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

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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:

RANKNameGenderAssociated music starCount 2020
1OliviaFemaleOlivia Rodrigo3,640
2HarryMaleHarry Styles3,209
3EzraMaleGeorge Ezra1,105
4LewisMaleLewis Capaldi478
5ArianaFemaleAriana Grande359
6BillieFemaleBillie Eilish224
7DuaFemaleDua Lipa204
8MeganFemaleMegan Thee Stallion201
9LanaFemaleLana Del Rey194
10AliciaFemaleAlicia Keys147
11MileyFemaleMiley Cyrus132
12BrunoMaleBruno Mars102
13TravisMaleTravis Scott91
14TaylorFemaleTaylor Swift69
15JustinMaleJustin Bieber67
16ChristinaFemaleChristina Aguilera44
17AdeleFemaleAdele42
18KendrickMaleKendrick Lamar34
19RihannaFemaleRihanna31
20AvrilFemaleAvril Lavinge15
21CharliFemaleCharli XCX13
22WayneMaleLil Wayne13
23KatyFemaleKaty Perry13
24Anne-MarieFemaleAnne-Marie10
25BritneyFemaleBritney Spears10
26DrakeMaleDrake3
27NickiFemaleNicki Minaj0
28UsherMaleUsher0
29BeyonceFemaleBeyonce0
30EdMaleEd Sheeran0
31KanyeMaleKanye West0

*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:

RANKNameGenderAssociated music starAverage yearly count pre-debut yearAverage yearly count post-debut yearPercentage increase post-debut
1MileyFemaleMiley Cyrus0241n/a
2RihannaFemaleRihanna0101n/a
3KanyeMaleKanye West08n/a
4BeyonceFemaleBeyonce05n/a
5EzraMaleGeorge Ezra57812+1,324.6%
6BritneyFemaleBritney Spears445+1,025%
7KendrickMaleKendrick Lamar326+766.7%
8ArianaFemaleAriana Grande55373+578.2%
9DuaFemaleDua Lipa16108+575%
10DrakeMaleDrake423+475%
11BrunoMaleBruno Mars4192+124.4%
12EdMaleEd Sheeran36+100%
13AvrilFemaleAvril Lavigne711+57.1%
14LanaFemaleLana Del Rey139214+54%
15BillieFemaleBillie Eilish118162+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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