Why does Jennifer Grey's Dirty Dancing character have the nickname "Baby"? The iconic coming-of-age film's soundtrack and biggest moments are now infamous, but fans may not necessarily understand the character specifics. Now streaming on HBO and HBO Max, Dirty Dancing is the kind of beloved '80s classic that is frequently revisited, but whose details are often overlooked.

Set in 1963, Dirty Dancing mostly focuses on the personal evolution of Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey). The 17-year-old spends time at a New York resort called Kellerman's with her parents and sister, and forms a bond with professional dancers Johnny Castle (the late Patrick Swayze) and Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes). Baby initially appears to be naive and even a little bit socially awkward, but it doesn't take long for her to capitalize upon an opportunity to dance with Johnny after Penny becomes pregnant. Baby's mother Marjorie (Kelly Bishop) and sister Lisa (Jane Brucker) mostly stay in the background of the narrative, though family patriarch Jake (Jerry Orbach, Law & Order) learns all about his daughter's activities after providing medical assistance to Penny. In Dirty Dancing, Baby learns to become her own woman and receives emotional support from Johnny, whose bad boy demeanor isn't well-received by Mr. Houseman.

Related: Dirty Dancing: Cast & Character Guide

The opening minutes of Dirty Dancing explain the reasoning for Baby's nickname. Through voiceover narration, Grey's character recalls the summer of 1963, describing it as "a time when everybody called me 'Baby,' and it didn't occur to me to mind." When the Housemans get settled at Kellerman's, it's heavily implied that Frances is called "Baby" because she's the baby of the family. Grey's character plans to study the economics of underdeveloped countries at Mount Holyoke College and then hopes to join the Peace Corps. Baby later reveals that she was named Frances after Frances Perkins - the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet - and Johnny responds by saying that "Frances" is "a real grownup name." For first-time viewers, just the nickname "Baby" and the title Dirty Dancing suggest that Grey's character will grow up quickly.

Johnny and Baby embracing and staring into each other's eyes in Dirty Dancing

Before Baby even appears on screen in Dirty Dancing, the soundtrack foreshadows the character's narrative arc. The opening black and white credits sequence features The Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby," and the subsequent car sequence is scored by Jersey Boys' subject Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' 1962 single "Big Girls Don't Cry." When Grey's character appears for the first time in Dirty Dancing, the music has already made a thematic transition from a "Baby" to a "Big Girl." Sequence by sequence, Baby progressively becomes more independent and confident. If Dirty Dancing is a coming-of-age story, then Johnny exists to help Baby become more comfortable in her own skin as Frances Houseman.

Decades after its release, Dirty Dancing's most famous line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" remains its most quoted. In the film's climax, Johnny crashes a talent show and speaks the line in question upon finding Grey's character tucked away in the back of the room with her family. Johnny and Baby then take center stage for a dance performance featuring the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," and Mr. Houseman comes to realize just how much his daughter has grown up. And while it's the culmination of the plot and Frances' arc, the Dirty Dancing finale is so iconic that many movie fans are familiar with the line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" without even having seen the film.

More: What Happened To Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey