What better way to prove you are a true Game of Thrones fan than by naming your newborn child after one of the show’s characters?
That’s what many parents have been doing since the hit show first aired in 2011 and it seems that GoT has had an even bigger influence on baby-naming in the past two years, with Thrones girls’ names definitely taking the lead.
In 2015, 280 girls were called Arya after the youngest Stark daughter which was an increase from 244 in 2014. Her red-headed older sister also influenced parents when it came to naming their children, with 11 calling their girls Sansa.
Daenerys was the sixth most popular Game of Thrones baby name in 2015, which was actually a drop from nine the previous year. However, parents nodded to the Targaryen Dragon Queen by naming 68 girls Khaleesi, up from 53 in 2014.
Game of Thrones women continued to inspire Mum’s and Dad’s last year with four girls being called Brienne (after the warrior of House Tarth), the same number as 2014.
Three babies were named Ellaria after one of the infamous Sand Snakes and four were called Catelyn in honour of Ned Stark’s wife, up from three the previous year.
The series has also inspired boys names across the nation, Theon (after Theon Greyjoy) being the most popular with 30, an increase from 18 in 2014.
Eleven boys were named Bran after the second youngest Stark son, while six were called Sandor after Sir Sandor Clegane AKA The Hound.
Fan favourite Tyrion Lannister was honoured by 14 parents who named their kids after the famous dwarf, a decrease from 17 the year before.
Possibly the strangest nod to a Game of Thrones character was the 5 baby boys called Ramsay after the sadistic Lord Bolton. But, whatever floats your boat.
I’m still holding out for the first baby Hodor…
#thronewatch