New data on baby names reveals that parents continue to be heavily influenced by pop culture, with Game of Thrones, Frozen and X-Men providing inspiration.
Don’t be surprised to hear “Arya!” or “Tyrion!” being called at the school gates in a few years’ time, as diehard fans of Game of Thrones bestow their favourite characters’ names on their newborns. In 2014 244 Aryas were born, as well as 53 Khaleesis, nine Daenerys, six Sansas and four Briennes.
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GoT names are less popular for baby boys but there were still 18 Theons, 17 Tyrions, four Brans and four Sandors welcomed into the world last year.
Disney’s Frozen continues to influence baby name choices: Anna being the most popular sister with 804 girls taking that name (537 girls were called Elsa). Three baby boys were registered with the name Kristoff in 2014 but the surprise has to be that 52 Olafs joined them.
Last year 65 Ritas and 30 Azaleas were born in the U.K. — no doubt due to the increasing fame of Ms. Ora and Iggy. Other pop stars influencing name choices are, of course, the One Direction boys. Harry leads the way, with 5,379 babies being given that name, followed by Louis on 999, Liam on 902, Zayn on 231 and Niall at 155.
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Logan — a.k.a. X-Men’s Wolverine — has been growing in popularity since the movie franchise began and last year 2,813 mini superheroes with his name were born.
The Kardashian clan prove their influence on the baby naming game too, with Khloe leading the way: 106 girls were given her name in 2014. Next was Kendall (80), followed by Kourtney (35) and Kim (19).
Traditional girls’ names continue to be popular, with names that were popular one hundred years ago enjoying a renaissance. Last year 990 Roses, 754 Violets, 456 Ediths and 206 Coras were born. Popular culture may have played its part here too: all four names are Downton Abbey characters.
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What was your inspiration for your baby’s name? Let us know in the comments section below.
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