How popular is the baby name Taylor in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Taylor.

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Popularity of the baby name Taylor


Posts that mention the name Taylor

Top first letters of baby names in the U.S., 2021

Which first letters were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2021?

Top first letters for girl names: A, E, M

For baby girls, the most-used first letter was A, followed by E and M. The least-used first letter was U.

Graph of first letter popularity for U.S. baby girl names, 2021

The most popular girl names per letter were…

  • A-names (over 273,100 baby girls): Amelia, Ava, Abigail, Avery, Aria, Aurora
  • B-names (over 49,300): Brooklyn, Bella, Brielle, Blakely, Bailey, Brianna
  • C-names (over 93,100): Charlotte, Camila, Chloe, Claire, Caroline, Cora
  • D-names (over 40,300): Delilah, Daisy, Diana, Daniela, Delaney, Dakota
  • E-names (over 155,300): Emma, Evelyn, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Ella, Emily
  • F-names (over 16,500): Freya, Faith, Finley, Fiona, Fatima, Frances
  • G-names (over 42,900): Gianna, Grace, Genesis, Gabriella, Genevieve, Georgia
  • H-names (over 54,900): Harper, Hazel, Hannah, Hailey, Hadley, Harmony
  • I-names (over 44,100): Isabella, Isla, Ivy, Iris, Isabelle, Isabel
  • J-names (over 73,500): Josephine, Jade, Julia, Josie, Juniper, Jasmine
  • K-names (over 89,100): Kinsley, Kennedy, Kaylee, Kehlani, Katherine, Kylie
  • L-names (over 115,300): Luna, Layla, Lily, Leah, Lucy, Lillian
  • M-names (over 143,500): Mia, Mila, Madison, Maya, Madelyn, Madeline
  • N-names (over 58,800): Nora, Nova, Naomi, Natalie, Natalia, Nevaeh
  • O-names (over 30,200): Olivia, Olive, Oakley, Oaklynn, Octavia, Ophelia
  • P-names (over 37,600): Penelope, Paisley, Piper, Peyton, Parker, Presley
  • Q-names (over 4,100): Quinn, Quincy, Queen, Quinley, Quetzalli, Quinnley
  • R-names (over 74,800): Riley, Ruby, Rylee, Raelynn, Rose, Remi
  • S-names (over 116,400): Sophia, Sofia, Scarlett, Stella, Savannah, Skylar
  • T-names (over 24,200): Taylor, Teagan, Trinity, Tatum, Tessa, Talia
  • U-names (over 600): Unique, Uma, Ulani, Una, Unknown, Unity
  • V-names (over 32,400): Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian, Valerie, Valeria
  • W-names (over 14,700): Willow, Wren, Winter, Wynter, Willa, Wrenley
  • X-names (over 4,500): Ximena, Xiomara, Xyla, Xena, Xochitl, Xitlali
  • Y-names (over 7,600): Yaretzi, Yara, Yareli, Yasmin, Yamileth, Yuna
  • Z-names (over 29,100): Zoey, Zoe, Zuri, Zara, Zariah, Zelda

Top first letters for boy names: J, A, L

For baby boys, the most-used first letter was J, followed by A and L. The least-used first letter was U.

Graph of first letter popularity for U.S. baby boy names, 2021

The most popular boy names per letter were…

  • A-names (over 178,600 baby boys): Alexander, Asher, Aiden, Anthony, Andrew, Adrian
  • B-names (over 86,600): Benjamin, Brooks, Bennett, Beau, Bryson, Brayden
  • C-names (over 123,000): Carter, Charles, Caleb, Christopher, Cameron, Cooper
  • D-names (over 85,000): Daniel, David, Dylan, Dominic, Declan, Damian
  • E-names (over 108,700): Elijah, Ethan, Ezra, Elias, Ezekiel, Eli
  • F-names (over 20,500): Finn, Felix, Finley, Francisco, Fernando, Finnegan
  • G-names (over 53,500): Grayson, Gabriel, Greyson, Gael, Giovanni, George
  • H-names (over 50,000): Henry, Hudson, Hunter, Harrison, Hayden, Hayes
  • I-names (over 31,500): Isaac, Isaiah, Ian, Ivan, Israel, Ismael
  • J-names (over 202,800): James, Jack, Jackson, Jacob, John, Joseph
  • K-names (over 93,400): Kai, Kayden, Kingston, Kaiden, Kevin, King
  • L-names (over 133,400): Liam, Lucas, Levi, Logan, Leo, Luke
  • M-names (over 126,700): Mateo, Michael, Mason, Matthew, Maverick, Miles
  • N-names (over 57,400): Noah, Nathan, Nolan, Nicholas, Nathaniel, Nicolas
  • O-names (over 38,800): Oliver, Owen, Oscar, Omar, Orion, Odin
  • P-names (over 23,700): Parker, Patrick, Peter, Preston, Phoenix, Paxton
  • Q-names (over 3,100): Quinn, Quentin, Quincy, Quinton, Quintin, Quinten
  • R-names (over 82,800): Ryan, Roman, Robert, Rowan, River, Ryder
  • S-names (over 70,300): Sebastian, Samuel, Santiago, Silas, Sawyer, Steven
  • T-names (over 59,200): Theodore, Thomas, Thiago, Theo, Tyler, Tucker
  • U-names (over 2,500): Uriel, Uriah, Ulises, Ulysses, Uziel, Umar
  • V-names (over 11,000): Vincent, Victor, Valentino, Vincenzo, Vicente, Vihaan
  • W-names (over 49,100): William, Wyatt, Waylon, Wesley, Weston, Walker
  • X-names (over 7,200): Xavier, Xander, Xzavier, Xavion, Xavien, Xavian
  • Y-names (over 8,200): Yusuf, Yosef, Yehuda, Yousef, Yahir, Yisroel
  • Z-names (over 26,900): Zion, Zachary, Zayden, Zane, Zayn, Zander

Name quotes #107

double quotation mark

From a 2020 Facebook post by The Pioneer Woman, Anne Marie “Ree” Drummond (found via Mashed):

Happy Father’s Day to my father-in-law, whom I love, my own dad, whom I adore, and my husband Ladd, pictured here with our first child (who was conceived on our honeymoon, btw…sorry if that’s TMI, we almost named her Sydney but changed our mind because we didn’t want her to have to explain it her whole life).

(They ended up naming her Alex.)

A 2017 tweet by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the daughter of South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, India Rhodes (b. 2015), who was named in honor of the country:

Happy birthday to India, from India. :)

From a 1935 article about baby names in a newspaper from Perth, Australia:

After Amy Johnson (Mrs. J. A. Mollison) made her wonderful flight to Australia it seemed that every baby girl was being named “Amy.” They were comparatively lucky. “Amy” is rather a nice name, but what about the unfortunate boys who were called “Lindbergh” or “Lindy” in 1927 to commemorate the young American’s lone Atlantic flight?

Amy Johnson newspaper article 1935

(I don’t have any Australian baby name data that goes back to the late 1920s — Amy Johnson‘s solo flight from England to Australia was in 1930 — but, anecdotally, most of the Australian Amys I’m seeing in the records were born decades before the flight.)

From an article about Taylor Swift in GQ:

Swift mentions that she wrote a non-autobiographical novel when she was 14, titled A Girl Named Girl, and that her parents still have it. I ask her what it was about, assuming she will laugh. But her memory of the plot is remarkably detailed. (It’s about a mother who wants a son but instead has a girl.)

From a biography of North Carolina businessman Edward James Parrish in the book Makers of America: Biographies of Leading Men of Thought and Action, vol. II (1916):

Colonel Parrish was born near Round Hill Post Office, then in Orange County (now Durham County), on October 20, 1846, son of Colonel Doctor Claiborn and Ruthy Anne (Ward) Parrish. His father had the peculiar given name of Doctor because he was a seventh son, in accordance with the old belief that the seventh son has the gift of healing.

From an article about Irish TV personality Vogue Williams:

Everyone thinks I made up my name or I changed it at some stage and I’m actually called Joanne. But I like having a different name. Brian and I squabble all the time over baby names – because I want to give any children we have an equally mad name as the one I was given.

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

[Latest update: Oct. 2023]

Babies named for the ships they were born on

SS Earl Dalhausie
SS Earl Dalhausie

Back when sea voyages were the only way to reach distant lands, many babies ended up being born aboard ships. And many of these ship-born babies were given names that reflected the circumstances of their birth. A good portion of them, for instance, were named after the ships upon which they were born.

I’ve gathered hundreds of these ship-inspired baby names over the years, and I think it’s finally time to post what I’ve found…

