With the growth of digital media platforms such as social media and Netflix, and high-budget TV series and films being released, there are plenty of popular figures and characters that can influence our way of thinking.
Something that every parent must decide on, whether they’re aware of the gender or not, is what to name a new baby – there are several factors which could influence your decision.
You could look to name your newborn after someone in your family or research baby names online, but pop culture and celebrities can also influence what the nation’s babies are called.
Cultural influences have always played a part in what babies are named, and this has been no different for the past few years.
The Kathryn’s team have therefore researched what the most popular cultural influences are behind children’s names, by examining the following factors:
- Music Artists
- TV Programmes
- Reality Celebrities
- Films
Data provided by the Office of National Statistics has helped Kathryns to conduct their research, by providing the data for what babies have been named in recent years.
Music Artists
George Ezra
Following the release of George Ezra’s Album Wanted on Voyage which contained the single ‘Budapest’ that rose to number 3 on the UK charts, the number of babies named ‘Ezra’ in the UK has spiked.
In 2014 when his album was released, there were around 275 babies named Ezra that year. 7 years after the release of his debut album, the singer’s stage surname ‘Ezra’ was given to babies 1,226 times, which resulted in a total increase of 346%.
Did you know? George Ezra’s real name is actually George Ezra Barnett, so Ezra is in fact his middle name.
Mabel
Another singer who has influenced baby names over the past few years is Mabel, a popular RnB and Pop singer.
Following the release of her breakthrough single ‘Finders Keepers’ in 2017, there were 350 babies named Mabel during that year. In 2021 after 4 years of Mabel being a huge name in the UK music scene, that figure rose to 885 babies named Mabel, which was a 153% increase.
Musical Influences on baby names
The average increase in baby names from the artists we looked at saw an average increase of 259% in baby names after popular artists, meaning that parents across the UK are still influenced by the names of their favourite musical artists.
TV Programmes
Sex Education
The popular Netflix program ‘Sex Education’ first aired in 2020, and the rise of the names for two of the main characters, ‘Otis’ and ‘Maeve’ had already begun.
Following the release of the first series, the number of babies named Otis in the UK rose from around 275 babies to just over 450. Following the release of series 3 of Sex Education in 2021, there were 737 babies named Otis in the UK, an increase of 168% in just 4 years.
There were also just 84 babies named Maeve in the UK prior to the release of Sex Education in 2019, however following the release of series 3, 654 babies were named Maeve in 2021. That totalled an increase of 679%, highlighting the influence that Sex Education had on baby names across the UK.
Peaky Blinders
Following the release of the BBC’s popular series ‘The Peaky Blinders’, there is evidence to suggest that the names of the main characters on that series have affected how babies have been named in the UK.
The largest increase has come from the name ‘Arthur’, as there were 1,559 babies named Arthur when series 1 was released in 2013. As the show’s popularity has risen and more series have been released, there were 3,766 babies called Arthur in 2021, a 142% increase.
Other names also saw an increase due to the popularity of the show, such as ‘Finn’ and ‘Tommy’.
However, both of their rises were inconsistent in comparison with Arthur, with ‘Tommy’ already being a popular name prior to the release of the Peaky Blinders, and ‘Finn’ also featuring as a character in the Star Wars franchise.
TV’s influences on baby names
From the sample we explored, TV programs resulted in a 330% increase in baby names across the UK, with the highest of those names coming to an uncommon name in ‘Maeve’.
Realty Celebrities
The Kardashians
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s son ‘Saint’ was born in 2015, and has featured on the popular reality TV program ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ since then.
When Saint was born in December 2015, only 5 babies were given the same name that year in the UK.
After Saint featured on the hit TV program and inside celebrity news stories for over 6 years, the popularity of the name has significantly increased.
In 2021, there were 59 babies given the name Saint in the UK alone, resulting in a huge, 1080% increase.
Films
Star Wars
Star Wars shows how names can become popular following the release of a popular film series.
Name’s such as Kylo and Lando were given to babies fewer than 2 times per year up until 2015. The name ‘Kylo’ was given to 189 babies in 2020 following the release of the third Star Wars film, as one of the main characters in the updated franchise was named ‘Kylo Ren’.
As Kylo was not a common name prior to the new Star Wars films being released, there was a 1790% increase in babies being called Kylo from a result of the franchise.
Conclusion
By looking at the impact of what many babies were named prior to a cultural influence, the largest increase on people choosing their baby’s name were films and reality TV stars:
- Films (resulted in a 1780% increase in baby names)
- Reality TV stars (resulted in a 1080% increase in baby names)
- TV Programmes (resulted in a 330% increase in baby names)
- Musical artists (resulted in a 259% increase in baby names)
This is because films have the power to create new characters with names that have never been used before, meaning uncommon names can rise exponentially in popularity.
If you’re expecting a new baby and are struggling to think of a new, exciting name, why not take influence from your favourite musical artist, TV program or film character?
Taking inspiration from popular cultural media for baby names is definitely on the up, and gives you something extra to consider when thinking of a name for your baby.
