Ever since Game of Thrones premiered, there have been fans who show their love by naming their children after the characters. It’s a touch more extreme than writing fanfic or taking up cosplay, but it’s completely valid way to show your dedication, and if little Khaleesi one day grows up to be president, all the better.
According to the BBC, that trend is far from over, at least in the UK. In 2017, parents named 343 newborn girls “Arya,” after Maisie Williams’ character, “the serial killer everyone’s rooting for,” as she puts it. That’s a big increase over the 302 baby Aryas in 2016.
Meanwhile, a record 76 girls were named “Khaleesi” in the UK. Incidentally, only three were named “Daenerys.” I don’t know why Dany’s nickname has taken hold of the public in a way her actual name hasn’t, but it’s the case. There were also a record number of girls named “Sansa,” although the BBC didn’t give a number.
As for boys’ names, the most popular was “Tyrion,” with 11 kids so named. Although I’m assuming this survey excludes names like “Sam,” “Jon” and maybe even “Jaime.” Names that were in wide use before anyone even heard of Game of Thrones don’t count. Outside of our favorite show, there was also an increase in girls named “Leia”: 149 in all, some of their parents no doubt spurred on by the death of Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher in 2016.
But I’m most interesting in the Thrones naming. I have no idea what’s going to happen in season 8, but I’m going to baselessly predict that there’ll be an increase in the number of babies named “Cersei” in 2020. Mark it down.
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