61 Baby Names Inspired by '80s Pop Culture

Kimberly Zapata

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The ’80s were a strange time. From neon and nylon to spandex, shoulder pads and teased hair, we made some questionable decisions — but we also made some good ones. ‘80s movies were life-changing and groundbreaking. Shows like Hill Street Blues and Cheers made an indelible mark on silver-screen storytelling, and music was in a pretty fantastic transitional period. In short, it was a good, bad and influential era — one which is making a comeback, particularly in the youngest members of our society, via everything from chic kids clothes to baby names.

Pamela Redmond Satran, the CEO of Nameberry, tells SheKnows she’s certain ’80s-inspired names will see a resurgence in 2020: “I expect that ’80s pop culture names will get more popular now that people born in the ’80s are having babies — provided those names DIDN’T get popular in the ’80s and ’90s.”

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So whether you’re looking for a way to honor your youth or simply want to celebrate the best (and arguably worst) decade in recent history, look no further than these ’80s-inspired baby names. From Madonna and Cyndi to Kurt, Woody, Winnie and Bruce, these names are sure to garner comments, compliments and more than a few nostalgic nods.

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zach morris

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Bodacious ’80s names inspired by books, TV & movies:

  1. Alex (Beverly Hills Cop, Family Ties)

  2. Freddy (Nightmare On Elm Street)

  3. Janet (Three’s Company)

  4. Jesse/Jessie (Full House, Saved By the Bell)

  5. John (The Breakfast Club, Die Hard, Rambo)

  6. Kelly (Married With Children, Saved By the Bell)

  7. Lionel (All In the Family, The Jeffersons)

  8. Marty (Back to the Future)

  9. Rudy (The Cosby Show)

  10. Sam (Cheers)

  11. Winnie (The Wonder Years)

  12. Zack (Saved By the Bell)

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#ThrowbackThursday

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Gnarly ’80s names inspired by actors, musicians & other celebs:

  1. Al (Al Pacino, “Weird Al” Yankovic)

  2. Amber (Tiffani–Amber Thiessen)

  3. Arnold (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

  4. Bill/Billy/Billie(Bill Murray, Billy Idol, Billie Jean)

  5. Bruce (Bruce Willis, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Jenner)

  6. Brooke (Brooke Shields)

  7. Chuck (Chuck Norris)

  8. Clint (Clint Eastwood)

  9. Cyndi (Cyndi Lauper)

  10. Diana (Diana Ross)

  11. Eddie (Eddie Murphy, Eddie Veder)

  12. George (George Michael, George Lucas)

  13. Harrison (Harrison Ford)

  14. Jackson (Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson)

  15. James (James Hetfield)

  16. Jordan (Michael Jordan)

  17. Kevin (The Wonder Years, Kevin Costner)

  18. Leonard (Leonard Cohen, Leonard Nimoy)

  19. Meryl (Meryl Streep)

  20. Michael (Michael Jackson, Michael Douglas, Michael J. Fox)

  21. Morgan (Morgan Freeman, Morgan Fairchild)

  22. Ozzy (Ozzy Osbourne)

  23. Patrick (Patrick Steward, Patrick Swayze)

  24. Ray (Ray Charles, “Sugar” Ray Leonard)

  25. Richard (Richard Gere)

  26. Robin (Robin Williams)

  27. Robert (Robert DeNiro, Robert Smith)

  28. Russell (Russell Crowe)

  29. Tina (Tina Turner)

  30. Tom (Tom Cruise, Tom Selleck)

  31. Tyson (Mike Tyson)

  32. Steve/Stevie (Stevie Nix, Stevie Wonder, Steven Harris, Steve Martin)

  33. Sylvester (Sylvester Stylone)

  34. Tyler (Steven Tyler)

  35. Whitney (Whitney Houston)

  36. Woody (Woody Harrelson)

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On October 27, 1982, Prince released his groundbreaking double album 1999. The hits "Little Red Corvette," "1999" and "Delirious" introduced him to a massive audience of new fans, and were released at the dawn of an intensely prolific period of his early career. • 1999 was the third album that Prince wrote, recorded, and released that year. In August 1982, the second album from The Time, What Time Is It?, and the debut release from his girl group, Vanity 6, were released within weeks of one another. The three acts hit the road that winter for what became known as the "Triple Threat Tour," bringing Prince's Minneapolis Sound to cities across the United States. • In early 1983, the single "Little Red Corvette" broke through to become Prince's first Top 10 @billboard hit, and soon it was placed into rotation on the burgeoning music channel @mtv alongside videos for "1999" and "Delirious." By the end of the 1999 "Triple Threat" Tour, Prince was well on his way to becoming the global superstar we know him as today. • On November 29, listeners around the world will have a chance to hear the remastered album 1999 for the very first time, packaged alongside 35 previously unreleased tracks from Prince's legendary vault that showcase Prince's creative flow in this era. Preorder the Remastered, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe Editions at store.prince.com

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The most righteous & radical ’80s names we definitely want to see make a comeback:

  1. Ash (The Evil Dead, Alien)

  2. Bowie (David Bowie)

  3. Corey (Corey Feldman, Corey Haim)

  4. Kurt (Kurt Cobain, Kurt Russell)

  5. Jareth (Labyrinth)

  6. Lars (Lars Ulrich)

  7. Leslie (Leslie Frazier)

  8. Lydia (Beetlejuice)

  9. Madonna

  10. Prince

  11. Pierce (M.A.S.H.)

  12. Sean (Sean Connery, Sean Penn)

  13. Snake (Escape from New York)

  14. Rose (Golden Girls)

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