Celebrity Names · Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
English
"from the old town"
Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.
Sanskrit
"place of great bliss"
Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?
Combination of Rose and Anna
Rose lovers today would probably prefer Rosemary, Rosamund, or even Rose itself, all more stylish variations of the name. Some may associate this form of the name with actress Rosanna Arquette and…
"ridge farm"
Rigby is a rather stiff British surname, which might call to mind the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or, from the recent past, Cathy Rigby, the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics…
Color name
"rich deep red"
Crimson could be a possible competitor for Scarlett's success, though it's lacking that Johansson charm. Crimson tends to be disproportionately popular in Alabama — the University of Alabama's…
English surname
"son of Job"
Used as a first name for a handful of girls every year, Joplin could be seen as a distant cousin of other -lin names, like Caitlin, Brooklyn and Braelynn. We think it works even better as a musical…
Word name
Spring doesn't sound half as contemporary as Winter, which has become the cool season name.
Scottish from Norse
Surname that is occasionally used as a given name in tribute to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
Latin
"Roman messenger god"
Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman…
Latin, diminutive of Ignatius
"fiery"
Iggy is the quintessential pop star name, though it's the nickname Cate Blanchett uses for son Ignatius. Iggy does bring any grander-sounding name down to earth.
"ninth"
Nona is a name sometimes given to the ninth child -- but unlikely to serve that purpose today. Musical cred: the name of a song by Motley Crue. In Roman mythology, Nona was also a goddess of…
Seger is a masculine name with Germanic and Dutch origins, derived from words meaning 'victory' or 'conqueror.' As a surname, it's been established for centuries in Northern European countries. In…
English word name
"a day of religious observance and abstinence from work"
Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which…
Short form of Sidney, French
"Saint-Denis"
Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk…
Scottish surname
"son of Artan"
This highly recognizable surname means "son of Artan," an Irish derivative of the name Art. It's most closely tied to Beatle Paul McCartney — we'd be willing to bet that some of the parents who give…
Maggiemae is a compound feminine name combining two traditional nicknames: Maggie (from Margaret) and Mae (a variant of May). Margaret derives from Greek 'margarites' meaning 'pearl,' while Mae often…
Irish
"blond boy"
Transformation of the stolid Gilbert into an animated surname name.
French, musical term
Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.
"sea taboo"
When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice.
Lorelie is a feminine name variant of Lorelei, which originates from German folklore about a beautiful siren who sat on a rock above the Rhine River and lured sailors to their doom with her…
