7 Southern-Chic Baby Girl Names Inspired By Dolly Parton Songs

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In addition to her incredible singing, songwriting, and acting career, Dolly Parton was a humanitarian and philanthropist whose heart was as big as her hair, and her good works continue to help millions. Parton's Imagination Library, which provides free books to children in their first years of life, is one of her best-known legacies, but the "I Will Always Love You" hitmaker also created scholarships, contributed money to disaster victims, and funded medical research, including the work that led to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Oh, and she just happened to create a super-popular theme park, too. We're still not over the death of country music superstar Parton, and perhaps we never will be.

Parton surely would have wanted her fans to honor her by being kind to one another and helping people in need, but if you happen to be expecting your own little superstar girl, you could pay tribute to the iconic artist by naming her after a woman in one of Parton's songs. (She wrote approximately 5,000 of them!) Many of those names have the down-home Southern country vibe Parton embodied so well, yet they would still sound great on a girl from Brooklyn, Chicago, or San Francisco. We combed through Dolly's catalog to find some good examples to start off your baby-name list, and invite you either to use one of them or dig deep to find another.

We might as well get the obvious choice over with first. Other than using the music superstar's own first name, you can't find a more quintessential Dolly Parton-inspired baby name than the one from her most beloved hit. Loosely based on names like Josephine, Jolene means "the Lord is God" and rose in popularity in the 2010s, according to Nameberry. This would be especially appropriate for a girl who matches the description in the song: "With flaming locks of auburn hair / With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green."

Admittedly, the musical Jolene is a potential homewrecker; intentionally or not, she's got the narrator's sweetheart murmuring her name in his sleep. The desperate narrator corners Jolene and begs, "Please don't take him just because you can," and "My happiness depends on you." But since your little Jolene will be stealing plenty of hearts of her own, the name is still quite apt.

Dolly Parton didn't reuse names in her songs very often, but she got a bit of mileage out of one in particular. The name Barbara features in no fewer than three Parton numbers: "Barbara on Your Mind," "Backwoods Barbie," and her cover of the old folk song "Barbara Allen." From the Greek word that means "foreigner," Barbara slipped in popularity after the mid-20th century but experienced a resurgence in the 2020s in part thanks to Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" (per Nameberry). Small wonder: It's retro without being stuffy, and the nicknames Barbie, Bobbi, Babs, and Barb work well for both babies and grownups.

At an age when many performers are thinking of retiring or at least slowing down, Dolly Parton kept working as hard as ever and even attempted new ventures. In 2022, she collaborated with bestselling author James Patterson on the novel "Run, Rose, Run," and created a companion album with 12 original songs. The heroine's name is a delightful and timeless choice for any baby girl, calling forth the beauty and hardiness of the flower itself. Rose is also a popular middle name, usually paired with a multisyllabic first name. With that in mind, you could combine it with another girl's name from a Parton song: Barbara Rose, Cora Rose, Jeannie Rose, and so on.

In the heart-wrenching song "Malena," by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, the little girl of the title wishes she could fly like the butterflies she loves. Far too soon, she gets her wish: "But on the night of her birthday the angels fulfilled it / They gave her wings and now Malena can fly." Despite the tragic connotations, the name Malena is a lovely choice: It's easy to spell, sweet-sounding — the middle syllable can be pronounced either "ee" or "ay" — and unique enough that you won't find 10 of them in your daughter's kindergarten class. 

The name has multiple meanings, including "great" or "elegant." In Spanish-speaking countries, parents often use it as a variant of Magdalena, alluding to Mary Magdalene. Whichever meaning or pronunciation you prefer, Malena deserves to climb the popularity charts.

Yet another of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner's tragic-girl ballads is "Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark," released in 1968. (Let's face it: Country music just makes you ugly-cry a lot of the time.) As with "Malena," this song is about a girl who dies young. Recalling how Jeannie used to run into their room at night, her bereaved parents address her fear of the dark by putting an eternal flame on her grave so she'll always have a nightlight on. 

Contrary to the spirit of the song, the name Jeannie has a cheerful young vibe, plus it calls to mind the classic genie-meets-astronaut sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie." The name is derived from John, meaning "God is gracious," so it also works for families who want their children to reflect their faith.

Not all of Dolly Parton's collaborations with Porter Wagoner were weepers. Their rousing number "Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man" is a tribute to a dad who "preached the word of God throughout the land / He preached so plain a child could understand" as he traveled his way around the tent revival circuit. Also mentioned in the song is "Aunt Leona," who would give her testimony as the congregation sang the hymns familiar to Southern churchgoers. Coming from the Greek word for "lion," Leona is the perfect option for a proud and fearless girl, and even more so if your due date falls between July 23 and August 22 (she'll be a Leo, of course!).

Though most of her biggest hits were the ones she wrote herself, Dolly Parton was known to contribute her vocals to other musicians' works. In 1977, she sang harmony on the song "Cora Is Gone" for Herb Pedersen. Written in 1950, the number is told from the point of view of a jilted lover who grieves being left by his beloved, even though she milked him for all he had. Once again, we urge you to look beyond the context of the song and consider Cora as a name for any future baby girls. The name, meaning "maiden" and associated with the goddess Persephone, was totally hot at the end of the 19th century, and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the mid-2010s into the 2020s (via Behind the Name).