The name Enya first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1989:
- 1991: 6 baby girls named Enya
- 1990: unlisted
- 1989: 5 baby girls named Enya [debut]
- 1988: unlisted
- 1987: unlisted
It was inspired by Irish vocalist Enya, whose second album, Watermark (1988), became an unexpected international hit thanks to its memorable lead single, “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” [vid]. The song ended up being nominated for two Grammy awards: Best New Age Performance and Best Music Video.
(New Age music began coming out in the 1960s, but the genre didn’t go mainstream until the 1980s. The first “New Age” Grammy was awarded in early 1987.)
Enya was born Eithne Ni Bhraonain in an Irish Gaelic-speaking area of County Donegal in 1961. The Irish name Eithne is thought to be based on an Old Irish word meaning “kernel, grain.” The singer began to go by “Enya,” an Anglicized spelling of her first name, in the early ’80s.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Enya?
Sources:
- Behind the Name
- New-age music – Wikipedia
- White, Timothy. “Enya: ‘Memory,’ Myth & Melody.” Billboard 25 Nov. 1995: 5.
P.S. Yanni is another New Age baby name…