Ever met a Daenerys, Cersei, or Tyrion? You might soon! The popular HBO series, Game of Thrones, based on the novels by George R. R. Martin, is a pop culture phenomenon with a legion of loyal fans—and unusual names! The TV show premiered in 2011, and in 2012, the name Arya—also the name of one of the series’ most popular characters—shot up from number 714 to 412. In 2013, it flew another 135 slots to 278, and in 2014 it landed at 216. Variants of Arya are on the rise too: Aria rose from 91 in 2012 to 40 in 2013 to 31 in 2014, and Ariya debuted at 918 in 2013 and rose to 828 in 2014. While the popular character Margaery Tyrell, with its uncommon spelling, hasn’t inspired any namesakes in the top 1,000, the more common spelling, Marjorie, debuted at 912 in 2013 and rose to 721 in 2014. The actress who plays Daenerys Targaryen, Emilia Clarke, is another name inspiration. Emilia climbed from 205 in 2013 to 164 in 2014, while Khaleesi (the fictional title given to her character) debuted on the list this year at 755. But plenty of names from this fantasy world are still off the radar. Try Cersei, Melisandre, Sansa, Shae, Talisa, or Daenerys for girls, or Tyrion, Jorah, Tywin, Bran, Eddard, or Lannister for boys, and your little one will have a unique—but on trend!—name.
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