A

  • Abergeldie:
    • Emma Abergeldie Walsh, born in 1884
  • Abernyte:
    • Eva Abernyte Congdon, born in 1875
  • Abington:
    • Herbert Bealie Abington Tait, born in 1884
  • Abyssinia:
    • Abyssinia Louise Juhansen, born in 1870
    • Abyssinia Elfkin, born in 1872
    • Louise Abyssinia Bellanger, born in 1874
  • Achilles:
    • John Achilles Denchey, born in 1871
  • Actoea:
    • U. Actoea Jones, born in 1868
  • Adriatic:
    • John Adriatic Gateley Collins, born in 1879
    • Adriatic O’Loghlin Gould, born in 1880
    • Agnes Adriatic Cook, born in 1880
  • Agamemnon:
    • Frederick Agamemnon Dingly, born in 1876
  • Alaska:
    • Mary Alaska Magee, born in 1884
  • Alcester:
    • Gertrude Alcester Dart, born in 1884
  • Alcinous:
    • Mary Duncan Alcinosa Greenwood, born in 1887
  • Aldergrove:
    • Aldergrove Andrew Fullarton Feathers, born in 1875
    • Ethel Aldergrove Winning, born in 1883
  • Aleppo:
    • Rosalia Aleppo Rosenthal, born in 1866
    • Aleppo Atalanta Boardsen, born in 1883
  • Alexandrina:
    • Caroline Alexandrina Phillips, born in 1873
    • Mary Alexandrina Hedges, born in 1874
    • Alexandrina Horsnell, born in 1874
  • Algeria:
    • Louis Algeria Noizet, born in 1872
  • Aliquin:
    • Edward Aliquin Poley, born in 1860
  • Allanshaw:
    • Joseph Allanshaw Moss, born in 1883
    • Frederick Allanshaw Shields, born in 1883
  • Almora:
    • Almora May Leech, born in 1856
    • Emily Almora Hamper, born in 1883
    • Joseph Henry Almora Alford, born in 1883
    • Mary Almora Clothier, born in 1887
    • Almora Merten, born in 1887
  • Alnwick Castle:
    • William Alnwick Bull, born in 1861
  • Alpheta:
    • Mary Alpheta Stone, born in 1877
  • Alsatia:
    • Alsatia Campbell Carnalian, born in 1877
  • Altmore:
    • Eliza Altmore Harris, born in 1883
  • Alumbagh:
    • Alumbagh Eleanor Bright, born in 1868
    • Sarah Louise Alumbagh Hancock, born in 1868
  • Alvington:
    • Alvington Oak Silvester, born in 1879
  • Amoor:
    • William Amoor Walker, born in 1864
  • Anchoria:
    • Anchoria Adelaide Williams, born in 1890
  • Angerona:
    • Mary Angerona Harwood, born in 1875
  • Anglesey:
    • Clara Anglesey Oakley, born in 1859
    • Emma Jane Anglesey Conbrough, born in 1874
  • Anglia:
    • James Craig Anglia Watt, born in 1871
    • Emma Anglia Hewitt, born in 1873
    • Margaret Anglia Smith Mulholland, born in 1874
  • Anglo Saxon:
    • Mary Saxon Copeland, born in 1860
  • Antiope:
    • Lilias Antiope Carrick, born in 1884
  • Aorangi:
    • Arthur Aorangi Burrow, born in 1884
    • Aorangi Millar, born in 1885
    • Ellen Corbet Aorangi Browne, born in 1891
    • Aorangi Townsend, born in 1934
  • Arabic:
    • Isabella Arabic East, born in 1887
  • Arcadia:
    • Arcadia Herbert, born in 1877
  • Archer:
    • Archer Grainger Bryans, born in 1883
    • Beatrice Archer Shambers, born in 1885
  • Argo:
    • Sigri Argo Larsen, born in 1877
  • Arica:
    • Aricania Pereg, born in 1883
  • Arizona:
    • Helen Arizona Erickson, born in 1881
    • Sarah Arizona Duggan, born in 1881
    • Ole Arizona Melting, born in 1881
    • Agnes Arizona Kane, born in 1884
    • Elenor Arizona Poulteny, born in 1884
    • Elizabeth Arizona Harvey, born in 1887
    • Marie Arizona Malm, born in 1887
  • Arundel Castle:
    • Arundal Sheal Davis, born in 1870
    • Leopold Arundel Hofmeyer, born in 1876
    • George Arundel Baylis, born in 1876
    • Charles Arundel Holden, born in 1876
  • Arvonia:
    • Herbert John Arvon Hughes, born in 1881
  • Ashmore:
    • James Alfred George Henry Ashmore Curtis, born in 1882
  • Astria:
    • Jessie Astria Santon, born in 1875
  • Atalanta:
    • Anne Atalanta McCormack, born in 1861
  • Atlanta:
    • Elizabeth Atlanta Harrington, born in 1871
    • Elizabeth Atlanta Earp, born in 1871
  • Auckland:
    • Jane Auckland Peacock, born in 1872
  • Australia:
    • Australia Dominica Scioli, born in 1880
  • Avalanche:
    • Avalanche Isaac Hughes, born in 1874
    • Gabrielle Stella Avalanche Newson, born in 1876
  • Avoca:
    • Margaret Avoca Randall, born in 1878
  • Avonmore:
    • Gwendoline Avonmore Corfield, born in 1876

B

  • Baltic:
    • Annie Baltic Jones, born in 1880
  • Bard of Avon:
    • William Avon Clifford, born in 1864
  • Baron Blantyre:
    • Mary Blantyre Philbrook, born in 1887
  • Batavia:
    • Batavia Svensen, born in 1877
  • Beemah:
    • Miriam Beemah Pickerwell, born in 1856
    • Catharine Mary Beemah Dooney, born in 1879
  • Belair:
    • Mary Louise Belair Wright, born in 1882
  • Belle Alliance:
    • Dora Belle Howat, born in 1876
  • Belle Wood:
    • Joseph Bellewood Richards, born in 1864
  • Ben Nevis:
    • Ben Nevis Amoorthum, born in 1878
  • Benan:
    • Edward Benan Davies, born in 1877
  • Berar:
    • Berar Oceana Cunningham Firth, born in 1873
    • Berar Clark, born in 1885
  • Berlin:
    • Elizabeth Berlina Glaser, born in 1881
  • Blair Athole:
    • Athole Taylor Bartley Butler, born in 1878
  • Blue Jacket:
    • William Blue Jacket Afflech, born in 1864
    • Julia Blue Jacket Shaw, born in 1864
  • Bolivia:
    • Bolivia Alexandra Anderson, born in 1884
  • Bombay:
    • Mary Bombay Wareing, born in 1883
  • Boyne:
    • William Boyne Brooks, born in 1874
    • Mabel Boyne Roberts, born in 1878
    • Whiteoak Boyne Stokes, born in 1878
  • Brittania:
    • Annie Britannia Johnson, born in 1873
    • Columbia Britannia Rosenberg, born in 1881
    • Britannia Hafner, born in 1883
  • Britannic:
    • Brita Annica Hellgren, born in 1876
    • Robert Britannic Bowen, born in 1877
    • Bernard Britannic Traynor, born in 1882
    • Margaret Britannic McCracken, born in 1886
  • British King:
    • British King Frank, born in 1886
    • British King Johann, born in 1886, who made the news:
British King Johann
  • British Prince:
    • Patrick Prince McShane, born in 1887
  • Brooklyn:
    • Marina Brooklyn Neilstather, born in 1882
  • Broughton:
    • Annie Broughton Hutchinson, born in 1877
    • Margaret Broughton Edkin, born in 1878
  • Bula:
    • David Bula Newman Watson, born in 1878
  • Bulimba:
    • Moses Bulimba Williams, born in 1883
    • Annie Bulimba Burstow, born in 1883
    • Bulimba Skow, born in 1886
    • William Bulimba Elgar, born in 1886
    • Alice Bulimba Bevis, born in 1887
    • Bulimba Elizabeth Ufer, born in 1887
    • John Bulimba Nott, born in 1887

C

  • Caduceus:
    • John Caduceus Mason, born in 1869
    • Pauline Caduceus Pyne, born in 1871
    • Amy Caduceus Ward, born in 1871
  • Calabria:
    • Sarah Elizabeth Calabria Marsden, born in 1874
  • Caledonia:
    • William Caledonia Lowe, born in 1870
    • Jane Caledonia Morrison, born in 1870
    • James Caledonia Terrie, born in 1871
    • Muhelina Caledonia Cardone, born in 1888
  • California:
    • Craig California McGinley, born in 1872
    • Sarah California Boettcher, born in 1877
  • Calliance:
    • William James Calliance Potter, born in 1861
  • Cambodia:
    • Mary Cambodia Pocock, born in 1884
    • Ellen Cambodia Goldthorp, born in 1884
    • Emma Cambodia Gascoigne, born in 1884
  • Cambria:
    • Cambria Wallace Milne, born in 1880
  • Cambrian:
    • Henry Cambrian Bouchier, born in 1863
  • Camorta:
    • John Camorta Bleney, born in 1882
  • Camperdown:
    • Ellen Duncan Camperdown Woods, born in 1876
  • Canada:
    • Amelia Canada Scrivens, born in 1857
    • Mary Canada Furlong, born in 1883
  • Canara:
    • Canara Iunatum, born in 1880
  • Canterbury:
    • Canterbury C. Purdon, born in 1863
  • Cardigan Castle:
    • Cardigan Petersen, born in 1873
  • Carisbrooke Castle:
    • Ellen Carisbrooke Haslett, born in 1875
    • Phoebe Carisbrooke Fleming, born in 1875
  • Carnatic:
    • Elizabeth Ann Carnatic Bowler, born in 1873
    • Agnes Carnatic Keen, born in 1875
    • Maria Carnatic Gauser, born in1880
    • Amy Carnatic Collins, born in 1880
    • David Carnatic Robinson, born in 1880
  • Carrick Castle:
    • Carrick Beatrix Hagerty, born in 1874
  • Cartrale:
    • Arthur Taylor Cartrale Smith, born in 1874
  • Cartsburn:
    • M. B. Cartsburn Watt, born in 1874
    • Cartsburn Baxter, born in 1874
    • A. C. Cartsburn Sloan, born in 1874
  • Caspian:
    • William Caspian Downham, born in 1877
  • Castalia:
    • Castalia Marchesa, born in 1879
  • Catalonia:
    • Gurnod Catalonius Sjoberg, born in 1886
  • Cedric The Saxon:
    • Frank Cedric McNair, born in 1885
  • Cephalonia:
    • Cephalonia Charles Jones, born in 1883
    • Henrietta Cephalonia Colman, born in 1885
    • Cephalonia Brook, born in 1886
  • Ceylon:
    • Archie Ceylon Randle, born in 1885
  • Chalmers:
    • Henry Richard Chalmers Charles Bainton, born in 1859
  • Charles Cox:
    • Carlotta Graham Cox, born in 1878
  • Charlwood:
    • Bertram Charlwood Hiscocks, born in 1881
  • Cheops:
    • Cheops Garthwaite, born in 1874
  • Chimborazo:
    • Daniel Chimborazo Dineen, born in 1879
  • China:
    • George China Ward, born in 1876
  • Chollerton:
    • Robert Chollerton Shepherd, born in 1887
    • Ellen Chollerton Blackwell, born in 1887
    • Gertrude Chollerton Archer, born in 1887
  • Christian McAusland:
    • William Taylor McAusland Nelson, born in 1875
  • Chyebassa:
    • Chyebassa Best, born in 1881
    • Chybasse Pettitgean, born in 1884
    • Godfrey Chyebassa Svensson, born in 1885
    • Chyebassa Lowe, born in 1887
  • Cilla:
    • Cillarius Gustav Guttinger, born in 1865
  • Circassia:
    • Circassia Wray Barrett, born in 1880
  • Cissy:
    • Cisseillia Naughton, born in 1867
  • City of Agra:
    • Marie Florence Agra Tyrell, born in 1876
    • Samson Agra Hay, born in 1877
  • City of Auckland:
    • Jane Auckland Pearce, born in 1872
    • Harry Auckland Wood, born in 1872
  • City of Baltimore:
    • Charlotte Baltimore Hadfield, born in 1856
  • City of Benares:
    • Fanny Benares Casson, born in 1874
  • City of Berlin:
    • James Berlin Felix Gerola, born in 1881
    • Adelaide Berlina Mathews, born in 1881
  • City of Brussels:
    • Timothy Brussels Hogan, born in 1880
    • Charles Brussels Arthur, born in 1880
  • City of Chester:
    • Wilhilmene Lewis Chester Andersson, born in 1887
  • City of Durham:
    • Patrick Durham Hickey, born in 1868
  • City of Montreal:
    • Fanny Lund Montreal Massey, born in 1881
  • City of Nankin:
    • Christina Nankin McLean, born in 1880
  • City of Rome:
    • Rose Roma Monro Colman, born in 1884
    • Romulus Johnson, born in 1884
    • Kate Roma Oliver, born in 1885
  • Clairellen:
    • Clairellen Ada Shepherd, born in 1873
  • Clara:
    • Deliela Clara Wright, born in 1875
  • Clara Mærsk:
    • Clara (surname unknown), born in 1975
  • Clarence:
    • Fanny Clarence Murray, born in 1861
    • Eliza Clarence Cox, born in 1861
  • Claverhouse:
    • Frank Claverhouse Parsons, born in 1879
  • Clio:
    • Charles Clio Greening, born in 1856
  • Clyde:
    • Veronica Clyde Gray, born in 1876
    • Richard Clyde Bordlace, born in 1878
    • George Clyde Baker, born in 1878
    • Louisa Teasdel Clyde Lancaster, born in 1879
    • Agnes Clyde Robertson, born in 1879
    • Alice Maria Clyde Crup, born in 1881
    • Venezia Clyde Mackenzie, born in 1884
  • Collingrove:
    • Isabelle Hope Collingrove Benson, born in 1870
  • Columbia:
    • Nora Columbia Needham, born in 1861
  • Colombo:
    • Robert Colombo Sharp, born in 1885
  • Colorado:
    • Colorado Harris, born in 1868
  • Compta:
    • Rose Compta August Kerutz, born in 1881
    • James Compta Burrows, born in 1882
  • Copenhagen:
    • Copenhagen G. Williams, born in 1862
  • Corean:
    • Corea Catherine Cosgrove, born in 1888
  • Corinthian:
    • Corinthian Macnicol McAtee, born in 1880
  • Corlic:
    • Minnie Corlic Collins, born in 1874
  • Coromandel:
    • Nellie Coromandel Brookes, born in 1880
  • Cotopaxi:
    • Herminia Angela Cotopaxi Shertzer, born in 1886
  • Countess Of Galloway:
    • Galloway Nicholson, born in 1878
  • Countess of Kintore:
    • Thomas Kintore Buer, born in 1871
  • Countess of Seafield:
    • Catherine Horton Seafield Danvers, born in 1864
  • Crusader:
    • Robert Alexander Crusader Rodgers, born in 1879
  • Cuba:
    • Rosetta Cuba Burke, born in 1869
  • Culzean:
    • Culzean Pernie Ryan, born in 1874
  • Cuzco:
    • Agnes Cuzco Johnstone, born in 1878
    • John Cuzco Parker, born in 1883
    • James Ridler Cuzco Hartley, born in 1886
    • Margaret Albany Cuzco Walsh, born in 1888

