Its final season may have been divisive, but there’s no denying the massive impact that “Game of Thrones” had on pop culture. Some fans of the HBO fantasy series took their love for the show a step further, naming their own babies after its iconic characters.
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Ahead of the “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon’s” August 21 premiere, Crossword-Solver analyzed U.S. census data between 2011 and 2020 to figure out just how many U.S. parents looked to Westeros for baby-naming inspiration over the past decade.
Unsurprisingly, Maisie Williams’ fan-favorite character, Arya, is the most popular “Game of Thrones” baby name to date. A whopping 18,179 girls have been named after the Stark tomboy since the show first premiered in 2011.
The Mother of Dragons scored both the second and third places in Crossword-Solver’s rankings, with 3,425 babies named Khaleesi and 866 named Daenerys.
Although female characters dominate “Game of Thrones” name trends, boys haven’t totally missed the boat! Tyrion had the fourth-largest number of babies named after him, with 464 boys being given his name within the past decade. Rounding out fifth place is warrior Brienne, who became 243 girls’ namesake. And don’t worry! Despite the show’s popularity, literally no one has named their baby after Joffrey, the show’s loathsome boy king.
You can find kids with Westerosi names in every state, but where are you most likely to bump into a little Khaleesi or Tyrion? California! The Golden State is home to 3,719 “Game of Thrones” babies, more than any other U.S. state. Coming in second is Texas, with 2,233 babies to date.
If you were born before “Game of Thrones” and are feeling a little left out, don’t worry! Before you watch a whole new generation of dragon-riding Targaryens jockey for power in “House of the Dragon,” you can claim your very own Targaryen name courtesy of Crossword-Solver’s Targaryen Name Generator.
