When planning for a new baby, one of the biggest decisions that has to be made is picking out the perfect baby name … and it can also be one of the hardest. But for parents who are fans of country music, never fear, because some of our favorite (and most timeless) songs from the genre have offered up plenty of suggestions in the names that are found in the songs and the titles of country music spanning generations.
Of course, there are far more baby girl names in country music than there are boys — country is still dominated by men, unfortunately, and a lot of those men are singing about the women they've loved and, sometimes lost. But there is plenty of inspiration to be found in country music, even if the namesake involved is a scorned lover.
From Jolene to Sue, here are all the baby names that come from country songs. Who knows — baby Emmylou could be the only one with that name in her class!
JOLENE
Jolene seems like the most obvious choice when we're thinking about names in country songs — of course, it comes right out of Dolly Parton's song of the same name. Jolene is the beautiful woman who Dolly's man is cheating on her with, but she has a pretty beautiful name, too.
FANCY
Another one of the most notable names in country music. Fancy comes from Reba McEntire's song about a little girl whose mother sends her daughter off into the world to hopefully escape the poverty she grew up in and she eventually makes a name for herself.
DREW
Taylor Swift made this name famous in one of her very first singles, "Teardrops on My Guitar." In the song, Drew is the guy who has broken her heart, because the feelings she has for him haven't been returned — and as Swift has shared in the past, there was a real Drew, and that was his real name.
JOHNNY
The name Johnny comes from an incredibly sad song, but also, a great one — and it's one of the few instances in country music where a boy's name is included. This name comes from Tim McGraw's "Don't Take the Girl."
SARABETH
Another sad song, another adorable name. "Sarabeth" is the protagonist in Rascal Flatts' song "Skin," which is all about a teenager who finds out she has cancer and loses her hair before the prom. It's a pretty cute name, though — especially for those who like the idea of combining two names into one.
CHELSEA
The song the name Chelsea comes from is also by Reba McEntire, but it's a lot different than "Fancy." This name comes from the song "Somebody's Chelsea," about a man who was married to his late wife for 60 years and still feels lucky to have known and loved her.
EMMYLOU
Here's another name combo — a super adorable, super Southern one at that. Emmylou comes from the George Strait song "Check Yes or No" about a girl named Emmylou Hayes who the protagonist meets in elementary school and ends up being the love of his life.
JENNY
In Carrie Underwood's single "Church Bells," Jenny is a woman who "grew up wild, like a blackfoot daisy" and ended up in an abusive marriage. So she took matters into her own hands and decided to find her own way out — by slipping something in his drink that killed him, of course.
SUE
Sue might traditionally be a girl's name, but thanks to the Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue," we can officially consider it gender neutral. And while the boy in the song hated the fact that his dad named him Sue, his dad did it to make him a tough individual. On second thought, maybe don't name a baby boy Sue…
CHARLIE
This name comes from Miranda Lambert's song "Me and Charlie Talking," which is about a childhood love story that ultimately didn't turn into anything when the people in the song became adults. Charlie is a really cute name for a baby boy, and the one in the song had a romantic spirit.
GENTRY
In terms of country music, when we hear the name Gentry, we think of Montgomery Gentry, but this name is actually included in Jessica Andrews' song — and if a baby with musical talent sounds good, remember that this Gentry happened to be so good at playing guitar and singing he didn't even have time to date.
EARL
Earl is about as country as it gets — and it even made it in the title of the Dixie Chicks' song "Goodbye Earl." The Earl in the song wasn't exactly a nice guy, and he ended up paying for it big time … but that's why it's up to baby Earl to restore honor to his name!
EVANGELINE
This name is in the title of Little Big Town's song — and it's both pretty and unusual. The song is about a girl named Evangeline who's in a relationship with someone who constantly puts her down, but she deserves to be treated so much better.
CAROLYN
"Carolyn" is Merle Haggard's song where he's actually talking to the wife of a man who cheated on her to reveal the problems in their relationship, but he's acting like it's about someone else's problem. Not the ideal situation, but Carolyn is still such a pretty name.
RUBY
Ruby comes from the Kenny Rogers' song "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town." It's sung from the point of a man who became paralyzed in the war and is worried that his wife is getting all dressed up to go find other men who can meet her needs … and despite his begging, she leaves anyway.
DELILAH
The name Delilah screams "woman in a country song," and as it turns out, that's for a reason. "Delilah" is the name of a song by Blake Shelton, and it's actually about ex Miranda Lambert's dog, Delilah, who only cared to be pet by Miranda and not Blake. Cute!
ROSANNA
Rosanna is one of the names mentioned in George Strait's classic, "All My Exes Live in Texas" — "Rosanna's down in Texarkana," as Strait sings in the song. It also serves up another few names for inspiration: Allison, Eileen, Dimples … but maybe avoid naming a baby Dimples.
JOEY
"Joey" is Sugarland's heartbreaking song about a teenager who lost her boyfriend (the aforementioned Joey) in a car accident, singing about how she wishes she had taken his keys before he drove drunk. So sad … but then again, this is country music we're talking about.
NORMA JEAN
Norma Jean comes from the song "Norma Jean Riley" by Diamond Rio, and it's basically a love song dedicated to a woman named Norma Jean who caught the protagonist's eye, and he'll do anything to get her to fall in love with him. Want a country name? It doesn't get much more country than Norma Jean.
ALYSSA
Alyssa is the name in the song "Alyssa Lies" by Jason Michael Carroll. In the song, Alyssa is a little girl in the protagonist's class who is being abused at home and lies to cover it up when she's at school. Heartbreaking, yet again — but maybe baby Alyssa can live a much happier life.
