There Are More Targaryens Than We Thought

How much do you love HBO's Game of Thrones — enough to name your child after one of its characters? Following the record-breaking Season 4 premiere HBO renewed GoT for two more seasons, giving the many names of George R.R. Martin a fighting chance to reach the top of baby-name charts everywhere. According to Social Security Administration data, "Khaleesi" and "Arya" have climbed the baby name charts steadily since 2012. Daenerys had better start guarding her dragons more carefully.

Today.com reported that according to data crunched by Vox.com — more female babies born in 2012 were named after Game of Thrones characters than were given popular, common names Betsey or Nadine. The SAA revealed that 146 baby girls were named "Khaleesi" in 2012 and, in the same year, nearly 800 were named after the youngest Stark daughter, Arya. We can't say we blame these trendy, Westeros-loving parents for naming their children after two of the most badass, feminist women on television. Pop culture-inspired names have always been, well, popular — but it seems like these monickers from Game of Thrones are going to surpass even the predicted top pop culture names.

Remember when Twilight names "Isabella" and "Jacob" topped the list in 2011? (Jacob STILL sits atop the popular boys' names list, according to Today.) And more recently, in July 2013, Today.com reported that Nameberry, based on page views, projected "Katniss" and "Django" to reach the top of the list in the next few years. But with the current status of the Game of Thrones film and book series and the plethora of unique names that come along with it, it looks like the District 12 victor is going to get a run for her money.

"Arya" and "Khaleesi" have a long way to go before they catch up to the current top girls' names, Sophia and Emma. But with the current popularity of Game of Thrones — which seems to gain more fans every day — and the sheer badassery of those two women, we don't think it'll be hard to them to conquer the list. They have dragons and Hounds on their side, after all.

Image: HBO