The word-name Oasis — which refers to a fertile region in a desert (or, by extension, a peaceful place amid commotion) — first surfaced in the U.S. baby name data in the mid-1990s:
- 1999: 8 baby girls named Oasis
- 1998: 8 baby girls named Oasis
- 1997: 10 baby girls named Oasis
- 1996: unlisted
- 1995: 8 baby girls named Oasis [debut]
- 1994: unlisted
Why?
Because of the English rock band Oasis.
They released their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. The album’s first single, “Supersonic,” didn’t chart in the U.S., but…it happens to be my favorite Oasis song, so that’s the music video I’ll embed. :)
The band’s second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), ended up becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. Morning Glory included Oasis’s biggest single, “Wonderwall,” which peaked at #8 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in March of 1996.
So how did the band — centered around brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher — come to have the name “Oasis”?
Back in 1991, when Liam was in a band called “The Rain” and Noel was working as a roadie, the band that Noel was working for played a gig at a venue called the Oasis Leisure Centre (in Swindon). Liam saw the name of the venue on a tour poster and, liking the word oasis, decided to changed his own band’s name to “Oasis.” Later on, Noel joined Liam’s band. And the rest is history.
What are your thoughts on Oasis as a baby name?
Sources: Diary: Liam returns to the Oasis, Oasis – Mad for Swindon, Oasis – Online Etymology Dictionary, List of best-selling albums – Wikipedia