When Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in April 2011, no one could have predicted the cultural phenomenon it would become—or the baby naming trends it would inspire. By 2012, according to Social Security Administration data, 146 babies born in the United States were given the name "Khaleesi."

That's more babies than were named Betsy or Nadine that same year.

A Title, Not a Name

Here's the kicker: Khaleesi isn't actually a name. In George R.R. Martin's fictional universe, it's a title meaning "queen" in the Dothraki language. The character everyone fell in love with is named Daenerys Targaryen—Khaleesi is what people call her because she's married to Khal Drogo, a Dothraki warlord.

It's roughly equivalent to naming your child "Duchess" or "President." That didn't stop American parents, though. The name jumped from zero recorded instances before the show to 28 babies in 2011, then quintupled to 146 in 2012.

The Game of Thrones Baby Boom

Khaleesi wasn't the only character inspiring birth certificates. In 2012, 21 babies were named Daenerys (the character's actual name), and the name Arya—another beloved character—saw similar surges in popularity.

The trend continued throughout the show's run. By the time Season 8 aired in 2019, thousands of little Khaleesis were running around America. Then came the controversial series finale, where spoiler alert Daenerys goes full villain and burns down King's Landing. Parents who'd named their daughters after the Mother of Dragons suddenly had some explaining to do.

Why Parents Choose Fictional Names

Pop culture has always influenced baby names, but the 2010s saw an explosion of parents mining TV shows, movies, and books for inspiration:

Elsa became wildly popular after Frozen (2013)
Katniss appeared after The Hunger Games
Bella surged during the Twilight era
Hermione saw steady growth thanks to Harry Potter

The difference? Those are actual character names. Khaleesi represents a unique case where parents fell so hard for a character that they named their child after her job title.

Still, there's something undeniably cool about the name itself—the exotic sound, the powerful association with a dragon-riding warrior queen. Even if she did commit mass murder in the end.

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