REVEALED: The Most Influential Music Stars on Baby Names in England and Wales

In Particular, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Kanye West, & Beyonce Had Significant Influence on Baby Names in England and Wales Following Their Music Debuts

Following their music debuts, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Kanye West, and Beyonce had significant influence on baby names in England and Wales, new research has revealed.

As stockists of a wide range of jukebox machines, specialist games room retail Home Leisure Direct analysed baby name data from Office from National Statistics (ONS) to discover how some of the most popular music stars have influenced recent* baby name choices in England and Wales. 31 musicians’ names were analysed in total – 12 boy names and 19 girl names – including the likes of Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Avril Lavigne, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, and more.

2020

Looking at the most recent data (2020), the counts include:

RANK	Name	Gender	Associated music star	Count 2020
1	Olivia	Female	Olivia Rodrigo	3,640
2	Harry	Male	Harry Styles	3,209
3	Ezra	Male	George Ezra	1,105
4	Lewis	Male	Lewis Capaldi	478
5	Ariana	Female	Ariana Grande	359
6	Billie	Female	Billie Eilish	224
7	Dua	Female	Dua Lipa	204
8	Megan	Female	Megan Thee Stallion	201
9	Lana	Female	Lana Del Rey	194
10	Alicia	Female	Alicia Keys	147
11	Miley	Female	Miley Cyrus	132
12	Bruno	Male	Bruno Mars	102
13	Travis	Male	Travis Scott	91
14	Taylor	Female	Taylor Swift	69
15	Justin	Male	Justin Bieber	67
16	Christina	Female	Christina Aguilera	44
17	Adele	Female	Adele	42
18	Kendrick	Male	Kendrick Lamar	34
19	Rihanna	Female	Rihanna	31
20	Avril	Female	Avril Lavinge	15
21	Charli	Female	Charli XCX	13
22	Wayne	Male	Lil Wayne	13
23	Katy	Female	Katy Perry	13
24	Anne-Marie	Female	Anne-Marie	10
25	Britney	Female	Britney Spears	10
26	Drake	Male	Drake	3
27	Nicki	Female	Nicki Minaj	0
28	Usher	Male	Usher	0
29	Beyonce	Female	Beyonce	0
30	Ed	Male	Ed Sheeran	0
31	Kanye	Male	Kanye West	0

*RANK = within this specific research, not within overall ONS baby name data

Most influential since artists’ debut

Looking at the most ‘influential’ artists – the ones which increased the average number of babies being given their moniker each year following the artists’ debut, the findings revealed the following:

RANK	Name	Gender	Associated music star	Average yearly count pre-debut year	Average yearly count post-debut year	Percentage increase post-debut
1	Miley	Female	Miley Cyrus	0	241	n/a
2	Rihanna	Female	Rihanna	0	101	n/a
3	Kanye	Male	Kanye West	0	8	n/a
4	Beyonce	Female	Beyonce	0	5	n/a
5	Ezra	Male	George Ezra	57	812	+1,324.6%
6	Britney	Female	Britney Spears	4	45	+1,025%
7	Kendrick	Male	Kendrick Lamar	3	26	+766.7%
8	Ariana	Female	Ariana Grande	55	373	+578.2%
9	Dua	Female	Dua Lipa	16	108	+575%
10	Drake	Male	Drake	4	23	+475%
11	Bruno	Male	Bruno Mars	41	92	+124.4%
12	Ed	Male	Ed Sheeran	3	6	+100%
13	Avril	Female	Avril Lavigne	7	11	+57.1%
14	Lana	Female	Lana Del Rey	139	214	+54%
15	Billie	Female	Billie Eilish	118	162	+37.3%

Miley, Rihanna, Kanye, and Beyonce were the most influential artists overall, as 0 babies were named the monikers in England and Wales prior the artists’ debut (starting from 1996, as per the available ONS data):

• 
  Miley Cyrus has influenced 3,379 name choices since her debut in 2007
  • An average of 241 babies being given the moniker each year since her debut (in the 14 years spanning 2007-2020)
• Rihanna has influenced 1,613 name choices since her debut in 2005
  • An average of 101 babies being given the moniker each year since her debut (in the 16 years spanning 2005-2020)
• Kanye has influenced 142 name choices since his debut in 2003
  • An average of 8 babies being given the moniker each year since her debut (in the 18 years spanning 2003-2020)
• Beyonce has influenced 47 name choices since her debut with Destiny’s Child in 1998
  • An average of 5 babies being given the moniker each year since her debut (in the 23 years spanning 1998-2020)

Other music stars which have influenced the use of relevant baby names include George Ezra (+1,324.6% increase to average yearly uses since debut year), Britney Spears (+1,025%), Kendrick Lamar (+766.7%), Ariana Grande (+578.2%), Dua Lipa (+575%), Drake (+475%), Bruno Mars (+124.4%), Ed Sheeran (+100%), Avril Lavigne (+57.1%), Lana Del Rey (+54.0%), and Billie Eilish (+37.3%).

Andy Beresford, co-founder of Home Leisure Direct commented:

“Here at Home Leisure Direct, we sell wide range of jukeboxes – including modern and vintage machines, with choices of CD, vinyl, and digital. When it comes to choosing a baby name, inspiration can come from anywhere, so with this in mind we analysed baby name data from Office from National Statistics (ONS) to discover how various music stars have influenced recent* baby name choices in England and Wales.

“Looking at the most ‘influential’ artists, of which increased the average number of babies being given their moniker each year following the artists’ debut, our research found that Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Kanye West, and Beyonce had the most significant influence. George Ezra, Britney Spears, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Drake, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, Lana Del Rey, and Billie Eilish also had a positive influence”.

For more information on the research, visit: https://www.homeleisuredirect.com/blog/cool-stuff/influential-musician-baby-names.html