Alt-rock baby names of the 1990s

Pearl Jam held a festival over Labor Day weekend to mark the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Ten.

The news reminded me that I’ve seen the name Vedder (the surname of Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder) in the U.S. baby name data.

But I didn’t see it in the SSA data of the early ’90s, which was when grunge band Pearl Jam was at the height of its fame. Nope — Vedder didn’t start popping up until more than a decade later:

• 2010: 7 baby boys named Vedder
• 2009: 6 baby boys named Vedder
• 2008: unlisted
• 2007: 6 baby boys named Vedder
• 2006: unlisted
• 2005: 5 baby boys named Vedder [debut]
• 2004: unlisted
• 2003: unlisted

The same thing happened to Cobain, surname of Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain:

• 2010: 8 baby boys named Cobain
• 2009: 5 baby boys named Cobain
• 2008: 7 baby boys named Cobain
• 2007: 5 baby boys named Cobain
• 2006: unlisted
• 2005: 6 baby boys named Cobain
• 2004: 5 baby boys named Cobain [debut]
• 2003: unlisted

And to Reznor, surname of Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor:

• 2010: 6 baby boys named Reznor
• 2009: 9 baby boys named Reznor
• 2008: 8 baby boys named Reznor
• 2007: unlisted
• 2006: 6 baby boys named Reznor
• 2005: unlisted
• 2004: 5 baby boys named Reznor [debut]
• 2003: unlisted

And to Weiland, surname of Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland:

• 2010: unlisted
• 2009: 5 baby boys named Weiland
• 2008: 7 baby boys named Weiland
• 2007: 7 baby boys named Weiland
• 2006: unlisted
• 2005: unlisted
• 2004: unlisted
• 2003: unlisted
• 2002: 8 baby boys named Weiland [debut]
• 2001: unlisted

Interesting, isn’t it? These names didn’t become trendy while the associated alt-rock acts were big, but they began seeing usage years later. As if the teens of the ’90s needed a few years to grow up and start having their own kids first.

Contrast this with names like Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye, and Shania. These names became popular on a much larger scale while the corresponding pop stars were hitting it big. Quite a difference.

Sources: Pearl Jam Fest Wows With Chris Cornell/Temple of The Dog, Multiple Guests – Billboard, SSA

Image: Adapted from Electric guitar (477101105) by Feliciano Guimarães under CC BY 2.0.