D

  • Dacca:
    • William Adlard Dacca Dillon, born in 1884
    • Alfred Dacca Taylor, born in 1886
    • Janet Kate Dacca Ingles, born in 1889
  • Danube:
    • Charles Danube Candvon, born in 1876
    • Ada Danube Horner, born in 1877
  • Darling Downs:
    • Grace Darling Graham, born in 1874
  • Darra:
    • Lillian Darunda Smith, born in 1883
  • Denmark:
    • Gertrude Denmark Hibbett, born in 1877
  • Devon:
    • Jeffrey Devon Connell, born in 1878
    • Charlotte Devon Jones, born in 1878
    • Emily Devon Robinson, born in 1879
    • Annie Devon Napier, born in 1879
  • Devonia:
    • John Young Devonia McLeod, born in 1881
    • James Devonia Young Turney, born in 1881
    • Devonia Young Dunbar, born in 1882
    • Alexander Devonia Brown McNaught, born in 1887
  • Dilharree:
    • Elizabeth Dilharree Morgans, born in 1876
  • Dominion:
    • Margaret Dominion Lee, born in 1879
    • Charles Christie Dominion Trevaskis, born in 1879
  • Domino:
    • Berta Domino Larsen, born in 1881
  • Doric:
    • Doric Peck, born in 1883
    • Mary Doric De Forder, born in 1886
  • Domino:
    • Berta Domino Larsen, born in 1881
  • Dorrette:
    • Elizabeth Dorrette Diver, born in 1874
    • James Dorrette Rose, born in 1874
  • Dorunda:
    • Dorunda McKee, born in 1882
    • William Russell Dorunda Skinner, born in 1882
    • Dorunda Parker, born in 1885
    • Lilly Dorunda Gronow, born in 1887
    • Ada Dorunda Wiekes, born in 1890
  • Dresden:
    • Frida Dresden Essai, born in 1889
  • Drummond:
    • Jessie Drummond Gillespie, born in 1882
  • Dudbrook:
    • Mary Deacon Dudbrook Bradshaw, born in 1862
    • Florence Dudbrook Grumbey, born in 1862
  • Duke of Argyll:
    • Annie Argyll Camfield, born in 1887
    • Elizabeth Argyll Loder, born in 1888
    • Kate Argyll Chapman, born in 1888
  • Duke Of Buccleuch:
    • Alice Buccleuch Lake, born in 1883
    • Samuel Buccleuch Shipstone, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Buccleuch Sherratt, born in 1884
    • Albert Buccleuch Dawn, born in 1884
    • Buccleuch Davis, born in 1885
    • Ivy Buccleuch Scott, born in 1885
    • Buccleuch Davis, born in 1885
  • Duke Of Edinburgh:
    • Edith Edinburgh Marriott, born in1875
    • Elizabeth Edinburgh Cockayne, born in 1875
  • Dunbar Castle:
    • Emily Dunbar Keilly, born in 1878
    • Robert Dunbar Castle Holland, born in 1878
    • Charles Dunbar Finch, born in 1880
  • Dundee:
    • Thomas Dundee Dobson, born in 1883
  • Dunfallen:
    • Margaret Dunfallan McKenzie, born in 1870
  • Dunmore:
    • Henry Dunmore Richard, born in 1879
    • John Edgar Dunmore McCanley, born in 1881

E

  • Earl Dalhousie:
    • Lydia Dalhousie Woodhard, born in 1873
    • Sydney Dalhousie Smith, born in 1873
    • Ellen Dalhousie Gare, born in 1874
    • Selina Dalhousie Baker, born in 1875
    • Emily Dalhousie Hunter, born in 1875
    • Francis Louisa Dalhousie Reed, born in 1878
    • Percy Dalhousie Wiltshire, born in 1878
    • Matilda Dalhousie Cormie, born in 1879
  • Earl Derby:
    • William Earl Derby Rimmington, born in 1879
  • Earl Granville:
    • Granville Campbell Speed, born in 1879
    • William John Granville Cathrope, born in 1880
    • Granville Williams, born in 1881
    • John Granville Tymms, born in 1883
    • John Granville Richards, born in 1883
    • John Granville Flint, born in 1883
  • Earl of Zetland:
    • Helen Zetland Clark, born in 1875
    • John Whiting Zetland Hamilton, born in 1875
  • Earl Percy:
    • Florence Percy Jarrold, born in 1876
  • Edinburgh:
    • Elizabeth Edinburgh Cockayne, born in 1875
    • Edith Edinburgh Marriott, born in 1875
  • Edward Oliver:
    • Edward Neptune White, born in 1858
  • Elderslie:
    • Josephine Elderslie McGrath, born in 1887
  • Ellen Stuart:
    • John Calvert Stuart Defries, born in 1870
  • Elliot:
    • James Lyle Elliot Mackay, born in 1879
  • Ellora:
    • Mary Ellora McEwan, born in 1879
    • Ellora Mary Little, born in 1883
  • Elysia:
    • Catello Elisio Martingano, born in 1886
  • Erin:
    • Erine Andersen, born in 1881
  • Essex:
    • John Essex McQueen, born in 1863
    • Charlotte Essex Mead, born in 1863
    • Henry Essex Hamilton, born in 1863
    • Helen Essex Percy, born in 1863
    • Sarah Essex Mulholland, born in 1869
    • Wilhelmina Essex, born in 1870
    • Alfred Essex Jackson, born in 1874
  • Ethiopia:
    • Ethiopia M. Prokop, born in 1880
    • Ethiopia Murray Drabeck, born in 1883
  • Etna:
    • Margaret Etna Hugg, born in 1865
  • Euterpe:
    • Minnie McGahey Euterpe Pearson, born in 1874
    • Selina Euterpe Robinson, born in 1874

F

  • Falkland:
    • Falkland James Macfarlane, born in 1859
  • Famenoth:
    • Famenoth Bradley, born in 1876
  • Far East:
    • Horace Far East Guest, born in 1866
  • Fernglen:
    • James Fernglen Power, born in 1876
    • Minnie Fernglen Morrell, born in 1878
  • Feronia:
    • Ada Feronia Hutchinson, born in 1863
  • Fitzroy:
    • William Fitzroy Beck, born in 1882
  • Florence:
    • Florence Harding Campbell, born in 1884
  • Fontabelle:
    • Minnie Fontabelle Nixon, born in 1866
  • Forfarshire:
    • Mary Forfarshire Khrupp, born in 1872
    • Joseph Forfarshire Hughes, born in 1872
    • Hannah Forfarshire Hill, born in 1873
  • France:
    • France Atlantic Amsen, born in 1871
  • Furnessia:
    • Margaret Furnessia Breen, born in 1884
    • Sarah Furnessia Johnstone, born in 1888

G

  • Gainsborough:
    • John Gainsboro Hunt Beaumont, born in 1877
  • Galileo:
    • Esther Galileo Jones, born in 1875
  • Gallia:
    • Alfred Gallia Hall, born in 1882
  • Gananoque:
    • Norris Gananoque Green, born in 1860
  • Ganges:
    • Hedley Theodore Ganges Kempthorne, born in 1886
  • Garonne:
    • Jane Garonne Sparkes, born in 1882
    • Alexander Garonne Bendiksen, born in 1886
  • Gartmore:
    • Cecil Gartmore Ritchie, born in 1889
  • Germanic:
    • Mary Germanic Phillips, born in 1881
  • Gilmore:
    • Rose Gilmore Hallet, born in 1857
  • Gladstone:
    • Sydney Gladstone Myers, born in 1883
    • Mary Elizabeth Gladstone Jackson, born in 1884
  • Glamorgan:
    • Glamorgan Wallace, born in 1875
  • Glenallan:
    • Prince Glenallan Shilston, born in 1870
  • Glenavon:
    • Daniel Glenavon Clinton, born in 1885
  • Glenlora:
    • Mary Glenlora Green, born in 1879
  • Glenmark:
    • Margaret Glenmark McKinley, born in 1864
  • Glen Osmond:
    • Glen Osmond Thomas, born in 1883
  • Goorkha:
    • John Sharp Teele Goorkha Cloquet, born in 1882
  • Gosforth:
    • Gosforth Williamson, born in 1856
  • Granton:
    • John Burns Granton Grundell, born in 1870
  • Grasmere:
    • Caroline Grasmere Hastings, born in 1876
  • Gulf of St. Vincent:
    • Emma St. Vincent McClellan, born in 1886

