Britain’s GoT a thing for medieval baby names
Bran, Sandor and Khaleesi may not be commonly heard in the classroom yet, but they are all names of characters from hit TV series Game of Thrones given to babies last year.
Figures released today show that while Oliver and Amelia were the overall most common names given to babies born in England and Wales in 2013, parents are increasingly taking inspiration from fantasy films such as Twilight and Thor.
According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 187 baby girls named Arya last year – the same number as called Josephine, while there were 50 Khaleesis – the same that were named Peggy.
There were also seven boys called Bran – as were named Brad, while there were three Sandors – the same amount of boys that were given the name Malcolm last year.
While the Royal Family appears to have influenced parents with sons, with William, Harry and George all in the top 10 most popular names, it does not seem to have made such an impact on those with daughters, with 147 girls named Kate and just four named Eugenie – fewer than some of the Games of Thrones characters.
Mia, the name given to Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall’s baby, is the 10th most popular name although as she was only born at the beginning of this year she will not have had any effect on last year’s figures.
The ONS also said the full impact of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge naming the future king George might not be seen yet as he was only born midway through 2013.