Looking for baby name inspiration with a literary twist?
This fun list will help you choose a fabulous name for your baby while you brush up on the most well-known nursery rhymes of all time.
Image: Karen Cox/SheKnows
Aiken: “Aiken Drum.” This Anglo-Saxon name means “oak.”
Arabella: “Little Arabella Miller.” Arabella, a Dutch name, means “beautiful.”
Bessy: “Bessy Bell and Mary Gray.” Bessy is generally used as a nickname for Elizabeth.
Betty: “Betty Blue.” Betty is a diminutive of Elizabeth. (And Beyoncé and Jay Z named their daughter Blue!)
Billy: “Billy Boy.” Billy, or Bill, is a diminutive of William.
Bobby: “Bobby Snooks” and “Bobby Shaftoe.” Bobby with a “-y” is a nickname for Robert. Bobbie with an “-ie” is often a first name for a girl.
Caesar: “Caesar’s Song.” This classic name means “long hair.”
Cole: “Old King Cole.” A name of Greek origin, Cole means “people’s victory.”
Dell: “The Farmer in the Dell.” From 1900 to 1967, Dell was among the 1,000 most popular baby names in the nation. It disappeared from the charts in 1968 and has not returned.
Dickie: “Two Little Dickie Birds.” Dickie, or Dick, is typically short for Richard.
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Dolly: “Baby Dolly.” This girl’s name means “a vision.”
Drake: “Ducks and Drakes.” Drake is a name of Greek origin that means “dragon.”
Duke: “The Grand Old Duke of York.” Duke means “leader.”
Dusty: “The Dusty Miller.” Dusty is an English name that means “brave soldier.”
Foster: “Doctor Foster.” This Latin name means “keeper of the forest.”
Fred: “Little Fred.” Fred, of course, is short for Frederick.
Georgie: “Georgie Porgie.” Georgie can be a name for a girl (Georgette) or a boy (George).
Hector: “Hector Protector.” It’s not a super-popular name, but it has been among the top 300 since 1943.
Jack: “Jack and Jill,” “Little Jack Horner,” “Jack Be Nimble,” “Jack Sprat” and “This is the House that Jack Built.” Jack was so common throughout the Middle Ages it was often used as a term to describe any boy or man.
Jenny: “When Jenny Wren was Young.” This girl’s name is a diminutive of Jennifer.
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Jill: “Jack and Jill.” Jill barely makes the top 1,000 names, but it enjoyed tremendous popularity in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s.
Joan: “Little Jumping Joan.” This name was most popular throughout the 1930s. It fell out of the top 1,000 in 1994 and hasn’t been back in favor since.
John: “Brother John.” This was the No. 1 name for a boy from 1900 through 1923. It remained in the top 10 until 1987, and has yet to return.
Lavender: “Lavender’s Blue.” Harry Potter’s Lavender was a member of Dumbledore’s Army.
Lou: “Skip to my Lou.” Lou can be short for Louis (a boy’s name) or Louise (a girl’s).
Lucy: “Lucy Locket.” Thanks to a recent resurgence, Lucy is nearly as popular today as it was in 1900.
Margery: “See-Saw Margery Daw.” The French meaning of Margery is “pearl.” The Persian meaning, on the other hand, is “child of light.”
Mary: “Lazy Mary,” “Mistress Mary,” “Mary had a Little Lamb,” “My Maid Mary” and “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.” Of course so many nursery rhymes feature this name! Mary was the nation’s No. 1 name from 1900 through 1946 and from 1953 through 1961. It finally dropped out of the top 100 in 2009.
May: “The First of May.” This pretty girl’s name can be given to babies born in any month.
Miller: “Little Arabella Miller” and “The Dusty Miller.” Once used as a surname for “one who grinds grain.”
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Misty: “One Misty Moisty Morning.” Misty is an English/American name that means just that… “misty.”
Moe: “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe.” This name has never been among the most popular.
Pat: “Pat-a-Cake.” This gender-neutral name might be short for Patrick (boy) or Patricia (girl).
Peter: “Peter Piper” and “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater.” A classic name for a boy, Peter has just recently (since the late 1990s) dipped in popularity.
Pippen: “As I was Going up Pippen Hill.” The Teutonic Pippen means “father.”
Polly: “Little Polly Flinders” and “Polly, Put the Kettle On.”
Raven: “The Farmer and the Raven.” Raven is more common for girls than for boys, but it is considered a gender-neutral name.
Richard: “Robin and Richard.” This German name means “powerful ruler.”
Robin: “Robin and Richard,” “Little Robin Redbreast” and “Robin a Bobbin.” This unisex name fell out of the top 1,000 for boys in the year 2000, and out of the top 1,000 for girls in 2004.
Rose: “Roses are Red.” Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you!
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Sailor: “A Sailor Went to Sea.”This gender-neutral name can also be spelled Saylor.
Sally: “Sally Go Round the Sun.” Sally’s popularity peaked in the late 1930s and has not appeared among the top 1,000 girl names since 2004.
Simon: “Simple Simon.” Simon is a Hebrew name that means “hear” or “listen.” Simone is a female variant of the name.
Solomon: “Solomon Grundy.” For the first time since the late 1920s, Solomon is among the top 400 baby boy names.
Star: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” This uncommon girl’s name spent just a few years (off and on between 1978 and 1998) on the top 1,000.
Sue: “Sulky Sue.” Sue could be short for Susan or Suzanne.
Taylor: “The Tailors and the Snail.” This name is common for boys and girls alike.
Teddy: “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.” Teddy is a common nickname for Theodore.
Thorne: “A Thorn.” In a similar vein, you might consider Thorn, Thorndike, Thornly or Thornton.
Tom or Tommy: “Little Tommy Tittle Mouse,” “Little Tommy Tucker” and “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son.” Tom and Tommy are diminutives of Thomas.
Violet: “Roses are Red.” Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you!
Willie: “Wee Willie Winkie.” Willie is a diminutive of William.
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