Could Game of Thrones be inspiring a lot of baby namers? I've posted about a few of the more wearable names in my Cool Name of the Week series (hello, Arya, Stark and Margaery), and did a whole post about some of the other Game of Thrones names that I thought might not be too out there for standard use—I love Brienne, Sansa and Tyrion, especially.
But apparently, baby namers have their own ideas—as Khaleesi, the royal title of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, is an up-and-coming name—in fact, 146 girls were named that last year. The royal title was even more popular than regular standard-issue names like Brandy—and even more popular than the character's actual name. (Only 21 people decided to name their daughters Daenerys last year.)
I guess this falls in with the trend for title baby names—Major was one of the hottest names for boys last year, and names like King, Prince and even Messiah have ranked pretty highly. And I guess Khaleesi could be kind of wearable—you could shorten it to the less exotic Ally or Lee or Callie if you're feeling like Khaleesi doesn't make sense for your daughter's future career as an accountant. But still—Khaleesi was the last name I'd expect to be a big breakout from the show and the book.
What do you think? Is Khaleesi too weird for a baby name? Or is it wearable for a modern baby girl? Did you or someone you know pick a Game of Thrones name for your baby?
Find your perfect baby name with our Baby Name Finder—or email me at lamilbrand@gmail.com with your baby name dilemma for a little expert advice. And if you want to keep up on the latest news in baby names, don't forget to like In Name Only on Facebook to stay up on it.
Image: Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen, courtesy of HBO
