Rock and Roll Baby Names: Over 2,000 Music-Inspired Names, from Alison to Ziggy

by Margaret Eby

Everything an expectant music-lover needs to know about the lyrics, band trivia, and other rock-and-roll factoids linked to thousands of popular baby names. What do we know about Caroline? Neil Diamond says she's sweet and The Beach Boys say she prefers short hair when she's older. And what about guys named Victor? Prince and Blondie say Victor is possibly a saint, but also flees from the law. Offering the rock-and-roll definitions of these and dozens more popular names, the wildly popular Rock 'n' Roll Baby Name Dictionary post on Flavorwire drew over fifty thousand hits days after it was launched. Now its creator, pop-culture writer Margaret Eby, rolls out the complete encyclopedia, from Alison to Ziggy and everyone in between. Rock and Roll Baby Names lets every music-savvy parent discover a name's role in rock history. Each entry explains a classical definition and a definition of the name from song lyrics, along with fun "liner notes" about the featured song or band. Sidebars include Best Punk Rock Names for Boys and Weirdest Rock Star Children's Names, with quizzes such as Which Rebel Name Should You Give Your Girl? Every modern baby-from the Girl Next Door to the Rebels and Renegades-will find a legendary legacy in these pages.

Genres: Nonfiction

353 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Margaret Eby has written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, the Paris Review Daily, Bookforum, Salon, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she now lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read read it yet, don't need to really. But flipped through it in the library this morning and it is GREAT. It's well organized into sections I wouldn't have thought of and just generally neat. I think it would make a great gift idea, more so than other baby name books, because it has a little bit of pizazz.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok. Learned some new things from the "liner notes" - including Bob Dylan's previous stage name - but a lot of the meanings and derivations were wrong, a big no no in my book of rules governing baby name books. Also, the names chosen for the lists were weirdly normal. I would have expected a lot more variety.

[Mayaluna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get any ideas for baby names in this book but had a lot of fun reading it- learning the stories behind so many musicians names and nicknames.

[raccoon reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not that great of a book. Seems like such a great idea, but neither me nor my husband enjoyed flipping through the book. Personal preference is all.