Baby names from jazz, blues and soul music

Baby name inspiration from the world's greatest jazz, blues and soul musicians.
Baby name inspiration from the world's greatest jazz, blues and soul musicians. Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty

In this, our final instalment of baby names inspired by all the different genres of music, we give you the wonderful names to be found in jazz, blues and soul.

It's a fertile hunting ground of legends with huge life stories; lives lived as large as humanly possible - and perhaps beyond.

Some might still be too fusty to revive, but others will hit just the right note. Either way there's a lot to choose from.

Be sure to also check out our other baby name lists from other music genres - we've got classical, rock n roll, heavy metal and hard rock, pop, Britpop and hip hop and rap.

GIRLS

Abbey (Abbey Lincoln)

Adele

Alicia (Alicia Keys)

Anita (Anita Baker)

Aretha (Aretha Franklin)

Bessie (Bessie Smith)

Betty (Betty Carter)

Billie (Billie Holiday)

Cassandra (Cassandra Wilson)

Cécile (Cécile McLorin Salvant)

Diana (Diana Krall)

Dinah (Dinah Washington)

Ella (Ella Fitzgerald)

Ernestine (Ernestine Anderson)

Esperanza (Esperanza Spalding)

Etta (Etta James)

Helen (Helen Merrill)

India (India.Arie)

Jane (Jane Monheit)

Joss (Joss - Joscelyn - Stone)

Julie (Julie London)

June (June Christy)

Lena (Lena Horne)

Macy (Macy Gray)

Maxine (Maxine Brown)

Melody (Melody Gardot)

Mildred (Mildred Bailey)

Nancy (Nancy Wilson)

Nina (Nina Simone)

Norah (Norah Jones)

Patricia (Patricia Barber)

Peggy (Peggy Lee)

Roberta (Roberta Flack)

BOYS

xxxxx
Photo: Getty

Albert (Al Green, Albert King)

Anthony/Tony (Tony Bennett)

Cabell (Cabell "Cab" Calloway)

Curtis (Curtis Mayfield)

Elmore (Elmore James)

Eric (Eric Clapton)

Francis/Frank (Frank Sinatra)

George (George Benson)

Gregory (Gregory Porter)

Isaac (Isaac Hayes)

James (James Brown)

Joe (Joe Williams)

Kurt (Kurt Elling)

Louis (Louis Armstrong)

Luther (Luther Vandross)

Marvin (Marvin Gaye)

Otis (Otis Redding)

Ray (Ray Charles)

Sam (Sam Cooke)

Solomon (Solomon Burke)

Stevie (Stevie Wonder)

Theodore/Teddy (Teddy Pendergrass)

Wilson (Wilson Pickett)