Baby name consultant: Song-themed boy name needed

sanctanomina Baby name consultant, , ,

Happy Labor Day everyone!! And happy feast day of our new St. Teresa of Calcutta!! 😍😍😍 (I also discovered her religious name was actually Mary Teresa, and she was named for St. Therese!)

Ella and her husband are expecting their fourth baby, a little green bean (=gender unknown) đŸŒ±! They have a really fun theme going that they’d like to continue with, which is where their dilemma comes in. Ella writes,

“I’m in need of baby name help! We didn’t really mean to name our kids after songs, but after the first two we had to keep going. Naming our third, a boy, was hard, but I love his name and it did come from a song. Now we’re having number four and can’t think of a boy name. We hope to be surprised, so we need a name for both genders. We have a girl name picked out … I’m not due till October, but I’ve never been this far without names. I’m even considering having the song part in the middle name.”

I LOVE themey naming! It’s so fun to come up with ideas that can fit in! Their other children are:

Daniel Thomas (“Oh Danny Boy,” also named after our dads and older brothers)
Layla Beverly (“Layla,” her middle name is my grandma’s name)
Carson Michael (“Runaway Car,” middle name after St. Michael the Archangel because my husband is a cop)

Such great names, right?? And very cool way the way they worked family names in with the song theme as well! I will say that I don’t think it’s so obvious to everyone else that their kids are named after songs—I know “Danny Boy” and “Layla,” but they’re such different kinds of music that I wouldn’t automatically think, “Huh. They’re doing a song theme.” And Carson coming from “Runaway Car” is kind of a stretch—a cool one for sure! But I kind of feel like if they  wanted to break the song theme, the only ones who will really know are Ella and her husband and anyone else they’ve  talked about this with.

All that said, there are a million songs with boys’ names in the titles! I perused this site for inspiration, and I also looked Daniel, Layla, and Carson up in the Baby Name Wizard book, as it lists, for each entry, boy and girl names that are similar in terms of style/feel/popularity. So I really just tried to figure out what boys’ names I thought Ella and her hubs would like, and then see if there were any songs with that name in the title. I also looked at song titles and added names to the list of possibilities when I came across ones I thought they’d like. (I should also add that while I love music and know a lot of songs, I’m really bad at knowing artists, and a lot of the songs on this site were totally unfamiliar to me, so I haven’t screened any of them for objectionable lyrics or artists that might be horrifying, etc.)

So! All that said, these are my ideas for this wee babe if a boy (in alphabetical order, not in order of favorites):

(1) Adam
Adam’s biblical like Daniel, but I think holds up really well with Layla and Carson too. There are several songs I found with Adam in the title, including “Adam Raised a Cain” (Bruce Springsteen), “Adam’s Apple” (Aerosmith), and “Adam’s Song” (blink-182).

(2) Xander (Alexander)
I feel like the nickname Xander is more this family’s speed, and it can stand on its own as a given name if they prefer, but Alexander would be the patron saint and the patron song. 😄 “Alexander and His Clarinet” (Irving Berlin); “Alexander the Great” (Iron Maiden).

(3) Benjamin or Bennett
Ben was my inspiration here—I think Ben is easily a brother to Daniel, Layla, and Carson, and there’s “Ben’s Song” by Sarah MacLachlin. The biblical Benjamin’s a match for Daniel, while I feel like Bennett might be closer to the style of Layla and Carson (and it’s a medieval variant of Benedict, so they get their saint there too!). Either one’s great!

(4) Elias
Elias was actually listed in the BNW as a style match for Layla! It’s a variant of Elijah, so there’s the biblical connection, and Eli’s a great nickname. “Elias” (Dispatch).

(5) Evan
Evan was listed as a style match in the BNW for both Layla and Carson, so I was excited to find “Ballad of Tim Evans” by Ewan MacColl. Evan is a form of John, so any of the Sts. John can be patron.

(6) Jack
Jack is such a sturdy, studly name. It’s perfect as Daniel’s brother, and totally holds its own with Layla and Carson. It can work as a nickname for John, or it can stand on its own as a given name. Either way, John would be the patron, and there are the songs “Book of John” (Tim McGraw); “Captain Jack” (Billy Joel); “Hit the Road Jack” (Ray Charles).

(7) James or Dean
I like both James and Dean for them! “James Dean” (Eagles).

(8) Jesse
“Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield was actually the first song that came to mind when I first read Ella’s “dilemma.” I would definitely use the spelling Jesse, and I love it—it’s got the Old Testament vibe and a cowboy vibe as well, really cool.

(9) Joshua
I love Joshua—it’s biblical, and traditional but current, and Josh is a great nickname. “Song for Josh” (Frank Turner).