H

  • Hahnemann:
    • Sydney Hahnemann Vanstone, born in 1886
  • Halcione:
    • William Halcione Jardine, born in 1874
    • Fanny Halcione Taylor, born in 1875
    • Halcione M. Forsythe, born in 1878
  • Hannoria:
    • Hannoria Manson, born in 1872
  • Harbinger:
    • Florence Harbinger Jackson, born in 1886
  • Harriet Mcgregor:
    • Alexander Mcgregor Stewart, born in 1875
  • Hastings:
    • George Carren Hastings Wishart, born in 1856
    • George Hastings Elson, born in 1877
  • Helen Demry:
    • Helen Demry Wood, born in 1874
  • Helvetia:
    • Helvetia Mary Prewer, born in 1869
    • Helvetia Fay Allen, born in 1870
  • Hermione:
    • Beatrice Hermione Cotterell, born in 1882
    • Hermione Davidson, born in 1884
  • Hibernian:
    • Anna Hibernian Maria Kaagu, born in 1883
  • Hindostan:
    • Hindolina Dewson, born in 1875
  • Holland:
    • Thomas Holland Barns, born in 1870
    • Margaret Holland McAline, born in 1870
  • Hornet:
    • George Hornet Cotter, born in 1866
    • Charles Hornet Perry, born in 1866
  • Howrah:
    • Elizabeth Howrah Paully, born in 1874
    • Edward Howrah Leaman, born in 1875
  • Huntress:
    • Laura Huntress Jeffreys, born in 1863
  • Hydaspes:
    • Hydaspes Sarah Gardner, born in 1865
  • Hydrabad:
    • Elizabeth Hydrabad Jarrad, born in 1878

I

  • Iberia:
    • Iberian Sey, born in 1883
    • Iberia Sealby, born in 1885
    • Gerald Iberia Crisp, born in 1886
  • India:
    • Maria Annajata India Cocchiavano, born in 1882
  • Indus:
    • William Indus Laudeis, born in 1857
    • Esther Indus Graves, born in 1870
    • Henry William Indus Peacock, born in 1870
    • James Indus Stanley, born in 1870
    • Robert Indus Kalterns, born in 1871
    • Phoebe Indus Smith, born in 1871
    • Harry Indus Rolling, born in 1873
    • William Indus Key, born in 1874
  • Intrinsic:
    • Elizabeth Intrinsic Kidd, born in 1841
  • Invererne:
    • Fanny Invererne Harrison, born in 1874
    • Jane Campbell Invererne Hetherington, born in 1874
    • Invererne Wilkinson, born in 1875
    • Florence Invererne Boston, born in 1875
  • Inverness:
    • George Inverness Durrant, born in 1876
  • Ionic:
    • James Ionic Carter, born in 1883
    • Katie Ionica Selenia Lear, born in 1885
  • Iowa:
    • Iowa Chesworth, born in 1886
  • Islay:
    • Georgiana Islay Mathewson, born in 1876
  • Ismalia:
    • Lillian Ismalia Sherwood, born in 1875
  • Italia:
    • Frederica Hassenstein Italia Bertol, born in 1884
  • Italy:
    • Agnes Italy Newton, born in 1879
  • Ivanhoe:
    • Ethel Ivanhoe Matthews, born in 1886
    • Alfred George Ivanhoe Chisholm, born in 1890

J

  • James Wishart:
    • E. E. Wishart Farrans, born in 1874
    • D. C. Wishart Lagard, born in 1874
    • Emma Wishart Willard, born in 1874
    • Edward James Wishart Jones, born in 1878
  • James Nicol Fleming:
    • Amelia Fleming Barnett, born in 1875
    • James Fleming Page, born in 1875
  • J. C. Robertson:
    • Zenas Robertson Sutton, born in 1879
  • Jessie Osborne:
    • Hugh Osborne Bowden, born in 1876
  • John Duncan:
    • Mary Elizabeth Duncan Jolly, born in 1862
  • John Knox:
    • James John Knox Carr, born in 1858
  • Jura:
    • Jura Ann Farquharson, born in 1858

K

  • Kapunda:
    • Mary Kapunda McGrath, born in 1875
  • Kedar:
    • Heinreich Kedar Wurdler, born in 1869
  • Kenilworth:
    • Amy Kenilworth Jaques, born in 1873
  • Kinfauns Castle:
    • Kinfauns Halbeth, born in 1882
  • King Cerdic:
    • John Cerdic Shields, born in 1875

L

  • La Hogue:
    • George La Hogue Douglas, born in 1860
    • Emily Goddard La Hogue Willingale, born in 1869
    • Thomas La Hogue Law, born in 1872
    • Jane La Hogue Smith, born in 1874
    • Lizzie La Hogue Grestidge, born in 1874
    • Violet La Hogue Duffield, born in 1874
    • Olive Lizzie La Houge Stayte, born in 1883
    • Thomas James La Hogue Goodman, born in 1883
  • Lady Jocelyn:
    • Ada Lady Jocelyn Goodger, born in 1872
    • Elizabeth Jocelyn Caswell, born in 1874
    • Alfred Jocelyn Ashford Vaughan, born in 1874
    • George Jocelyn Ward, born in 1875
    • George Jenkins Jocelyn Lennox, born in 1875
    • Mary Ann Jenkins Jocelyn Wilcocks, born in 1875
    • Ann Jenkins Jocelyn Plutom, born in 1875
    • James Jane Jocelyn Boughton, born in 1876
    • R. R. Jocelyn Pascol, born in 1876
    • John William Jocelyn Hickman, born in 1876
    • Thomas Jocelyn Williams, born in 1876
    • Maria Jocelyn Louring, born in 1876
    • Emily Jane Jocelyn Inge, born in 1877
    • Octavius Jocelyn Carr, born in 1880
    • Jocelyn Boorman Trigg, born in 1880
    • Agnes Jocelyn Smith, born in 1880
    • Alice Jocelyn Edwards, born in 1881
    • Jocelyn Jenkins Swarbrick, born in 1881
    • Beatrice Jocelyn Isaac, born in 1883
    • Mary Jocelyn Wrigley, born in 1883
    • Beatrice Jocelyn Isaac, born in 1883
  • Lady Melville:
    • Margaret Evelyn Melville Wiltshire, born in 1870
  • Lady Wodehouse:
    • Thomas Wodehouse Hayden, born in 1880
  • Lake Winnipeg:
    • Ellen Winnipeg Raymond, born in 1879
  • Leicester:
    • Leicester Jane Smith, born in 1876
    • Annie Rebecca Leicester Drewery, born in 1877
  • Leitrim:
    • Lizzie Leitrim Jones, born in 1885
  • Liguria:
    • Sidney Liguria Halcombe, born in 1882
    • Adelaide Liguria Gledhill, born in 1890
  • Lincolnshire:
    • Agnes Victoria Lincolnshire Longbottom, born in 1873
    • Ellen Maud Lincolnshire Murdock, born in 1874
  • Lismore:
    • Sydney Lismore Smith, born in 1888
  • Loch Eck:
    • Agnes Loch Eck Thomson, born in 1882
  • Lochee:
    • Lizzie Lochee Stead, born in 1883
    • Alice Lochee Strafford, born in 1883
    • James Lochee Barker, born in 1883
  • Lord Clive:
    • Samuel Clive Greenwood, born in 1887
    • Rakel Clive Anderson, born in 1888
    • Clive Nesbitt, born in 1889
  • Lord Gough:
    • Deborah Lordine Gough Gardarwkn, born in 1882
    • Lord Gough Fritz Jagodizinski, born in 1886
    • James Gough Gay, born in 1887
    • Jemima Gough Mullins, born in 1887
  • Lord Raglan:
    • Oliver Raglan Montague Campbell, born in 1886
  • Lord Rannoch:
    • William Rannoch McDonald Johnston, born in 1886
  • Lucibelle:
    • Lucibelle Taylor, born in 1865

M

  • Macduff:
    • Edward Macduff Thompson, born in 1878
  • Magellan:
    • Magellan Carrahlew, born in 1870
  • Malabar:
    • Emma Malabar Young, born in 1865
  • Malta:
    • Thomas Malta McCafferty, born in 1876
  • Manora:
    • Manora Ida Power, born in 1882
  • Maraval:
    • Maraval White, born in 1878
    • Maraval Hay, born in 1878
    • Robert Maraval Schroder, born in 1879
    • Sarah Maraval McKenzie, born in 1879
  • Marcotis:
    • Marcotis Gallia, born in 1882
  • Margaret Galbraith:
    • Annie Galbfraith Dawson, born in 1879
  • Marion:
    • Marion Margaret Ramsay, born in 1854
  • Marlborough:
    • Marlborough Stevens, born in 1883
  • Mary Pleasants:
    • Mary Pleasants Robinson, born in 1857
    • Mary Pleasants Poole, born in 1857
  • Mary Shepherd:
    • Margaret Mary Shepherd Crozier, born in 1865
    • Charley Shepherd Piercy, born in 1866
    • Alice Mary Shepherd Dix, born in 1866
    • Mary Shepherd Miner, born in 1873
  • Mataura:
    • Mataura Welsh, born in 1877
  • Matoaka:
    • Matoaka Atlantic Costa, born in 1864
  • May Queen:
    • May Colville Walker, born in 1881
  • Maxima:
    • Albert Maxima Shaddiek, born in 1873
  • Medford:
    • Medford Colling, born in the mid-19th century.
      • He in turn gave his name to Medford, Minnesota, in the 1850s. His father, Englishman William K. Colling, was an early Minnesota settler who “said that he had a son who was born on board the ship Medford, and was named Medford, in honor of the ship, and proposed that the town should be named Medford in honor of the boy.”
  • Medway:
    • Atalanta Medway Hancock, born in 1871
  • Melpomene:
    • Elizabeth Melpomene Hindley, born in 1882
  • Mennock:
    • Louise Mennock Looney, born in 1885
  • Merkara:
    • Alexander Merkara McLeod, born in 1882
    • Alice Mabel Merkara Atkin, born in 1884
    • Mary Ellen Merkara Mathews, born in 1885
    • Merkara Beier, born in 1887
    • Merkara Smith, born in 1887
    • Merkara Cave Bratz, born in 1890
  • Merope:
    • Merope Pentebow, born in 1879
  • Middlesex:
    • Carter Middlesex Mellows, born in 1866
  • Miltiades:
    • Edward Miltiades Taylor, born in 1874
    • Jessie Miltiades Mary Jennings, born in 1874
  • Mirage:
    • Alice Mirage Osgood, born in 1864
  • Mississippi:
    • Mississippi Petrovitch, born in 1885
  • Mizpah:
    • Joseph Mizpah Bagley, born in 1880
  • Montana:
    • Jane Montana McGuiness, born in 1878
    • Henry Montana Rowson, born in 1879
  • Moravian:
    • Thomas Moravian Carter, born in 1868
    • Ellen K. Moravian Warford, born in 1872
    • Thomas Moravian McElraith, born in 1881
  • Morna:
    • Morna Francis, born in 1887
  • Myrtle:
    • James Myrtle Holme Robertson, born in 1877

