Musical Baby Names

A South American dance style whose name derives from Latin tangere "touch". It's also a popular orange-flavored fizzy drink in the UK, as well as the word for the letter T in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

In addition to being the term for a job performing music, Gig has been used as a name, as in onetime actor Gig Young--who was born Byron but took his stage name from a character he played.

Octave shortens Octavius to a more manageable length, keeping the "eighth" meaning. In English speaking countries, however, people could easily confuse this with the musical and poetrry term octave. This, however, might not be considered a bad thing, or even an accident. Cadence, Lyric, Poem, and Anthem had seen increased interest, so why not this musical word?

The name appeared in the US stats in 2024 for the first time since the late 60s, when it was given to 6 boys.

Ramon is a common Latin male name, but Ramone would clearly be in tribute to the early punk rock group--each of whose members took on the last name Ramone.

Caprice is a word name with an appealing sound and a light-hearted meaning. Caprice is a rare name, used for only ten baby girls in the US in 2023.

Jazz as a full name is used slightly more often for boys than girls and has a distinctive, well, jazzy feel. Jazz is also occasionally used as a nickname for Jasper, much more often for Jasmine or Jazlyn. Could work as a middle name.

Musical term with a lot of energy.

Riff is the name of the leader of the Jets in West Side Story, drawn from the musical word for a repeated phrase in a song. A tragic character in the musical, but a jaunty sounding name with the vibes of Ridge, Riggs, Raffy, and Lyric too.

While Ivy Blue has made the color a more popular choice for girls, Blues — as in the musical style — could feel more masculine. While some may find it a sad and gloomy choice, thanks to the phrase "having the blues", the musical connection gives it greater potential. It could make for a laid-back name that oozes cool and works as an alternative for those wanting to avoid more obvious choices like Indigo or Hendrix.

With its musical allusions, a harmonious possibility.

Drummer entered the baby name lexicon thanks to blogger No Big Dill, who chose it for her newborn son, who joins five older sisters. Drummer is right in step with other occupational names in vogue now, from Archer to Gardener. Let's just hope Drummer doesn't prefer to play the piano.

The literal meaning of Adagio is 'at ease.' Adagio's use for a slow musical passage or ballet is contradicted by its lively sound and feel.

Undiscovered musical form melodious enough to be a hit on the name charts.

Minuet is delicate, dancey, and lacy, with a Masterpiece Theatre feel. Is Minuet a real name? Not really, though similar-sounding French names such as Minette and Manette are.

Fifer is a musical name that fits in seamlessly with the likes of Harper and Piper, but is much more unusual. It's also a Scottish demonym, referring to an inhabitant of the historic Scottish county of Fife.

Rock definitely has a macho image, if a somewhat caricatured one, ala The Rock. But with the rise of word names and also of tough guy names, Rock feels more plausible than it did a generation ago.

Tuneful variation on the Claire names.

The name of a small yellow bird that hasn't taken off in the way that some of its avian sisters – like Robin, Wren or Lark – have.

Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.

These days, it's more likely you'd call your daughter the popular Belle or Bella.