The '60s Baby Name Dolly Parton Always Dreamed Of Giving The Daughter She Never Had

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The late Dolly Parton loved uplifting people not only through music but also through her extraordinary generosity, her boundless empathy, and her commitment to making the world a bit kinder. It's a well-known fact that she loved children, but never had any biological children of her own. Instead, she became everyone's "Aunt Granny." 

Long before she stepped into that role, she and her husband, Carl Dean, whose pics with Dolly Parton highlight just how deeply they loved one another, were two young newlyweds in the '60s dreaming about the life and family they might build together. In fact, the couple even had a '60s baby name picked out for a daughter: Carla. Meaning "free woman," it perfectly suited the child of an icon who defined artistic freedom. Known for her candor, the singer opened up about this quiet "what if" of motherhood. 

In her 2012 book "Dream More," Parton recalled how a commencement speech for the graduates of the University of Tennessee had sparked thoughts of the children she never had. "If we'd had a girl, she was gonna be called Carla," Parton revealed in a 2014 interview with The Guardian. She admitted that she couldn't help but think about what it would have been like if she had become a mom. However, in typical Dolly fashion, she wasn't living a life consumed with regret. "Anyway, we talked about it, and we dreamed it, but it wasn't meant to be," she shared. "Now that we're older? We're glad."

Behind the iconic blond wigs, rhinestones, and legendary catalog that defined Dolly Parton, who had an iconic style evolution over the years, was a woman who tried her best to make a real, lasting impact on the world — especially for the younger generations. 

In 2020, the "Jolene" singer sat down with Oprah Winfrey for "The Oprah Conversation." The subject of the compromises made for the sake of her career led Parton to share her deeply spiritual perspective on being childless. She revealed, "I didn't have children because I believed that God didn't mean for me to have kids so everybody's kid could be mine" (via People).

The country legend further explained that not having her own children gave her the freedom to not only succeed in her career but focus on the well-being of youth everywhere through initiatives like her Imagination Library. That natural maternal spirit wasn't just for the public; it was alive at home, too. Parton has always been proud to share that she helped raise several of her younger brothers and sisters, and rare, sweet pics of Dolly Parton with her siblings over the decades capture just how deeply devoted she remained to her family throughout her life.