N

  • Nackato:
    • Frederick Nackato Dickens, born in 1875
    • Ruth Nackato Bowick, born in 1875
  • Neckar:
    • Petrine Jeanette Hugo Neckar Walls, born in 1887
  • Nemesis:
    • Nemesis Louise Catherine Dupont, born in 1877
  • Nestor:
    • Nestorina Misonsnile, born in 1889
  • Nestorian:
    • Mary Nestorian Cowan, born in 1890
  • Netherby:
    • Netherby Victoria Louisa Cubbin, born in 1866.
      • Technically, she was born on land two days after the Netherby ran aground. But I feel this is close enough to include…
  • Neva:
    • Alice Neva Landham, born in 1886
  • Nevada:
    • Elizabeth Nevada West, born in 1872
    • William Nevada Webster, born in 1873
    • Nevada Atlantic Larsen, born in 1878
    • Mary Nevada Berry, born in 1881
    • Victoria Nevada Johnson, born in 1881
    • Marie Nevada McPhie, born in 1884
    • Nevada Christensen, born in 1887
  • Neville:
    • Gerald Neville Hemsworth, born in 1869
  • Niagara:
    • Fanny Elizabeth Niagara Pickard, 1875
  • Nile:
    • Nilena Thompson, born in 1866
    • Michelina Nilina Derosty, born in 1877
  • Nineveh:
    • Amelia Tabitha Nineveh Johns Adams, born in 1877
    • Nineveh Sydney, born in 1879
  • Norfolk:
    • Lilian Norfolk Beeching, born in 1880
  • Noronha:
    • Alice Noronha Yealland, born in 1878
  • Norseman:
    • Emily Norseman Stepp, born in 1866
  • North:
    • Adelaide North Hossack, born in 1875
  • Northam:
    • John Northam Davies, born in 1876
  • Northampton:
    • James Northampton Maughan, born in 1880
    • Ethel Northampton Jeffrey, born in 1882
    • William Northampton Irvine, born in 1882
  • Northumberland:
    • James Northumberland Byrne, born in 1873
  • Nourmahal:
    • Ellen Nourmahal Morrison, born in 1874
  • Nova Scotian:
    • Charles Nova Scotian Kuseley, born in 1860
    • Sarah Nova Scotia Keating, born in 1858
  • Nubian:
    • Edith Nubian Benwell Wootten, born in 1882
    • Nubian Jane Fisher, born in 1882
  • Nugget:
    • William Nugget Morant, born in 1860
    • Frederick Nugget Hurricks, born in 1860
  • Nyanza:
    • James Fisher Nyanza Allt, born in 1873

O

  • Oaklands:
    • Ivo Oaklands Rowe, born in 1877
    • George Oaklands Southam, born in 1877
    • John Fuller Oaklands Munn, born in 1877
    • Geneva Oaklands Perry, born in 1877
    • Beatrice Sarah Oaklands Simons, born in 1877
  • Oceanic:
    • Catherine Oceanica Bernter, born in 1874
  • Octavia:
    • William Octavius Foster, born in 1857
  • Olago:
    • Olago William Holliday, born in 1883
  • Olbers:
    • Kate Mary Olbers Scott, born in 1878
    • Francisco Olbers Ferera, born in 1879
    • Mary Louisa Olbers Mansell, born in 1884
  • Lady Olive:
    • Eliza Olive Frazer, born in 1881
  • Olympia:
    • Mary Anne Olympia Sullivan, born in 1872
    • Olympia Sanna, born in 1880
    • Olympia Cataneza, born in 1886
  • Lake Ontario:
    • Jennie Ontario Bottomley, born in 1888
  • Opawa:
    • Caroline Opawa Langford, born in 1878
    • George Frederick Opawa Whittlestone, born in 1879
  • Orari:
    • Annie Orari Mosey Andrews Kelly, born in 1876
    • Albert Orari Smith, born in 1876
    • Robert Cotton Orari Garratt, born in 1878
    • Mary Orari Kenney, born in 1879
  • Oregon:
    • James Oregon Tansley, born in 1887
    • Anna Oregonia Larsen, born in 1887
  • Orient:
    • Orient Elizabeth Searle, born in 1871
    • Annie Orient Smith, born in 1889
  • Orizaba:
    • William Orizaba Brown, born in 1887
    • May Orizoba Curtiss, born in 1891
  • Orotava:
    • Ethel Orotavia Morris, born in 1891
  • Oroya:
    • Oroya Fletcher, born in 1889
  • Otago:
    • Otago J. Shearer, born in 1882
    • Otago William Holliday, born in 1883
    • Andrew Otago McCulloch, born in 1884
  • Oxford:
    • William Cuthbert Oxford Morse, born in 1876
    • John William Ackerman Oxford Booth, born in 1877
    • Charles Oxford Stubbs, born in 1881

P

  • Pacific Ocean:
    • Pacific Pearl Myrick, born in 1848
  • Palamcotta:
    • Emily Sarah Palamcotta Russell, born in 1890
  • Palestine:
    • Charles Owen Palestine Harte, born in 1873
  • Palgrave:
    • Edward Palgrave Thomas, born in 1886
  • Parthia:
    • Honora Parthia Moynahan, born in 1877
    • Parthia John George Wills, born in 1882
  • Pathan:
    • James Pathan Laurie, born in 1883
  • Peeress:
    • Elizabeth Peeress Brown, born in 1874
  • Penelope:
    • Penelope Ribeiro, born in 1857
  • Pennsylvania:
    • Pennsylvania Hall Gilman, born in 1869
  • Percy:
    • Percy George Cooper White, born in 1869
    • Thomas Percy Chenney, born in 1870
  • Pericles:
    • Alfred Pericles Maxfield, born in 1877
    • Ernest Pericles Waite, born in 1878
    • James Pericles Greig, born in 1878
    • Alfred Pericles Fletcher, born in 1883
    • Fanny Pericles Craven, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Pericles Hutchins, born in 1883
    • Kate Pericles Jewell, born in 1883
  • Persia:
    • Henry Persia Mallet, born in 1854
  • Peruvian:
    • Maria Peruvia Hoxer, born in 1872
    • William Henry Peruvian Foster Davies, born in 1972
    • Peruviana Gudbjorg Krisgansson, born in 1891
  • Peter Denny:
    • Richard Pycroft Denny Gough, born in 1874
  • Peterborough:
    • Peterborough Daniel Brown, born in 1884
  • Pioneer:
    • John William Pioneer Wiles, born in 1858
  • Pleiades:
    • Emily Pleiades Hancock, born in 1872
    • Eveline Pleiades Norris, born in 1873
  • Pleione:
    • Effie Pleione Bunting, born in 1883
  • Pounder:
    • Henry Pounder Glory Levistone, born in 1818
  • Potosi:
    • Charlotte Potosi Botterill, born in 1884
    • Matle (?) Potosi Pogorelsky, born in 1891
  • Priam:
    • George Priam Hay, born in 1871
  • Propontis:
    • Wilhemina Propontis Conolly, born in 1854
  • Prussian:
    • Magdalen Prussian Jones, born in 1882
  • Ptolemy:
    • Ann Ptolemy Dancker, born in 1883

Q

  • Quetta:
    • Clara Quetta Green, born in 1885
    • John Quetta Eales, born in 1886
    • May Quetta Hollett, born in 1886

R

  • Raglan:
    • George Raglan Wilson, born in 1858
  • Rakaia:
    • Ann Rakaia Hoberfield, born in 1874
    • Albert Rakaia Dillon, born in 1874
  • Rajasthan:
    • Blythe Atkinson Rajasthan Malcahey, born in 1854
    • Lydia Eliza Rajasthan Rogers, born in 1854
  • Ramsey:
    • Florence Ramsey Hickman, born in 1873
    • Stephen Abbott Ramsey Johnson, born in 1873
  • Rathlin:
    • Alexander Rathlin Cunningham, born in 1879
  • Ravensdale:
    • Norman Ravensdale Smith, born in 1887
  • Remington:
    • Jane Remington Moore, born in 1877
  • Renown:
    • Edwin Renown Chillman, born in 1864
  • Restoria:
    • John Restoria Hamilton, born in 1875
  • Rialto:
    • Rialto Strick, born in 1883
  • Rimutaka:
    • Henry Rimutaka Wilson, born in 1886
  • Rinaldo:
    • William Rinaldo Lawn, born in 1869
    • Hewy Arthur Rinaldo Cox, born in 1869
  • Roma:
    • Roma Douglas Titel Ziell, born in 1882
    • Roma Brown, born in 1883
    • May Roma Kirk, born in 1883
    • Bessie Roma Taylor, born in 1883
  • Roman:
    • Annie Roman McNebo, born in 1887
  • Romsdal:
    • William Romsdal Osborn, born in 1883
  • Rooparell:
    • John Rooparell McGahan, born in 1874
    • J. P. Rooperell Fuller, born in 1874
  • Rosebud:
    • Rosebud Collie, born in 1883
  • Roseneath:
    • Janet Roseneath Gibson, born in 1876
  • Royal Charter:
    • Charterina Campbell, born in 1857
    • Royal Charter Bertha Parl, born in 1858

