Jolene

Parton has said she based the name on a young bank teller who flirted with her husband. The song has been covered by artists from the White Stripes to Miley Cyrus, keeping the name in continuous circulation.

Jolene ranks No. 607 in the US with 493 births. It peaked in 1974 — the year after Parton’s single — at No. 245 with 1,053 births, a clear demonstration of how a single song can reshape naming patterns within months.

Beyond the song, Jolene appears in Ray Lamontagne’s 2004 ballad of the same name and in the television series The Witcher. The name also surfaces in Southern literature, where its musical cadence fits the storytelling tradition of the American South.

The 3 syllables of Jolene follow a stress pattern of soft-soft-strong, with the emphasis falling on the final leen.

That rising rhythm gives the name an upward energy, almost like a question or an invitation, which may explain why Parton’s song made it so memorable.

After decades in decline Jolene is climbing again, part of a broader revival of vintage names from the 1970s.

Parents who choose it today often cite the Dolly Parton connection as a positive — a link to female strength, wit and unapologetic personality.

The name remains overwhelmingly American in usage. It has never charted significantly in the UK, Australia or Canada, giving it a distinctly Southern and country-inflected identity that resonates with a specific cultural sensibility.