Parents nowadays are getting highly inspired by the popular television series, Game of Thrones, especially when it comes to naming their babies. According to various sources, names such as Khaleesi and Arya are gaining wide currency among new parents. As a matter of fact, Khaleesi has become so popular as a name that it occupied the 637th place among the list of most popular girls’ name back in 2017. It might not seem to be a big deal, but more newborns acquired that name than some common names like Charlotte and Britney. Sounds interesting, eh?
2017 was the year when many parents named their babies Khaleesi. This implies that you might just bump into someone named Khaleesi five to ten years down the line. Earlier, the list of popular names included Katniss from The Hunger Games and Hermione from the hugely famous Harry Potter series. The franchises’ overwhelming popularity was the reason why these names caught everyone’s fancy. However, neither Hermione nor Katniss made their way to the top 1,000 — Khaleesi did. For those who are unaware, Khaleesi is actually a title that has been bestowed on one of the most significant characters of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen.
We were even more surprised when we came to know that Arya is even more popular than Khaleesi as a baby name. While Khaleesi secured the 637th place, Arya occupied the 135th spot in the list of the most popular baby names in 2017. Apparently, Arya as a name was much more dear to people’s hearts than Amy, Emma, or Jessica. The name has been in existence for a while, but it didn’t become as famous as when the HBO show hit the small screens. Like Arya, Yara, too, found immense popularity among new parents even before the premiere of Game of Thrones season 8. Similarly, Lyanna has also gained much attention in recent times, hitting the 858th spot in 2017, and we expect this name to rise from its current spot after Lyanna Mormont’s bravery during the Battle of Winterfell in the recent third episode of the epic series.
Names like Wynter and Winter have increased in popularity, even though they haven’t still entered the top 1000. Other names viz. Sansa, Tyrion, Cersei, Theon, and Daenerys also did the rounds in 2017. But, that’s not all. Even pets are getting named after the characters from Game of Thrones. Dogs and cats are being named Drogo, Asha, Tyrion, Lady, as well as Jorah Mormutt. Other GoT names that have caught the imagination of parents are Brienne, Catelyn, Cersei, Meera, Melisandre, Missandei, Sansa, Olenna, Ygritte, Shae, and so on.
Additionally, boys are also being named after the iconic characters from GoT. Barristan, Bran, Benjen, Daario, Bronn, Drogo, Davos, Gregor, Eddison, Eddard, Jaime, Hodor, Grenn, Jaqen, Jaime, Jon, Joffrey, Oberyn, Jorah, Pycelle, Podrick, Petyr, and the list doesn’t end here. In case you want to know which GoT characters are the most influential, Jaime comes from Jaime Lannister, Benjen comes from Benjen Stark, Davos comes from Davos Seaworth, Bran from Bran Stark, Eddard or Ned from Eddard Stark, Joffrey from Joffrey Baratheon, Kevan from Kevan Lannister, Jon from Jon Snow, Jojen from Jojen Reed, Petyr from Petyr Baelish, Quentyn from Quentyn Martell, Robin from Robin Arryn, Rickon from Rickon Stark, Randyll from Randyll Tarly, and so on and so forth. Phew!
These unique names are absolute winners for parents who wish to see their kids stand out among the crowd. These names are the ones that would stick to their children and become their identity for life and that’s the reason why parents are not sparing a second thought before assigning these names to their kids. Reality shows have always had a huge impact on the American household and the consequences are for everyone to witness. Popular culture has always affected society in one way or the other. From royalty to music and sports, popular culture has influenced the way newborn babies have been named.
New parents who are fans of Game of Thrones proves just that. A bigger and more popular reality show might crop up in the future and grab all the limelight, and GoT-inspired names might take a back seat then. For the time being, it’s fascinating to see how parents can go absolutely crazy when it comes to naming their babies after popular GoT characters. Which one is your favorite name?