S

  • Samuel Plimsoll:
    • John Braden Plimsoll Eyre, born in 1875
  • Saraca:
    • Alice Saraca Cross, born in 1877
  • Saracen:
    • Kathleen Saracen Leboeuf, born in 1877
  • Sardinian:
    • William Sardinian Gorman, born in 1857
    • Jane Sardinian Sinclair, born in 1877
  • Sarmatian:
    • Minnie Aird Sarmatia Kealey, born in 1876
  • Sarnia:
    • Sophia Sarnia Yeates, born in 1884
  • Scawfell:
    • Thomas Scawfell Appleby, born in 1874
  • Scandia:
    • Scandia Marta Steiner, born in 1892
  • Scotia:
    • Henry Scotia Steer, born in 1875
  • Scottish Admiral:
    • Charles Louis Admiral Brown, born in 1882
    • Admiral John Kerr Stuart, born in 1883
  • Scottish Hero:
    • Thomas Hero Kelly, born in 1876
    • Elizabeth Jane Hero Fram, born in 1879
  • Scythia:
    • Francis Scythia Cogan, 1889
  • Sepia:
    • Sarah Sepia Parrott, born in 1875
  • Servia:
    • Edith Florence Servia Mace, born in 1890
    • Helena Servia Pedersen, born in 1889
  • Shalimar:
    • Anna Shalimar Rose, born in 1863
  • Shannon:
    • Henry Shannon Smith, born in 1865
    • Annie Shannon McMinn, born in 1883
  • Sherwood:
    • Mary Sherwood Brocklebank, born in 1885
  • Siberian:
    • Robert Shaw Siberian Thomson, born in 1885
  • Sierra Colonna:
    • Sierra Colonna Wildridge, born in 1879
  • Simiote:
    • Cleopatra Simiote Constatino, born in 1883
  • Sirius:
    • John Sirius Hallam, born in 1886
  • Sirsa:
    • Sirsa James Attree, born in 1884
  • Smyrna:
    • Smyrna Jane Hollow, born in 1878
  • Sobraon:
    • May Kyle Sobraon Heron, born in 1867
    • Amy Sobraon Petty, born in 1883
  • Somersetshire:
    • Arthur Somerset Hunter, born in 1879
  • Sorata:
    • Sorata Mary Josephine Schabinger, born in 1884
  • Southern Belle:
    • Belle Glenfield, born in 1874
  • Southesk:
    • Jennie Southesk Bell, born in 1878
    • Alexander Southesk McKenzie, born in 1882
  • Spain:
    • William Grace Spain Jackson, born in 1872
    • Grace Spain Bennett, born in 1882
    • Agnes Spain Gacek, born in 1883
  • Star of India:
    • William Star Bohlsen, born in 1877
  • Star Queen:
    • John Star Pritchard, born in 1873
  • State of Alabama:
    • James Alabama Murkussen, born in 1886
  • State of Florida:
    • Florida Wolkow, born in 1882
  • State of Indiana:
    • Sarah Findley Sadler Indiana Fleming, born in 1881
    • Alexandrine Ivan Indiana Schwartz, born in 1890
    • Georgina Klara Indiana Kriskick, born in 1891
  • St. Clair:
    • Robert Nisbet St. Clair Gill, born in 1885
    • Helen St Clair Higgie, born in 1886
  • St. George:
    • Catherine St. George Dobson, born in 1864
  • St. Kilda:
    • Helena Kilda Atkins, born in 1876
  • St. Patrick:
    • John Stephen Sneddon Patrick Dempster, born in 1871
  • Strathleven:
    • Ann Strathleven Proudlock, born in 1879
  • Suffolk:
    • Grace Suffolk Liddendale Hornell, born in 1866
  • Sultana:
    • Marie Sultana Bartram, born in 1859
  • Surrey:
    • Surrey Bloh, born in 1882
  • Sweden:
    • Erick Donald Sweden Jonasson, born in 1870
  • Sydenham:
    • Bernard Sydenham Berry, born in 1881
    • Humphrey Sydenham Heron, born in 1881
    • Sydenham Roberts, born in 1883

T

  • Tamar:
    • Carlotta Tamar Estevez, born in 1891
  • Tanjire:
    • Charles Tanjire Mylne, born in 1865
  • Taranaki (likely named for Mount Taranaki):
    • Fred William Taranaki Ward, born in 1883
  • Tarifa:
    • Elizabeth Tarifa Wood, born in 1867
    • Tarifa Swish, born in 1870
  • Taroba:
    • Rose Taroba Reid, born in 1888
  • Tasmania:
    • Sarah Edith Tasmania Baines, born in 1881
  • Taymouth Castle:
    • William Adreph Taymouth Schuhardt, born in 1877
  • Temple Bar:
    • Benjamin Temple Vaughan, born in 1887
  • Trefusis:
    • John Trefusis Lamont, born in 1877
  • Trevelyan:
    • Trevelyan Wood, born in 1880
    • Edward Trevelyan Martin, born in 1880
    • Trevelyan Edwardina Roberts Boardman, born in 1883
  • Trinacria:
    • Ann Trinacria Boyle, born in 1872
    • Concetta Trinacria Ermina Filice, born in 1886
  • Trinidad:
    • Maria Trinidad Baz, born in 1866
    • Martha Trinidad Wallace, born in 1883
  • Tripoli:
    • Thomas Tripoli McMahon, born in 1866
  • Trojan:
    • Charles George Trojan Glass, born in 1881
  • Tweed:
    • Tweed Ann Gardner, born in 1870
  • Tyne:
    • Charlotte Tyne Hastler, born in 1857

U

  • Umbria:
    • Umbria Alva Marie Lindh, born in 1889
  • Utopia:
    • Daniel Utopia Thomson Sullivan, born in 1874

V

  • Valetta:
    • Maggie Valetta Riddock, born in 1887
  • Valiant:
    • Valiant (surname unknown), born in 1980
  • Varuna:
    • Varuna Rowe Kennedy, born in 1874
  • Venture:
    • Avis Cygnet Venture Hilliard, born in 1892
  • Verum:
    • Mary Verum Parry, born in 1863
  • Victory:
    • Victoria Gibbon Baird, born in 1863
    • Jane Frances Victoria Mosley, born in 1883
    • Victory Elcoate Dowle, born in 1884
  • Viscata:
    • Elizabeth Sofia Viscata Drummond, born in 1865
  • Voltaic:
    • Elizabeth Moore Voltaic Boyle, born in 1889

W

  • Waikato:
    • Ruth Waikato Eswick, born in 1875
  • Waimate:
    • Annie Rose Waimate James, born in 1874
  • Wainsfell:
    • Eliza Wainsfell Trescoth, born in 1863
    • Hugh Wainsfell Garbride, born in 1863
  • Wairoa:
    • William Wairoa Joss Diffey, born in 1877
    • Joseph Wairoa Hill, born in 1879
  • Waitangi:
    • Alexander Waitangi Danks, born in 1876
    • William George Waitangi Connelly, born in 1877
    • Priscilla Waitangi Rundle, born in 1878
  • Waitara:
    • Emily Waitara Morgan, born in 1876
    • James Waitara Jenkins, born in 1877
    • Anne Waitara Adcock, born in 1879
    • Waitara Sarah Clark, born in 1879
  • Walmer Castle:
    • Charles Walmer Bud, born in 1859
    • Jane Walmer Fergusson, born in 1880
  • Waroonga:
    • Mary Waroonga Cook, born in 1883
    • Rose Waroonga Buchanan, born in 1883
    • Alice Waroonga Poffley, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Waroonga Brown, born in 1883
    • Margaret Waroonga McLaughlin, born in 1885
    • Emily Waroonga Griffiths, born in 1887
    • Emily Waroonga Finlay, born in 1887
    • David Waroonga Griffiths, born in 1887
  • Warren Hastings:
    • Taylor Hedley Warren Hastings Henley, born in 1863
  • Warwick:
    • Ellen Mary Warwick Bourke, born in 1874
    • Warwick Temperley Skinner, born in 1874
    • Warwick Sexton Clifford Timmins, born in 1879
    • James Warwick Davis, born in 1879
    • Annie Warwick Chappell, born in 1884
    • Warwickina Shields, born in 1884
  • Wellesley:
    • Charles James Wellesey Taylor, born in 1858
  • Wellington:
    • David Cowan Wellington McColl, born in 1876
    • George Edward Wellington Duncan, born in 1878
    • Harry Cowan Wellington Haworth, born in 1879
    • William Wellington Chaplin, born in 1882
    • Ida Wellington Cowan, born in 1884
  • Western Monarch:
    • Thomas Western Radcliffe, born in 1876
  • Westmeath:
    • May Westmeath Wright, born in 1884
  • Westminister:
    • Mary Westminster Lucas, born in 1956
  • Wimmera:
    • George Wimmera Bennett, born in 1874
  • Windsor Castle:
    • Bertha Windsor Schultz, born in 1881
  • Winifred:
    • Winifred Hascher, born in 1881
  • Wishart:
    • Emma Wishart Willard, born in 1874
    • Emma Edith Wishart Brown, born in 1874
    • Daisy Constance Wishart Layard, born in 1874
  • Wisconsin:
    • Francis Owen Wisconsin O’Donald, born in 1879
    • Sarah Wisconsin Whitehead, born in 1879
    • Wisconsin Beardall, born in 1880
    • Jennie Wisconsin Cottrell, born in 1882
    • Wisconsin Ward, born in 1883
    • Wisconsin Wolfer, born in 1886
    • Elizabeth Wisconsin Hanlon, born in 1886
    • James Wisconsin Goodall, born in 1886
    • Johanna Wisconsin Cunningham, born in 1887
    • Edward Wisconsin Cothom, born in 1887
  • Wistow:
    • Wistow Tapp, born in 1885
  • W. J. Pirrie (now part of a marine sanctuary):
    • Nora Pirrie Duckworth, born in 1886
  • Wyoming:
    • Wyoming Grainger, born in 1880
    • Wyoming Liddle, born in 1883

Y

  • Yeoman:
    • Elizabeth Victoria Yeoman Goddard, born in 1887
  • York:
    • Christopher York Gurten, born in 1862
    • John York Lillis, born in 1862
  • Young England:
    • Young England Coleman, born in 1865

Z

  • Zamora:
    • Julia Zamora Fitzgerald, born in 1877
    • Agnes Maria Zamora Gabaluseke, born in 1881
    • Zamora Jane Walker, born in 1881
    • Edward Zamora Bently, born in 1882
    • Joseph Zamora Daly, born in 1882
  • Zeno:
    • Annie Zeno Babin, born in 1876
  • Zealandia:
    • Zealandia Helena Harvey, born in 1875
  • Zephyr:
    • Edith Anjer Zephyr Watson, born in 1878

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Sources:

P.S. Hundreds of other babies have been named after ships that were making headlines (e.g., the Titanic, the Lusitania, the Andrea Doria) around the time they were born.

Quotes about the names of musicians

Singer Madonna in the music video for "Like a Prayer" (1989)
Madonna

From a 1991 Vanity Fair interview with Madonna:

“I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name,” continues Madonna, who was named after her mother. “How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this.”

(Madonna, born Madonna Ciccone, went by the nickname “Little Nonni” as a child.)

From Wired‘s 2016 “Google Autocomplete Interview” with rapper Ice Cube [vid] (born O’Shea Jackson):

My brother, he’s about nine years older than me, so, he used to have all kind of women calling the house. I would try to get at them. He got mad at that, he said he was going to slam me in the freezer one day, turn me into an ice cube. So I was like, “You know what? That’s a badge of honor.” When I walked out the house that day, I told him, “Don’t call me O’Shea no more, you know, I found my nickname, it’s gonna be Cube, it’s gonna be Ice Cube.”