(6) Jude
I actually can’t decide if I think Ella and her hubs will like Jude or not. “Hey Jude” by the Beatles is the song reference, and St. Jude Thaddeus is the saint. I do think this name evokes thoughts of the song to many people, especially secularly, so if they really like the song theme, Jude’s a good one to pick.

(7) Sean or Flynn
As with James and Dean, I actually like both the first and last names of the title guy! Sean is a variant of John, so they can pick a St. John as patron; Flynn is kind of fun and Irishy and fits in well with their other kids in my opinion. “Sean Flynn” (The Clash).

And those are my ideas! What do you all think? What boys names would you suggest that fit in with Daniel, Layla, and Carson’s song-themed names?

38 thoughts on “Baby name consultant: Song-themed boy name needed”

  2. My favorite of your suggestions are definitely Adam and Benjamin! Those two names really seem to fit into this sibset.

    A fun way to break the trend, but kinda keep it could be going with a musicians first or last name! Jackson for Michael Jackson. Dylan for Bob Dylan (I love the idea of Dylan for them! And I love Bob Dylan). Miles for Miles Davis. Ellington for Duke Ellington. Just a thought.

    For names from songs: (As found in my iTunes library)
    Andrew for “Andy Warhol” by David Bowie
    Oliver for “Oliver’s Army” by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
    Peter for “In Search of Peter Pan” by Kate Bush (love this song)
    Quinn for “The Mighty Quinn” by Bob Dylan
    Joseph for “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix
    Maxwell for “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by The Beatles
    Paul for “Paul Revere” by The Beastie Boys
    William for “Bille Jean” by Michael Jackson (I know this song is about a girl, but I feel like it could still work!)

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  3. Just a data point for you on Jude as a song reference. I have an almost 6 year old Jude, and when he was a baby/toddler and people heard his name out and about, we got a fair amount of “oh you all must be big Beatles fans!”, etc. Those comments have totally petered out; I haven’t gotten one in ages! I don’t know if it’s because he’s older and people are less like to comment on a name that seems more set in stone than when it is a fresh baby name or if it is because Hey Jude and the Beatles are dwindling in the social consciousness. I suspect both. It’s a great name, though! Glad you tossed it in the mix, Kate!

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  7. Maybe because I married one, but my vote is for Jesse! (He did get announced at high school graduation as Jessica, but otherwise I think it’s an awesome & handsome boy, recognizable bu uncommon name!

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  8. LOVE LOVE LOVE “Sweet Baby James” James Taylor*

    More ideas (might not hit it perfectly style-wise, but since they’re open to middle names too…)
    “Vincent” Don McLean*
    “Matthew” John Denver*
    “Jackson” Johnny Cash
    Henry “Legend of John Henry’s Hammer” Johnny Cash
    Sawyer “Tom Sawyer” Rush
    Louis “Louie Louie” The Kingsmen*
    “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” Billy Joel*

    *Bonus points for being great Saints’ names too! 🙂

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  10. Okay, mooching off previous posters ideas, but I am totally digging Oliver but it has to be nn’d Ollie ❀ Oliver. I also like Andrew, easily nn'd Drew or Andy, I think would be a cute addition to the sib set. If musicians are a go, I love Timothy (Tim McGraw), nicked or not, and I also LOVE Rhett (Rhett Thomas) his whole name could easily serve as a first and middle for this bitty baby, too!

    If they decide their girl name isn't what they love after all, Joanna is a great name and a pretty good song 😉 I worked with a guy who sang it to me all the time and was just so sad I wasn't named from the song lol

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  12. I think there used to be a song about Dominic. Something about “Dominic-nic-nic-Nic…” I don’t know anything else about it, but my parents sang it every time they talked about using the name Dominic.

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  13. This post reminded me of how my mom and dad used to call the local radio station and request “Joanna” by Kool & the Gang on my birthday. 😀 (I wasn’t named after the song; it was just a happy coincidence.)

    My suggestions:

    Kevin (song: “Cousin Kevin” by The Who)
    Some form of Al — Alfred, Albert, Allen (song: “You Can Call Me Al,” Paul Simon)
    Harry (song: “Harry Potter Theme” by John Williams (okay, that’s a stretch)
    Robert, nn Bobby (song: “Me and Bobbie McGee, Janis Joplin)
    Jeremy (song: “Jeremy,” Pearl Jam)
    Maxwell (song: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” The Beatles)
    Thomas (song: “Space Oddity” by David Bowie – “Ground control to Major Tom…”)

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  14. Jack, for Jack and Diane
    Jacques, for Frere Jacques
    Jesse, for Jesse’s Girl
    Jacob’s Ladder, a country song about a couple named Jacob and Rachel who marry despite family opposition.
    Jeremiah was a Bullfrog
    God’s Will, Martina McBride song

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