'80s Music-Inspired Baby Names

With 1980 now more than 40 years in the rearview mirror, it's no surprise that some of the decade's most beloved names are primed and ready for a comeback. If you're looking for '80s-era baby names, an option is to look at the ones featured in your favorite songs of the time period. Surely, if they're worthy of a smash hit, they're worthy of your little one — and there are plenty to choose from, considering it was an era when many of the top songs seemed to focus on the name of a specific person or character. As an added bonus, once your little one arrives, they have the first song of their personal soundtrack locked and loaded.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, the most popular names for baby girls born in the '80s were Jessica, Jennifer, and Amanda — each can be connected to a popular song at the time. But the list hardly stops there. As the subjects of love songs and power ballads, the names below are just a few that inspired chart-toppers in the era, making them excellent considerations for your own little superstar.

For a unisex name from a 1981 hit, consider Jessie, inspired by Rick Springfield's song, "Jessie's Girl." In the song, Jessie has exactly what the singer wants, but as a name, Jessie is said to mean "behold" and "gift." Plus, Jessie as a first name rather than a nickname might be due for its 100-year resurgence. While the name did see a surge in popularity in the '80s, it hasn't been on the Social Security Administration's top 100 baby name list for girls since 1927 or boys since 1911. 

In "Rosanna," the band Toto sings about the enduring pain of a man losing the woman he loves and how far he'd go to get her back. The songwriters picked a fitting name for someone so alluring — Rosanna means "rose," "grace," and "beautiful." However, it's been a while since the name was last seen in the top 1,000 baby names (1989), and her popularity seems to have peaked in 1983 — one year after the song hit the airwaves. 

Michael Jackson released "Billie Jean" in 1983, and the song took him to the very top of the Billboard 100. Given that it is about a persistent woman who relentlessly insists Jackson is the father of her son, it might seem like a strange choice for a baby name — but that doesn't erase the fact that the song is obviously a banger. On its own, the name Billie means "protection," while Jean means "God is gracious." When combined, the name can also pay homage to tennis legend Billie Jean King. 

In 1982, John Cougar Mellencamp released a little ditty that offered up two possible baby name options with "Jack & Diane." The song endures as a classic American teenage anthem, but the protagonists' names haven't shared the same equal footing. While Jack has been a top name for baby boys for over a century, sitting at No. 15 in 2025, Diane seems to have peaked in 1955 at No. 14. She hasn't managed to crack back into the top 1,000 since 2004.

In 1984, Journey frontman Steve Perry ventured out on his own with a debut album, and his first single was "Oh Sherrie." The song was actually about Perry's girlfriend at the time, Sherrie Swafford, so her first name makes sense as the subject of a love song, seeing as it means "beloved."

While most people might think of this song as its subtitle, "Best That You Can Do," Christopher Cross's 1981 hit was actually called "Arthur's Theme," because it was written for the film, "Arthur." The song was such a success that it went on to win the Academy Award in 1982 for "Best Song," and the name Arthur has remained similarly beloved. It means "bear man" or "bear king."