From a 2002 interview with musician Elton John on Larry King Live:

Well, I was making a record, and I had to choose a name, because they said, you know, you can’t make a record under the name of Reg Dwight, because it’s never going to — you know, it’s not attractive enough. And I agreed with that, and I couldn’t wait to change my name anyway, because I’m not too fond of the name of Reginald. It’s a very kind of ’50s English name.

So I picked Elton because there wasn’t — nobody seemed to have the name Elton. And I picked John to go with it. And it was — it was done on a bus going from London Heathrow back into the city. And it was done very quickly. So I said, oh, Elton John. That’s fine.

Two back-to-back quotes from the 2009 collection “Sting: What I’ve Learned” in Esquire:

Your parents name you, but they haven’t a clue who you are. Your friends nickname you because they know exactly who you are.

You can be born Elvis Presley. But Reg Dwight is not going to make it unless he has this ritual where he becomes Elton John.

(Sting was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in England in 1951.)

From the bio of the band Needtobreathe at NPR:

Named after acclaimed University of Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, brothers Bear and Bryant “Bo” Rinehart were born and raised in rural Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, where their pastor father ran a church camp.

From an MTV interview with Bruno Mars, birth name Peter Gene Hernandez:

MTV: Bruno Mars is a world away from your name, so where did that come from?

Bruno Mars: My father and my mother. There was a wrestler in their day called Bruno San Martino and he was a very heavy-set wrestler and I guess when I was a kid I was a real chubby, chunky kid. Everyone calls me Bruno; they don’t ever call me Peter, that was just my government name.

From the book All Music Guide to Hip-Hop (2003):

Ginuwine was born in Washington, D.C., on October 15, 1975, with the unlikely name of Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (after D.C.-born Basketball Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor).

(Elgin Baylor, born in 1934, was named after the Elgin National Watch Company.)

From a 2015 interview with musician Zella Day at Huffington Post:

What’s the inside story behind your name?

ZD: Zella is from the 1840s. My parents got married in Jerome, Arizona. And when they were getting married, they were looking for baby names. And there was a book of the town’s history in Jerome, and they were scouting locations for the wedding. And they just walked into a museum and they were looking through this book. And one of the main coal miner’s wives was named Zella — 1842. There’s actually a song on the record called “Jerome.” That’s about the ghostly woman behind my name.

From a 2015 article about late Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla in the San Antonio Current:

Selena continues to have influence over other known and up-and-coming performers. Born in 1992 near Dallas, Disney bopper Selena Gomez, now a pop star of her own, was named after the queen of Tejano (during Selena’s 1991-1995 reign, her name skyrocketed from 780 to 91 in the rankings of most popular baby names in America).

From a blog post about electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire at Open Culture:

With her buttoned-up style, work with the UN, and name like a plucky character in a certain English wizard series, Delia Derbyshire may not seem a likely pioneer of experimental electronic music.

From an NPR interview with B. B. King, who explained why he started naming his guitars Lucille:

I used to play a place in Arkansas called Twist, Ark., and they used to have a little nightclub there that we played quite often. […] Well, it used to get quite cold in Twist, and they used to take something look like a big garbage pail and set it in the middle of the floor, half-fill it with kerosene. They would light that fuel, and that’s what we used for heat. And generally, the people would dance around it, you know, never disturb this container. But this particular night [in the winter of 1949], two guys started to fight and then one of them knocked the other one over on this container, and when they did, it spilled on the floor. Now it was already burning, so when it spilled, it looked like a river of fire, and everybody ran for the front door, including yours truly. But when I got on the outside, then I realized that I’d left my guitar inside. I went back for it. The building was a wooden building, and it was burning so fast when I got my guitar, it started to collapse around me. So I almost lost my life trying to save the guitar. But the next morning, we found that these two guys who was fighting was fighting about a lady. I never did meet the lady, but I learned that her name was Lucille. So I named my guitar Lucille and reminded me not to do a thing like that again.

(B. B. King was born Riley B. King in Mississippi in 1925. The “B. B.” in his stage name stands for “Blues Boy.”)

From a 2001 Guardian interview with singer Dido (born Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong):

To be called one thing and christened another is actually very confusing and annoying. It’s one of the most irritating things that my parents did to me. I’m still irritated by it. Florian is a German man’s name. That’s just mean. To give your child a whole lot of odd names. They were all so embarrassing.

From a 2013 People interview during which Dido mentioned the origin of her nickname:

I was named after a crazy queen who threw herself on a fire.

(The ancient Dido was the legendary founder of Carthage.)

From the 1975 obituary of jazz drummer Zutty Singleton in the New York Times:

Mr. Singleton, who was born in Bunkie, La., on May 14, 1898, was named Arthur James. He acquired the nickname Zutty (Zoot-ee), a Creole patois word, for “cute,” when he was an infant.

From a 1949 article about songwriters Harry and Albert Von Tilzer in Billboard magazine:

After a season of tanbark and tinsel, Harry caught on with a traveling repertoire company, playing juvenile roles, singing songs of his own composing, and abandoning the family name of Gumm for a more glamorous and professional moniker. He took his mother’s maiden name of Tilzer and added “Von” for a touch of class. This switch in nomenclature proved to be the keystone of a songwriting dynasty which was destined to make history in Tin Pan Alley with the turn of the century.

(The family’s surname was originally Gumbinsky. The phrase “tanbark and tinsel” refers to the circus; Harry was part of a traveling circus for a time as a teenager.)

From a 2009 OK! Magazine interview with pop star Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman):

Taylor Dayne had a major influence on pop culture when she hit the big time in 1987 with a string of hits that included Tell It To My Heart, Prove Your Love, I’ll Always Love You, Don’t Rush Me, With Every Beat of My Heart, Love Will Lead You Back and I’ll Be Your Shelter.

By 1993, the name Taylor hit its peak in popularity of baby names.

“You wonder where they generated from, right?” she yuks. “It was a very uncommon name in 1987, that’s for sure, but it’s a compliment.”

Perhaps she even inspired the name of country’s latest sensation, Taylor Swift, who was born in 1989. She laughs off the suggestion. “I would say that her mother was a fan.”

(The name Taylor had been rising steadily on the girls’ list throughout the ’80s, but Taylor Dayne helped kick the name into the top 10 in 1993. It stayed there for nearly a decade. According to records, some Taylors from this era did indeed get the middle name Dayne.)

From a 2015 interview with James Taylor at Stereogum:

Stereogum: Speaking of another powerful woman, Taylor Swift is probably the biggest pop star in the world right now, and she’s named after you! How do you feel about being connected to her in that way?

Taylor: It’s hugely flattering and was a delightful surprise when she told me that. We did a benefit together, I think it was focused on teenage pregnancy, before Taylor really took off. But she was playing guitar and singing her songs and I knew how remarkable she was. She told me that her mom and dad had been really, deeply into my music and I got a real kick out of the fact that she’d been named after me. Obviously it wasn’t her choice, it was her mom and dad, but nonetheless a great connection I think.

From a 2016 article in People about singer Ciara, who explained how she got her name:

My mom was trying to figure out my name when my dad bought her a fragrance called Ciara by Revlon. That’s where my name came from!

(Ciara pronounces her name see-AIR-ah. The name of the perfume, according to television commercials, was pronounced see-AHR-ah.)

From the book Jazz And Its Discontents (2004) by Francis Davis, a passage about jazz singer Abbey Lincoln (born Anna Marie Wooldridge) :

When the singer Abbey Lincoln gives her autograph, she appends the name Aminata Moseka. During her pilgrimage to Africa in 1975, the president of Guinea christened her “Aminata” in recognition of her inner strength and determination, and Zaire’s minister of education likened her to “Moseka,” the god of love in female form. “I love Aminata Moseka. I’ve added her to myself. But I can’t say that’s my one and only name,” says Lincoln […] “It’s more like a title — something to live up to. That’s why I recorded Stevie Wonder’s ‘Golden Lady.’ It gave me the opportunity to sing to a female god. But I’m still Abbey Lincoln — I still like to wear makeup and glittering dresses and look attractive for an audience. And in many ways, I’m still Anna Marie.”

Rami Malek, after winning the Oscar for Best Actor [vid] in early 2019:

I grew up in a world where I never thought I was gonna play the lead on Mr. Robot because I never saw anyone in a lead role that looked like me. I never thought that I could possibly play Freddie Mercury until I realized his name was Farrokh Bulsara. […] That was the motivation that allowed me to say, “Oh, I can do this.”

A quote about jazz musician Red Norvo from the book American Musicians II: Seventy-One Portraits in Jazz (1986) by Whitney Balliett:

Norvo isn’t my real name. I was born Kenneth Norville, in Beardstown, Illinois, in three thirty-one oh-eight. […] I got the name Norvo from Paul Ash, in vaudeville. He could never remember my name when he announced me. It would come out Norvin or Norvox or Norvick, and one night it was Norvo. Variety picked it up and it stuck, so I kept it.

(Red also had a strong opinion about the name of his instrument: “Please don’t call it a vibraphone. I play the vibraharp, a name coined by the Deagan Company, which invented the instrument in 1927 and still supplies me with mine.”)

From a 1995 Spin interview with R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe, whose paternal grandfather was a Methodist minister:

Well, Methodism was started by John Wesley, who was, in his way, a really radical guy who believed in a lot of individual responsibility. It’s not the kind of religion that’s right around your throat. Actually, I was named after him, John Michael Stipe.

From a 2018 Insider write-up on rapper Post Malone (born Austin Richard Post):

“I was like 14, and I had started getting into producing and rapping and singing over my own stuff. And I needed a name, you know, for my s—- mixtape,” he told Jimmy Fallon. “So I ran [my real name] through a random rap name generator… now I’m stuck with it.”

…And, from the same Insider article, a paragraph about rapper Childish Gambino (born Donald Glover):

“We were all hanging out, chilling and drinking and then we were like, ‘Oh, Wu-Tang name generator, let’s put our name in,'” he revealed on The Tonight Show back in 2011. “And we’re putting them all in, and they’re all funny and stuff, and then mine came up and I was like, ‘you guys, it’s not funny anymore. This is something big.’ I just really liked it.”

From a 2012 Rolling Stone article about Monkees singer Davy Jones:

Davy became so famous that another David Jones – a struggling singer-songwriter at the Monkees’ peak – had to change his last name to Bowie.

