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.
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
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
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