Game of Thrones may be ending, but the next generation will remember it well, as thousands of children have reportedly been named after the series’ distinct characters.
Game of Thrones is event TV on a scale rarely seen anymore in the era of streaming and binge-watching. The fantasy series has captured the imaginations of a generation, and die-hard fans have gone so far as to name their kids after their favorite characters. On Friday, NBC News editor Joe Murphy shared the Social Security Administration’s latest data on how many children were named after Game of Thrones characters in 2018.
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By far the most popular name was Arya, which makes even more sense now after seeing some of Season 8. There were reportedly 2,545 children named Arya in 2018 — the only name on the list to hit more than two digits.
The # of U.S. children born in 2018 who have Game of Thrones character names, per new @SocialSecurity data:
— Joe Murphy (@joemurph) May 10, 2019
Arya 2545
Tyrion 58
Brienne 33
Jorah 30
Sansa 29
Catelyn 21
Ellaria 17
Oberyn 15
Theon 14
Gregor 11
Sandor 10
Khal 9
Daenarys 8
Bran 8
Beric 8
Bronn 7
Samwell 7
Myrcella 6
Beneath Arya, the next most popular name was Tyrion, which 58 children received, and then Brienne, which 33 children recived. The numbers dropped from there, with 30 children named Jorah and 29 named Sansa.
Some surprisingly obscure and distinctive names found their way onto the list as well. For example, 15 children were named Oberyn and 17 were named Ellaria, although Oberyn Martell only appeared in a few episodes of the show back in Season 4, and Ellaria Sand had a short-lived minor role as well.
Likewise, six children were named Khal, presumably for Khal Drogo, although that is not his name. In the fantasy world, Khal is a title, much like king. There were even six children named Myrcella after Cersei’s daughter, who appeared in the show rarely and spoke even less.
It should also be noted that some of the names on the series may be more difficult to track. In writing his novels, author George R.R. Martin used different spellings or pronunciations of real-world names, so there is no telling how many children were named Jon after Jon Snow, or Peter after Petyr Baelish. Some my even have been named Ned after Eddard Stark.
On the other side of the coin, some of the more normal names on the list could be unrelated to Game of Thrones. For example, the 21 children named Catelyn in 2018 may not all be because of Catelyn Stark. There were also eight kids named Bran, which is short for Brandon even on the show. In addition, Samwell is an old Anglo-Saxon spelling of Samuel and could have been chosen outside of the show’s fandom.
Either way, it is clear that Game of Thrones‘ cultural takeover will have lasting effects for the next generation. There are only two episodes left of the show, and fans are cherishing every moment they get.
