There has been an increase in the number of David Bowie-inspired baby names following the musician’s death in 2016, data shows.
According to the Office for National Statistics(ONS), the number registered boys with Ziggy (a reference to his 1972 album Ziggy Stardust) at birth in England or Wales rose from 49, to 136 between 2016-2021.
The number of boys who were registered under the name Bowie grew from 35 to 78 during the same time.
Bowie, one the most revered and influential musicians of recent years, succumbed to liver cancer just two days after his 69th Birthday.
George Ezra at Glastonbury, Ben Birchall/PAPA Wire/PA Images – Ben Birchall
His legacy continues in recent years, with his estate starting an NFT series. Bowie also received a stone from the Music Walk of Fame in London.
Popularity of baby names may also have changed due to the success of George Ezra or Mabel, singers.
Ezra was 14 times more popular in 2021 than it was a decade ago.
With 1,226 boys registering that year, the name was just outside of the top 50 most-popular names for boys in 2021.
It was popularized around the same time as the singer-songwriter gained fame. In 2015, 89% of his album Wanted on Voyage reached the top of the charts.
Following large increases in 2018-2020, the number Mabel-named baby girl also peaked at 885 in 2021.
According to the ONS, this could have been due to Mabel’s success with Finders Keepers in May 2017.
Adam Driver played the role of Star Wars villain Kyloren (Ian West/PA).PA Archive/PA Images Ian West
It is possible that Star Wars’ recent films have had an influence.
After Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the number of Kylo-named newborn boys grew more than fivefold to 54 by 2016. This was when Adam Driver introduced viewers to Kylo Ren, the villain.
After the Jedi hunter turned his face to the dark side, the count reached 189 in 2020.
Since the appearance of Lando Calrissian (played by Donald Glover) in Star Wars films in 2019, the number of Landos has increased more than fivefold, from 13 in 2019 and 74 last year.
The name Finn (John Boyega), one of the trilogy’s main characters, also rose in popularity from 512 registrations for boys in 2015 to 788 in 2021.
According to the ONS, this could also be due to the popularity of Peaky Blinders in which Harry Kirton played Finn, the youngest son of Arthur Shelby.
Other names that have seen a rise in recent years include Saint, the name of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s son, and Otis and Maeve, from the Netflix show Sex Education.
Popularity of Pixar’s films Luca, Raya, and The Last Dragon could also have contributed to their popularity.