Stewart drew on "Maggie Mae," a bawdy English folk song. In the song, she's just Maggie, even though the title is "Maggie May." Stewart liked the play on words the title created, sometimes introducing the song by saying, "This is 'Maggie May' - sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't."
These days, there are about 1,000 Maggies born every year. Notable Maggies include:
Maggie Gyllenhaal (actress and director)
Maggie Rogers (singer-songwriter)
Maggie Lawson (actress, Psych)
"Maggie May" Songfacts entry
Mandy (Barry Manilow - 1974)
Peak baby name year: 1978 with 3,109, making most Mandys about 47
Estimated number of Mandys in America: 48,000
This song unquestionably led to a run of Mandys. There were about 500 born every year before it was released in 1974, and a few years later that number was about 3000. It declined quickly though, and by 1990 was back to 500.
"Mandy" is a remake of a 1971 song called "Brandy" that was a UK hit for the singer "Scott English." Barry Manilow changed the name so it wouldn't get confused with "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by The Looking Glass.
These days, there are about 200 Mandys born every year. Notable Mandys include:
Mandy Moore (singer, actress, and star of This Is Us)
Mandy Barnett (country singer)
Mandy Gonzalez (Broadway actress and singer)
"Mandy" Songfacts entry
Michelle (The Beatles - 1965)
Peak baby name year: 1969 with 34,322, making most Michelles about 56
Estimated number of Michelles in America: 945,000
A Beatles accomplishment you rarely hear about: They doubled the number of Michelles born every year. In 1965 when they released their Rubber Soul cut "Michelle," 16,205 little girls were given that name. In 1967 it was 30,936. The name started declining in the '70s, and now it's not a popular choice.
The song is about a guy who tries to express his love for a French girl (Michelle) but only knows a few words in the language. Paul McCartney found a French speaker to help with the lyric. Paul knew he wanted a girl's name as the title, and "Michelle" anchored a good rhyme scheme:
Michelle, ma belle
These are words that go together well
These days, there are about 800 Michelles born every year. Notable Michelles include:
Michelle Obama
Michelle Pfeiffer (actress, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Frankie and Johnny)
Michelle Yeoh (actress, Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Michelle Kwan (Olympic figure skater)
Michelle Rodriguez (actress, Fast & Furious franchise)
"Michelle" Songfacts entry
Ophelia (The Lumineers - 2016)
Peak baby name year: 2024 with about 1200
Estimated number of Ophelias in America: 16,000
We can thank William Shakespeare for bringing the name Ophelia into vogue in the 1800s, but until the Lumineers released their song in 2016, it was a rarity. The name is more popular than ever, but still uncommon, maybe because Shakespeare's Ophelia (Spoiler alert!) dies at the end of Hamlet.
Ophelia is one of those extremely singable names, which is why The Lumineers chose it. They're not the first to use the name: Tori Amos, The Band and Natalie Merchant all have songs called "Ophelia."
These days, there are about 1,200 Ophelias born every year. Notable Ophelias include:
Ophelia Lovibond (actress, Guardians of the Galaxy and Minx)
Ophelia Benson (author, journalist)
"Ophelia" Songfacts entry
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac - 1975)
Peak baby name year: 1999 with 621, making most Rhiannons about 26
Estimated number of Rhiannons in America: 13,000
There were a negligible number of Rhiannons when Fleetwood Mac released their song in 1975, but in 1977, about 500 of them were conjured up. Stevie Nicks got the name from a book called Triad by Mary Leader, where a woman believes she is being possessed by the spirit of a Rhiannon. The name stuck around, then surged in 1999, two years after Fleetwood Mac launched their reunion tour and live album The Dance, which of course included the song.
These days, there are about 175–200 Rhiannons born every year. Notable Rhiannons include:
Rhiannon Giddens (musician)
Rhiannon Jeffrey (Olympic gold medalist swimmer)
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn (actress, The Last Mimzy)
"Rhiannon" Songfacts entry
Rosanna (Toto - 1982)
Peak baby name year: 1983 with 488, making most Rosannas about 42
Estimated number of Rosannas in America: 14,000–15,000
Toto caused a spike in Rosannas with their 1982 hit, which is about the actress Rosanna Arquette. She was dating the band's keyboard player, Steve Porcaro. It was written by group leader David Paich, who probably wouldn't have bothered if her name was Gertrude.
These days, there are about 60 Rosannas born every year. Notable Rosannas include:
Rosanna Scotto (news anchor)
Rosanna DeSoto (actress, Stand and Deliver)
"Rosanna" Songfacts entry
Sharona (The Knack - 1979)
Peak baby name year: 1980 with 68, making most Sharonas about 45
Estimated number of Sharonas in America: 88
Sharona is a very unusual name. There were maybe 100 of them floating around in 1979, but one of them, Sharona Alperin, aroused the interest of The Knack lead singer Doug Fieger, who wrote their hit "My Sharona" about her. Those 68 Sharonas born the following year had to have a thick skin - it's impossible to meet one and not think of the song.
These days, there are less than five Sharonas born every year. Notable Sharonas include:
Sharona BenTov Muir (poet and author)
Sharona Bakker (Dutch hurdler)
"My Sharona" Songfacts entry
May 23, 2025
Here's our list of songs with girl's names in the titles
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