Allegra? Aria? No, not that kind. The other day we talked about names from our favorite books, so let’s talk about our favorite musicians today. I guess the first question we have to ask is: Is music a big enough part of your life that you would incorporate it into your child’s name? Are you sure you would be alright with it if your child came to hate their namesake? And, finally, do you feel as though this particular artist is worth naming after?
As everyone probably knows after my last post, I’m incredibly opinionated and picky about names. In accordance, I feel that there are good and bad ways to go about honoring that special troubadour. First off, please, stick to first names. I’ve seen enough Lennons, and honestly, at this point, I’m rolling my eyes at their parents. Of course, if the last name happens to be acceptable as a first (Ryan, Elliott, et al.) feel free. Secondly, don’t use a ridiculous stage name. Try to find the real name and go that route. And lastly, please, don’t use the artist’s whole name. We’re going for an homage, and that just goes off into a creepy fandom I’m not ready to deal with.
Onto personal matters, I’m really into music, and would have no problem using a name to honor one of my favourites. Declan (for Elvis Costello) was once on my short list, but unfortunately it plays into a lot of trends that are going on right now (2 syllables, ends in an -en sound, Irish), so I had to scrap it. Most of my other favorites have pretty nondescript names, so it wouldn’t be hard to do. Here’s a list of musicians I love/respect enough to honor, whether or not I’d actually use their names:
- Declan (Elvis Costello)
- Thomas (Tom Waits)
- Rufus (Wainwright)
- John (both of the They Might Be Giants guys)
- Regina (Spektor)
- Lucinda (Williams)
Of course, that’s only going the obvious route. Many people, including one lovely gentleman I knew through the internet, use the names in songs to reference their favorites. He named his daughter Alison, by the way. I never asked, but I assume it’s from the song, considering he was part of the same Elvis Costello fan group that I am. I also know a girl named Veronica, after the song. I have to say, this is a kind of naming I love. I think as long as the name is wearable, go for it! I would have loved to be named after a song. Of course, you should check out the tune in question in depth before taking the plunge. Make sure it’s not about something awful. You probably don’t want to name your precious daughter after some groupie who, ahem, held congress with some rockstar in 1984. But all in all, I love a subtle nod to music that means a lot to you. It’s a great story to tell your child, doubly so if they end up liking the song! Here’s a list of some songs I wouldn’t mind referencing, and some videos, again, regardless of the actual usability:
- Alison, Elvis Costello (Video) <–Only audio.
- Veronica, Elvis Costello (Video) <–Won a VMA in ’89, really nicely done video.
- Natasha, Rufus Wainwright (Video) <–Again, only audio, sorry about that.
- Emile’s Vietnam in The Sky, Elvis Perkins (Video) <–Sorry about the bad quality.
- Samson, Regina Spektor (Video) <–Absolutely beautiful tune.
- Ana Ng, They Might Be Giants (Video) <–Nerdiness shines through.
There are also the thousands that merely mention a name which I would consider for the subtlest of references, but I won’t go into them, because we’d be here all night. My music nerdery is shining through already, and this is a name blog, not a music one, last time I checked. So, what’s your stance on music names? Good or bad? A nice homage or hopeless fandom? What would you use? Hell, what’s your favorite music? Even though I’m just as picky about music as I am about names, I won’t bite. 😉
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Well, my favorite music is Classical with Jazz (classic jazz not the newer fusion stuff!) coming in second. I also like Reggae, classic rock, alternative (or college rock), a little heavy metal & a tiny bit of pop & hip-hop.
So my musical tastes are all over the map!
The other half keeps pushing Amadeus, for his beloved Mozart (at least it’s not Wolfgang!). I try to stick hom in the middle halfheartedly, I think Amadeus is a lot to grow up with. Wolfgang’s worse but still…
I’d name a kid Robert for Bob Marley (none of this Marley crud for me!), Thelonious for Monk, heck Monk, for Monk! Elvis for Elivis or Costello (I was a fan of his back in 1983!), John for John Williams (Conductor extraordinaire!), Elisabeth is on my lists for Grandma & me but Bess/Bessie is on them for Bessie Brown, William for William Krell, Louis/Louie is on my lists (albeit in a twisted way from Lucious) for Louis Armstrong. And I adore Django Reinhart but wonder about Django MacK? Somehow, I don’t think so. Max for Max Roach is on my lists, but Maxim is the only form I like and max itself is so overdoe already, I wonder if I should.
So a lot of names are on my lists for music but I try to keep it simple and not too obvious as to which musician. Just because music is important to us (and seems to be at least somewhat important to the kids) I’m not going to count on it being so for all of them!
Saturday, January 17th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
My sister was named partly after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (guess what her name is!) and it was only some years later we discovered that song was supposedly based on drugs trips! Still, it’s such an obscure reference that no one really ever mentions it!
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I don’t think the song is obscure, but I definitely wouldn’t think of it immediately upon meeting a Lucy!
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Oh, sorry, I meant the drugs reference!