Baby Names for U2 Lovers – Joshua, Gloria, Jacob, Grace

U2 will be officially releasing its 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, in about a week. In honor of the occasion, I combed through the band’s earlier albums and compiled a list of U2-inspired baby names:

• Ann, from the song Crumbs From Your Table: “Sister Ann, she says / Dignity passes by” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, 2004).
• Cain, from the song In God’s Country: “I stand with the sons of Cain” (The Joshua Tree, 1987).
• Dorian, from the song The Ocean: “A picture in grey / Dorian Gray” (Boy, 1980).
• Elvis, in the song title Elvis Presley And America (The Unforgettable Fire, 1984).
• Gloria, from the song Gloria: “Gloria / In te Domine” (October, 1981).
• Grace, from the song Grace: “Grace, it’s a name for a girl / It’s also a thought that changed the world” (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2000).
• Jacob, from the song Bullet the Blue Sky: “Jacob wrestled the angel / And the angel was overcome” (The Joshua Tree, 1987).
• Joe, from the song Holy Joe: “Here it comes / Holy Joe” (Discothèque B-side, 1997).
• John, from the song I Fall Down: “Julie says, John I’m getting nowhere” (October, 1981). Also in the song Angel of Harlem: “We got John Coltrane and a love supreme” (Rattle and Hum, 1988).
• Johnny, from the song Mysterious Ways: “Johnny, take a walk with your sister the moon” (Achtung Baby, 1991).
• Joshua, in the album title The Joshua Tree (1987).
• Judy, from the song A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel: “Like Judy Garland, like Valentino / You give your life for rock n’ roll” (Angel of Harlem B-side, 1988).
• Julie, from the song I Fall Down: “Julie says, John I’m getting nowhere” (October, 1981).
• Michael, from the song The Playboy Mansion: “If coke is a mystery / Michael Jackson, history” (Pop, 1997).

The new album was “leaked” a few days ago, so all of the songs have already been posted to U2’s MySpace page. And, as it turns out, there’s another name in this bunch: Josephine, which is mentioned in the song Stand Up Comedy.

And don’t forget about Peter, the name of the boy featured on several of U2’s early album covers.

Finally, here are a few random U2 name facts for you:

• Bono’s real name is Paul.
• Edge’s real name is David.
• Larry Mullen, Jr. didn’t start off with a suffix…but he tacked one on after his father began receiving his (rockstar-sized) tax bills. [Just one of the possible drawbacks to passing a name down.]