I just read this article on Guardian.com, which references Nameberry, in response to popular culture names becoming popular. Here is the link:
Katniss tipped to be among most popular baby names in 2014 | The Hunger Games | The Guardian
I understand that it’s nice to use names associated with your favourite books and films, like [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] and [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], but only if they are already a real name. I wouldn’t even use [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] because I worry too many people would say “Like Frozen?” when they hear her name.
I just think [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] are completely ridiculous. [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] just sounds like [name_f]Cat[/name_f] p*ss to me and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] sounds ghetto. If you wouldn’t name your daughter [name_f]Princess[/name_f] or [name_f]Queen[/name_f], don’t name her [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]! I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with GoT but it’s not exactly the sort of show I’d want my child’s name to be inspired by. I disliked the Hunger Games as a book, the movies were fine but I think that they will have been forgotten in twenty years or so. Also [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] the character is named after a fictional plant! [name_f]Primrose[/name_f] and [name_u]Rue[/name_u] are much nicer Hunger Games namesakes if you’re a huge fan.
[name_m]How[/name_m] popular do you think these names will become? [name_m]How[/name_m] far would you go naming your kid after popular culture?
I agree that The Hunger Games are far from literary masterpieces and will one day be forgotten, and while I love the GoT series, I wouldn’t want my child so closely associated with it either. However, literary works bear names and words we use everyday quite frequently. [name_m]Will[/name_m] [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] stand the test of time? In 500 years from now, when people have long forgotten THG and GOT, and have forgotten about the names associations with strong, pretty girls, and just purely focus on how a name sounds, will they still choose [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] and [name_f]Katniss[/name_f]? Not sure about that, but who knows.
Today, people are drawn to [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] because their namesakes fulfill what society idealizes in women, and what parents want of daughters, strength and beauty.
Personally, [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] would never be my choice, but I understand why parents consider and pick those names.
I mean they’re not even popular in real life. They are popular in the nameberry search which only tells us that many people click on the name which means nothing. I click on many weird names just because I think “wow that’s a weird name, where does is come from”. I think that’s why most people click on it and I don’t understand the problem. Basically no one uses these names. Also, I didn’t read GoT so I can only judge by sound but there are far worse names than [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]. If people want to use it, why not. And even if my parents told me “we named you after a great character in a book that we read around that time” I think it’s a valid reason and a book doesn’t need to stay popular for it to be a significant name choice.
Also I feel like we’ve discussed [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] about as many times as we’ve discussed “boy names” on girls…
Yeah, good point taylorbluesky, neither [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] or [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] are in the top 1000 in [name_u]America[/name_u].
Exactly. I have clicked on [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] before, and I neither like it as a name nor would ever consider using it. I was just interested to see the nameberry entry on it. Also, I bet a lot of people google “[name_f]Katniss[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]” and end up here without even realizing it is a baby naming site.
I think a lot of people just look at them because they come up on the ticker and people think ‘What on earth?’
There are so many times on this forum I wish I could click a “Like” button. Lol. This whole thread is GREAT. I am a big THG fan. But I would NEVER name my child after [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] or really any other character in the book for that matter, even if they were good characters. The names in the book not my style though. I might name a pet after one of them, but that’s about it. I agree also that [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] is not an attractive name. But then again I’m also not a very big GoT fan. [name_f]My[/name_f] SO likes it but I’ve never been able to catch on to it.
@taylorblueskye You’re completely right that they aren’t popular in real life, but there were the 146 baby girls named [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] in 2013. Not many, but some. I guess they will probably stay a weird trend.
I have clicked on both names before just to see what nameberry says about them.
I agree that there are far worse names that [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f], I guess they just sound made up so I dislike them.
The only one I like is [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f] (aka [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]).
Also, [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] isn’t a fictional plant. It’s another name for sagittaria, a species of aquatic plant.
I am devastated about [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] because it was in my top three. Gorgeous name. Sigh. The others are just silly to me.
We now have babies named [name_u]January[/name_u], [name_u]Winter[/name_u], [name_f]Summer[/name_f], [name_f]Apple[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_m]Tanner[/name_m], [name_u]Blue[/name_u], [name_u]Scout[/name_u], and [name_u]Skye[/name_u]. Those aren’t “real names” either; they’re nouns and adjectives that people have decided would make appealing names. We have thousands of girls named [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and [name_u]Darcy[/name_u]. Once those were boys’ names; now it is unlikely any American parent would think of touching them for a son. We have girls named [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] and [name_u]Owen[/name_u]. Who gets to decide once and for all what a “real name” is or isn’t? Eighty years ago, [name_f]Brittany[/name_f], [name_u]Sierra[/name_u], [name_f]Nevaeh[/name_f], and [name_u]Jaiden[/name_u]/[name_m]Jaydon[/name_m]/[name_m]Jaidan[/name_m] would not have been “real names” - but does anyone bat an eye at those now?
