Celebrity-Inspired Baby Names

The iconic Gone With the Wind star Clark's surname was brought into the first-name mix when Weeds' Kevin Nealon picked it for his son. Gable makes a strong and unusual possibility, a rhyming cousin to Abel and Mabel.

 The cast of Golden Age and later Hollywood characters is ever increasing, now including Harlow, Chaplin, Flynn and Monroe. Clark Gable was born in February, making this one of the prime names for Aquarius babies or names for February babies.

Gable

This spelling of Frida or Frieda ranked as high as #141 back in the late 19th century. Its most famous bearers, with different spellings, are Indian actress Frieda Pinto, who starred in Slumdog Millionnaire, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Freida

Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice, and is now also a Hunger Games name . 
 Another Shakespearean Portia was the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar, based on a historical character. In the 1940s, when the name was most used, there was a popular radio soap called Portia Faces Life, the heroine being – what else? – a brilliant and spirited lawyer.
 Portia is a recommended choice, even though some people might think you named your child for the car. Just don't spell it Porsche, which may sound the same but has a totally different and – despite the aspirational brand – less refined image.
 Namesake Portia de Rossi actually started life as Amanda/Mandy.

Portia

Spiky and playful, Mikey could fit in with Stevie, Scottie, and Charlie as a boyish nickname for girls. It might work as an updated honor for a Michaela, a Michelle, or a Michael, or as a rarer alternative to Frankie, Miley, and Micah.
 
Ultimately drawn from Hebrew, Mikey means "who is like God?", and despite its familiarity, only debuted in the US stats for girls in 2023. Currently given to just a very small handful, this may change in coming years as Davy, Benny, and Ronnie start to catch on. 
 
Parents may be more inspired to consider the name for their daughters after singer Meghan Trainor chose it for her daughter, Mikey Moon, born in 2026.

Mikey

The best-known bearer of this name by far is basketball superstar LeBron James. While LeBron James is a great athlete and American hero, only 19 baby boys were named LeBron or Lebron in 2021.

Lebron

Brought into the mainstream by actor and TV host LeVar Burton who starred in the 70s miniseries Roots and in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Levar, or LeVar as it may be stylized, is a name of African American origin, also used as an English surname. 
 
LeVar Burton's full name is Levardis, and he has said the name comes from the Latin veritas, combined with the popular Le prefix, which gives the name the meaning "the truth". 
 
As an English surname on the other hand, it may derive from the Old English laefre, meaning "where the rushes grow", with Lever and Leyver being alternative forms. Other sources suggest it comes from the Hebrew leharim meaning "to lift, raise" or perhaps even from lev ari meaning "lion heart". This however may be conjecture as Levar does not appear to be a popular surname among Hebrew speaking communities.
 
Having never appeared in the US stats before the 70s, Levar was given more than 500 times in 1977 when Roots first hit TV screens. Since then, it has rapidly declined in use, and in the most recent year, it was given to 5 boys in the US.

Levar

This variation of the popular Kyle places the stress on the second syllable as opposed to the first, which may appeal to parents who want a twist on a 90s favorite. A notable bearer is actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe, known for his role in BBC Ghosts.

Kiell

Many of the hottest baby names today are inspired by celebrities. These are not 

 that have been widely adopted as names for babies. Names like Mila, Audrina, and Khloe all owe their success to their famous bearers.

celebrity-inspired baby names in the US Top 1000

 include Bristol, Dax, Elle, Forest, Isla, Kylie, Leighton, and Octavia. 

Unique names with strong ties to celebrities

 include America, Orlando, Rhianna, and Rooney.

Names inspired by celebrities can be taken from stars past or present. Here are the star-inspired names that are rising through the ranks.

Celebrity inspired baby names from musicians, actors, actresses, athletes, and more, such as Mila, Orlando, Isla, and Dax, with origins, meaning, and popularity (Page 6)