Last year, we reported that parents had, in astounding numbers, begun naming their kids after the characters from ‘Frozen.’ Many are still doing so. But that’s not all, more and more geeky grownups are christening their offspring with names culled from their favorite pop culture characters. The ‘Frozen’ characters are still popular, but so are those from other sources specifically ‘Game of Thrones.’
Last year, 537 babies were named Elsa, but that was dwarfed by the 804 that bore the name Anna. The twist, of course, is that Anna is already a popular name and many girls were likely named that by people that had never seen ‘Frozen.’ Also last year, we reported a 34% boost in popularity in the name Elsa, while Anna only got a 5% bump, reinforcing this.
And what about those ‘Game of Throne’ names?
Four new girls entered this world bearing the name Brienne, after Brienne of Tarth. Not a huge number, but it’s four more than before!
Six young ladies were named Sansa, presumably because parents just thought it sounded neat. Surely they didn’t name their kids after this fairly unlikable character.
Things really jump with one of the main characters on the show. Last year, 53 couples named their daughters… no, not Daenerys. Only nine girls were named that. Instead, parents are opting to name their kids after Daenerys’ title, Khaleesi. 53 young girls now bear that name!
53 may sound like a lot, but that’s nothing at all compared to the ‘GoT’ baby champ.
Maisie Williams’ youthful butt-kicker epitomizes female empowerment, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that of all the female characters from ‘GoT,’ it’s Arya that most parents are naming their daughters after. 244 babies born last year bore the name Arya!
And what about the boys? Well, the numbers are significantly lower, but the unusual nature of these monikers draw a clear connection to the hit show.
There are now four Sandors roaming the Earth. Well, they will be once they learn to crawl. At least parents had the good sense not to name their kids Hound.
Tied with four, Bran is increasing in popularity. I guess some people found Brandon too lengthy. And the ones that didn’t name their kids Bran realized that that word is a noun with a somewhat unpleasant connotation. (It makes you poop.)
Well, IF I were going to name my son after a ‘GoT’ character, it would be Tyrion. And 17 parents (or couples) agree!
And while it can’t compare to the number of the female names, Theon leads the gents with 18 babies named in his honor. This is all that can be tracked, since a lot of the males have normal names like John.
Hmmm, no Joffreys?
Nerdy adults are also drawing inspiration other fan sources.
Logan, the secret identity of Wolverine, inspired the names of 2,813 babies! Then again, that name has been popular for several years now. Maybe 20 or so years ago, parents may have taken the name from the mutant hero but now, it’s common enough that that wasn’t necessarily the source.
Also popular? Naming your kids after celebrities. There were nine new Channings born this year, no doubt after the beefy ‘Magic Mike’ star, Channing Tatum, who will be playing ‘Gambit.’ Tatum’s ‘Jupiter Ascending‘ costar, Mila Kunis also saw a huge spike in children with her unique name. 533 sets of parents adopted it for their daughters.
Though not a huge mainstream star, Benedict Cumberbatch is apparently known enough that there are now 132 new Benedicts! I guess the future ‘Doctor Strange‘ finally managed to remove the stigma created by historical traitor Bendedict Arnold. Now someone just needs to salvage the name Adolf. Good luck there.
What star has inspired more names than any of these? None other than the Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson. Though the name Scarlett/Scarlet has already been made famous in pop culture by ‘Gone With The Wind’ star Scarlet O’Hara, Johansson is by far more popular now. How much more? 2,359 new babies share her first name.
Would you name your child after a pop culture character or actor? If so, which? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to change Twitchy The Clown Motes’ diaper.
Source: Movie Pilot