When embarking on the delightful journey of deciding the names of their newborns, many parents prefer sticking to traditional names, aligned with specific cultural customs and norms, or even select names which have already been used within the same family. Other parents, however, seek inspiration on the big screens.
It is clearly visible in name statistics that popular culture has a huge impact on the names given to children and, as it turns out, heroes which are rooted in well-defined narratives often become the perfect source of inspiration for parents. Lists of the most popular names are being published every year, allowing us to witness which TV series, films, and actors have left the largest footprint in the field of baby naming all around the world.
A long-standing phenomenon
Although one might consider that it is a relatively new phenomenon, the influence of popular culture on baby naming practices has been present for decades. In 1940, for example, only one year after the American classic Gone with the Wind opened in theatres, the number of baby girls named Scarlett increased tenfold in the US.
Similarly, the name Lara changed significantly its position in the Social Security Administration rankings between 1965 – the year in which Doctor Zhivago premiered – and 1966. The name gained enough popularity to switch from the 1373th to the 223th place, marking the influential nature of cinematic representations. Historical names remain susceptible to popular cultural influences even nowadays, due to multiple remakes and reboots of classic narratives. Such an example is the story of Downton Abbey, turned into a British series in 2010 and a film in 2019, which led parents to reconsider baby names such as Edith, Rose, and Violet, especially in the UK.
Game of… names?
In the recent years, due to the increase popularity of Game of Thrones, it comes as no surprise that more and more parents are calling out to Arya and Theon on the playground. Until the start of the HBO series in 2010, hardly any baby was named that way. According to statistics, 689 girls were given Arya Stark’s name in Spain, while other 136 girls with an average age of 2.3 years answer to the name Daenerys. In the US, where naming laws are looser than in many other parts of the world, the popularity of the name Khaleesi has been on the rise. While Arya continues to be the most sought-after name, Bran, Sansa, and Brienne have also found their way on the list of favoured baby names of the last decade.
In countries like Poland, which used to have quite restrictive naming rules, especially when it comes to names of foreign origin, parents still find inspiration in characters from popular culture. Nevertheless, Polish officials do not agree with names such as Khaleesi and Katniss (the protagonist of The Hunger Games), due to their foreignness.
In Germany, the registry offices decide for each individual case whether a name is allowed or not. While parents are not completely free to give their children unusual names, Arya, Sansa, and Bran have no problems in being accepted by the registry, while Khaleesi is not allowed, because titles of nobility are banned as first names in Germany. Whether or not these GoT inspired names do a favour to the children who bear them is up to each parent to decide. However, borrowing names from TV series which have not reached their finale comes with one risk – the once favoured character might take an unpleasant path. While Daenerys won rapidly millions of viewers’ hearts and inspired parents to name their daughters after the ambitious and good-hearted Mother of Dragons, a question arose at the end of the series: what happens when the righteous ruler turns into the Mad Queen?
Heroes and villains
Name inspiration has been heavily drawn from the Star Wars franchise as well. In England and Wales the name Leia continues to be given to baby girls, while Rey is losing popularity. In 2016, thanks to Star Wars villain Kylo Ren, the name Kylo leaped from the 3269th to the 901th position in the US ranking. In Spain, there are currently more than 800 children who answer to the name of the famous Star Wars princess, proving that the Sci-fi cult is still alive in the minds of its fans, more than thirty years after its first release.
After Breaking Bad arrived on screens in 2008, names such as Walter and Skyler became extremely popular throughout Europe, Australia, and the US. Although Skyler is a female character in the series, her name has been given to several baby boys as well, as it is presented in the latest statistical figures.
More recently, the big-screen adaptations of Marvel’s comics have gradually influenced baby naming practices, as British kindergartens began to be populated by children named Loki and Thor. While parents do not usually choose to name their newborns Wolverine or Iron Man, many Marvel characters have alias names like Bruce (The Incredible Hulk), Steve (Captain America), Gwen (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and Tony (Iron Man, The Avengers).
Endless sources
The success of the TV series The Big Bang Theory appears to have increased the chances of children being called Penny, Sheldon, and Leonard. The last two names have fallen down the rankings since 1996, while Penny continues to maintain its position in the English speaking countries. However, parents who enjoy this sitcom are offered a great selection of names which can inspire them, including Bernadette, Barry, Farrah, Howard, Stuart, Amy, and Lucy.
Here are some other examples of baby names inspired by films and TV series, which changed their position in rankings within one year after their release on the big-screens:
- Harry Potter: Harry, Hermione, Don, and, to a lesser extent, Draco, Sirius and Bellatrix.
- The Twilight Saga: Renesmee, a fictional name invented by Stephenie Meyer, which has been used by real people after the Saga became famous.
- Amélie (the movie): Amelia, Amelie.
- Doctor Who: Amelia (Amy).
- X-Men films: Logan.
- Frozen: Elsa, Anna.
- Lord of the Rings: Arwen.
- The Matrix Trilogy: Neo (before the first Matrix film, there was no record of this name in Spain).
- Pulp Fiction: Mia.
- Sensation of Living: Brandon, Brenda, and Dylan.
- Friends: Phoebe, Emma.
Besides naming their children after fictional characters, parents also get inspired by the names of famous people, especially actors whose popularity is on the rise, such as Scarlett (Johansson), Mila (Kunis), Benedict (Cumberbatch), Reese (Witherspoon), Channing (Tatum), Emily (Clarke), and Emma (Stone).
We live our lives immersed in popular culture; the books, TV series, films, and video games that we consume expose us to novel ideas, narratives, and characters, which inevitably become a part of our day-to-day reality, influencing us to continuously shape our traditional values and adapt our lifestyle to an ever-changing world. What name inspired by popular culture would you consider giving to your child?
Photo Sources:
- The characters’ images were taken from Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory, or from websites created and owned by HBO and CBS, the copyright of which is held by HBO and CBS.