From the book Strange Fascination (2012) by David Buckley, the story of how singer David Bowie (formerly David Jones) chose his stage name:

‘Bowie’, pronounced by the man himself and all his ‘die-hard’ fans to rhyme with ‘slowie’, as opposed to ‘wowie!’ as used by most ‘casual fans’ and chat-show presenters, was chosen for its connection with the Bowie knife. Jim Bowie (pronounced to rhyme with ‘phooey’) was a Texan adventurer who died at the Alamo in 1836, and carried a single-bladed hunting knife. Bowie’s description of why he chose the name is typically highly ambiguous. In the 70s, Bowie proclaimed that the knife signalled a desire to cut through lies to reveal hidden truths (a highly ironic comment, [given] Bowie’s capacity for deceit), while in a recent Radio 1 interview he said that he liked the connotations of a blade being sharpened from both sides, a signifier for all sorts of ambiguities. In fact, the Bowie knife has only one cutting edge, and is not double-bladed. This mistaken belief was held not just by Bowie, but by William Burroughs too. The choice of stage name nevertheless indicated a sense of being able to cut both ways, perfect for the pluralistic 60s. The name also derived, despite its association with Americana (a connection the English David was obviously happy about, his whole career musically being an English take on a largely American form), from a Scottish heritage, and Bowie quite liked that regional distinctiveness, too.

From a 2015 Fader article about rapper Fonzworth Bentley (born Derek Watkins):

His moniker was inspired in part by Bootney Lee Farnsworth, the underdog boxer from the 1975 Sidney Poitier-directed movie Let’s Do It Again.

From a 2017 BBC interview with Billie Eilish:

BBC: Hello Billie Eilish… Have I pronounced that right?

Billie: Yes! It’s eye-lish, like eyelash with a lish.

BBC: Your family name is O’Connell, though, so is that a stage name?

Billie: It is my middle name. So I’m Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell.

BBC: Pirate! That’s an amazing name.

Billie: Pretty weird, right? Pirate was going to be my middle name but then my uncle had a problem with it because pirates are bad. Then Baird is my mother’s name.

From a 1991 article about musician Gurf Morlix in The Buffalo News:

It’s a name that makes you wonder. Run into Gurf Morlix in album credits for Peter Case or in a concert review of Warren Zevon, and you imagine one of two things. Either he’s a refugee from some republic trying to secede from the Soviet Union, or else he’s hopelessly addicted to science fiction novels.

In truth, he’s an emigrant from one of Buffalo’s ostensibly normal suburbs — Hamburg — and, if anything, he looks a bit English as he talks over a plate of pasta fazool in his favorite hometown restaurant.

“A friend of mine changed it for me,” he responds in answer to the name question. “It was kind of a stupid thing. I dreamed this name when I was 13 years old and I told my friend about it and he said, ‘Well, I’ll never call you anything else.’ And then everybody did.”

From a 1984 episode of the New Zealand TV show Radio with Pictures, hosted by Karyn Hay, an interview with singer Billy Idol [vid] (born William Broad):

Q: Why did you choose the name Billy Idol, especially in a time when [there’s] Johnny Rotten, Rat Scabies, you know?

A: Exactly, I mean that’s the point. That’s exactly the point. […] I thought, first of all, of course, of I-D-L-E, you know, idle. Cause this chemistry teacher when I was at school — I got 8 out of 100 for chemistry, I hated chemistry — so he wrote, “William is idle,” right? And I thought that was great to get 8 out of 10 [sic] for chemistry, cause I hated the hell out of it. So I thought that was respectable, so I thought it was worthwhile being called I-D-O-L, idol. Also, it’s good fun making fun of show business. I’m not into show business, I’m into rock ‘n’ roll.

From a 2019 New Yorker article about musician Beck:

He was born on July 8, 1970, as Bek David Campbell. He and his brother later took their mother’s maiden name, Hansen, and Beck added the “c” to his first name, with the hope that it might help people pronounce it properly. “I still got Brock, Breck, Beak,” he said. “I remember leaving a meeting with some record executives, and one said, ‘Very nice to meet you, Bic.'”

From a 2020 interview with Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson — who is the youngest of seven siblings — on the podcast In My Heart with Heather Thomson:

A lot of people don’t know that Beyoncé is my last name. It’s my maiden name. My name was Celestine Beyoncé, which, at that time, was not a cool thing, to have that weird name.

[…]

But, all of us have a different spelling. I think me and my brother, Skip, were the only two that had B-E-Y-O-N-C-E.

And, it’s interesting — and it shows you the times — because we asked my mother when I was grown, I was like, ‘Why is my brother’s name spelled B-E-Y-I-N-C-E?’

[…]

[M]y mom’s reply to me was like, ‘That’s what they put on your birth certificate.’

So I said, ‘Well, why didn’t you argue and make them correct it?’

She said, ‘I did one time, the first time, and I was told: ‘Be happy that you’re getting a birth certificate.” Because, at one time, Black people didn’t get birth certificates. They didn’t even have a birth certificate. Because it meant that you really didn’t exist, you know, you weren’t important. It was that subliminal message.

And so I understood that that must have been horrible for her, not to even be able to have her children’s names spelled correctly.

So it was an odd name, it was a weird name, and they were like, ‘How dare you have a French name.’ Like, ‘We’re gonna screw this up real good for you.’ And that’s what they did. So we all have different spellings.

From a 2014 interview with Skid Row bass player Rachel Bolan (born James Richard Southworth):

DC9 at Night: How did you get the name Rachel?

Bolan: It’s not my real first name. When I was first getting into bands, I wanted a cool stage name. I wanted to be like Alice Cooper. Eventually, when I was old enough, I legally changed my name to Rachel. It’s always raised a few eyebrows. It’s funny to hear people pronounce it when I give them a credit card or something. It’s funny to this day. They ask me if I gave them the wrong ID or if I gave them some chick’s credit card.

(According to Wikipedia, he created “Rachel” by combining the names of his brother Richard and his grandfather Manuel.)

DRAM's EP "That's a Girl's Name" (2018)
DRAM EP

From a 2018 Uproxx article about rapper DRAM:

Virginian rap crooner DRAM returned last night with the release of his new, three-song EP, That’s A Girl’s Name. Produced and co-written by Josh Abraham and Oligee, the EP’s title refers to DRAM’S real name, Shelley Massenburg-Smith, which means “that’s a girl’s name” is probably a phrase he heard quite a bit growing up.

(“DRAM” is an acronym for “does real-ass music.”)

From a 2004 interview with Bob Dylan, as recorded in the 2018 book Dylan on Dylan by Jeff Burger:

Bradley: So you didn’t see yourself as Robert Zimmerman?

Dylan: No, for some reason I never did.

Bradley: Even before you started performing?

Dylan: Nah, even then. Some people get born with the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens.

Bradley: Tell me how you decided on Bob Dylan?

Dylan: You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.

From an interview with Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, née Perfect, in The Guardian:

Hi, Christine. What was it like growing up with the surname Perfect?

It was difficult. Teachers would say: “I hope you live up to your name, Christine.” So, yes, it was tough. I used to joke that I was perfect until I married John.

From the book Johnny Cash and the Paradox of American Identity (2009) by Leigh H. Edwards:

In [the autobiography] Cash, he explicitly addresses how he represents his identity differently in different contexts, noting how he uses different names for the different “Cashes” he played in different social settings, stating that he “operate[s] at various levels.” He stages a struggle between “Johnny Cash” the hell-rais[ing], hotel-trashing, pill-popping worldwide star and “John R. Cash,” a more subdued, adult persona.

From a 2014 Reddit AMA (“ask me anything”) with rapper Macklemore (born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty):

Mack-La-More is how it’s pronounced

Should have picked an easier name to say

From a 2021 interview with rapper Lil Nas X [vid] (born Montero Hill) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon:

Jimmy: So, where does Montero come from?

Lil Nas X: Ok, it’s slightly embarrassing, but not embarrassing. So my mom wanted the car, the Montero, you know? And she never got one…

Jimmy: What’s a Montero?

Lil Nas X: It’s a Mitsubishi. So, yeah, I’m named after a car.

From the 2022 obituary of singer (and early ’60s teen idol) Bobby Rydell in the New York Daily News:

He was so popular and tied to teen culture that Rydell High School in the stage and screen musical “Grease” was named for him.

“It was so nice to know that the high school was named after me,” he told the Allentown Morning Call in 2014. “And I said, ‘Why me?’ It could have been Anka High, Presley High, Everly High, Fabian High, Avalon High. And they came up with Rydell High, and, once again, total honor.”

(Dozens of baby boys were named after Rydell as well.)

From a 2013 article about Kendrick Lamar in hip-hop magazine XXL:

Amongst the many topics discussed when Kendrick Lamar strolled through Arsenio Hall‘s reinvented television series, the Compton rapper revealed that he’s named after one of the members of the iconic Motown group, the Temptations. While gushing over old school music, K Dot unveiled that his mother named him after Eddie Kendricks, the group’s distinctive falsetto singer.

From a Marshall Tucker Band Instagram post addressing the death of the band’s namesake, Marshall Tucker:

Our band’s namesake, Mr. Marshall Tucker, passed away peacefully yesterday morning at the age of 99. Though he was never a member of our band, we wouldn’t be here today without his historic name. In the early days when we were rehearsing in an old warehouse in Spartanburg, we found a keychain inscribed with his name. We needed a name asap… and the rest is history! Marshall was blind since birth but amazingly could play the heck out of the piano. He always said his talent was simply God-given. He tuned pianos in South Carolina for decades.

(The story behind Super Mario’s name, in Name quotes #111, also happens to involve a warehouse.)

From the 2017 obituary of Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart in pop culture magazine The Quietus:

I was born Grantzberg Vernon Hart, you know? This whole crazy ride was never going to be a bore.

From a 2009 NPR interview with jazz singer and pianist Blossom Dearie:

It is my real name, and everybody asks me that, but I don’t mind answering that question. […] I was born in the springtime, and my father gave me the name Blossom cause I was born in April and my bothers brought blossoms in the house.

(TV character Blossom Russo was named after Blossom Dearie.)

From a 2016 Boston Magazine article about Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA, who was born in 1969 and named Robert Fitzgerald Diggs after the Kennedy brothers Robert and John Fitzgerald:

The Kennedy brothers really had a big effect on my mother. She loved what they stood for, that’s why she named her son after them. I think the ideas that they possessed and tried to put into our country, whether it’s the idea of man achieving the high glory of reaching the moon or the glory of trying to help spread civil liberties to the people, fulfill the promise of our Constitution. Those type of things, I think, are always admirable. My mother was really touched by that and she named me after them.

From the Allmusic.com profile of Blues/R&B pianist Ivory Joe Hunter:

An accomplished tunesmith, he played around the Gulf Coast region, hosting his own radio program for a time in Beaumont before migrating to California in 1942. It was a wise move since Hunter — whose real name was Ivory Joe, incidentally (perhaps his folks were psychic!) — found plenty of work pounding out blues and ballads in wartime California.

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Like a Prayer.”

[Latest update: Mar. 2024]