As for associations with the characters themselves: if the parent has valid, well thought out reasons for using a character name that the child can be proud of later in life, what is so bad about that? [name_m]Heathcliff[/name_m]'s story probably isn’t one that most parents would want their children to emulate, but it didn’t stop [name_m]Heath[/name_m] Ledger’s mother, nor does he seem to have been permanently scarred by it that I’ve ever heard or read. I seem to recall him saying “Mum’s a romantic” in an interview after an inquiry - but that’s all he said.
To each their own. If they don’t appeal to you, note them and move on with your perusal. But I hardly think [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f], [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f], or [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] are even close to the worst names one could bestow upon a child.
I actually like the names [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]! Not so sure about [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] but like others have said, there are worse names with less significance.
As others have said, this article just says that the names are viewed often, not that they are being used. I type names into NB and Behind The Name every day that I would never use, mostly because I hear them and want to see if they are legit names, and what they mean. Then those names show up on the ticker, and someone else clicks on them. I check names like [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] much more often than, say, [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], because I already know what [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] means and I know that it’s legit, so I don’t need to read the entry. While [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] will probably get minor use due to the popular movies/programs, I am doubtful that we should expect an army of girls to emerge with those names.
Look I don’t think you need to worry yourself, neither are going to become hugely popular.
And ‘‘sounds ghetto’’? Um, yeah. Maybe you should have kept that opinion to yourself.
I know of a ‘real’ baby with the name of [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f]…I feel so sorry for the wee girl. To me it sounds trashy.
[name_f]Elsa[/name_f] would get too many 'like Frozen comments?"
[name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f] is “ghetto”? Oh my.
In all complete honesty, I think you may need a smidge of a reality check. Calling a name ‘ghetto’ is rather offensive and, do you really believe that anyone from the “ghetto” would be massive GoT fans? Not sure about where you live, but where I am, a ‘ghetto’ is an area comprised of underprivileged families, often young mothers, a higher crime rate, government housing buildings, and government ‘welfare’ cheques. I highly doubt anyone living in a so-called ‘ghetto’ is sitting around watching/reading GoT in their spare time, when they’re not trying to work, make ends meet, go to school, etc.
If you read any posts about the Nameberry top 1000, you’d realise that they’re simply the most SEARCHED names on the site. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you seriously believe berries are choosing [name_f]Kinsley[/name_f] as a top name? O.o I’ve yet to see any saying that they’re in love with the name [name_u]Hadley[/name_u] for a girl (currently at 130 on the site). Also yet to see mass quantities of berries confessing their love for the name [name_m]John[/name_m] (88 for boys). They’re necessarily not names in use, or even popular names - they’re just the ones that are clicked on the most on the site.
As for pop culture names, I absolutely would. These are on my list;
[name_m]Neville[/name_m], [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_u]James[/name_u] & [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] - [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] & [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] (and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] technically) - [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]
[name_f]Isobel[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_m]Richard[/name_m], [name_m]Edward[/name_m], [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], etc - Downton [name_u]Abbey[/name_u] (haven’t even properly watched but adore the names)
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u] - Pride and Prejudice
I think anyone who says they [name_m]AREN[/name_m]'T inspired by pop culture is likely lying, because it’s near impossible not to.
I don’t really think Khalsesi, [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] and [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] are going to become mega popular names - people just click on them because they’re interested in finding out the meanings/namesakes. And besides, they’re hardly the worst names you could pull out and pop culture is pretty influential in a lot of peoples lives; it makes sense that some would want to honor their favourites characters and stories. (P.S. Perhaps you should double check the definition of the word ghetto).
@lawsonhaley I never said I wouldn’t use pop culture names, it’s fine if they are real names already. I don’t have a problem with the name [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], it’s just that I personally wouldn’t use it because of Frozen and the fact that it is gaining in popularity because of Frozen. You have a point about the use of “ghetto”, I’m really sorry if I caused offence to anyone, it just isn’t used in quite the same way where I live.