Game of Thrones inspires medieval baby name boom - experts

Daily Mail

17 Aug, 2015 10:50 PM2 mins to read

Daenrys in the series Game of Thrones, has inspired a new boom in baby names.

The trend for old-fashioned names has taken a step further back in time. For after the rise in popularity of Victorian names such as Amelia and Lily, parents in the UK are now being inspired by medieval influences when naming their babies.

Experts say old English-sounding names are in fashion thanks to television programmes such as Game of Thrones. Parents are naming their babies after characters from the fantasy series.

The most popular is Khaleesi, which is the royal title of the central character, played by English actress Emilia Clarke, rather than her given name.

Khaleesi rose more than 30 places in the list of baby names for 2014, with 53 instances, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The character's birth name, Daenerys, was given to nine babies last year.

Other Game of Thrones names that have risen in popularity include Arya and Brienne for girls, and Tyrion and Theon for boys.

They are part of a renewed fondness for names dating from medieval times, including Darcie, Elvina, Audrey and Winnie for girls, and Alfred, Wyatt, Jackson and Ellis - a version of Elijah - for boys.

Another Middle English name, Harper, has soared in popularity after being chosen by Victoria and David Beckham for their daughter.

Oliver and Amelia still top the charts, followed by Jack and Olivia. The only change from the top ten of 2013 was that Lily replaced Mia.

New entrants in the girls' top 100 included Robyn, Nancy and Lottie.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of Netmums and Channel Mum, a video blogging site for parents, said: "While Victorian and Edwardian names have been popular for some time now, this year's list shows parents are now searching much further back in time, even to the Middle Ages.

"Parents are looking for something they have not heard very often but which is not too 'celebrity culture'.