More than 4,500 American children were named after Game of Thrones characters in 2018 — and 13 were named Thanos
Game of Thrones might not have aired any episodes in 2018, but that didn't stop its characters from continuing to inspire thousands of baby names.
New data from the Social Security Administration shows that last year, more than 2,500 U.S. children were named after Arya Stark by parents who were probably downright thrilled with the Battle of Winterfell a few weeks ago. Arya was the 119th most popular female name of the year, in fact, up from 135th in 2017.
In total, more than 4,500 children were named after Game of Thrones characters in 2018, with some of the popular names including Yara, Lyanna, Daenerys, Renly, Tyrion, and Brienne, per NBC News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Having a fairly small amount of screen time didn't prevent characters like Lyanna and Ellaria from being unexpectedly high up the list, surpassing even major characters like Bran and Theon. Daenerys was used 163 times (and the misspelled "Daenarys" 8 times), though "Khaleesi," prevailed with 560 uses.
This, of course, doesn't factor in names that are already pretty common outside of Game of Thrones, like Jon, which was used 311 times.
Give or take a Gregor, most of the popular names came from the show's heroes. But not everyone was against naming their children after famously hateful characters. The data also shows an alarming number of people in 2018 — 13, to be exact — named their children Thanos after the genocidal maniac from the Avengers franchise, observes Namerology.
There were also 251 babies named Kylo after the Star Wars villain, making for a lot of parents who must be crossing their fingers for his redemption in The Rise of Skywalker. As for all those children named Thanos, well, reality is often disappointing. Brendan Morrow
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a larger total and the correct spelling of "Daenerys."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The teenage 'maths prodigy' who turned out to be a cheat
Under The Radar Jiang Ping defied expectations in a global competition but something wasn't right
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to Hanoi
The Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopics
Speed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published