Game of Thrones, Twilight, Hunger Games

[Steerpike]

What do these works have in common? They're starting naming trends among new parents.

I wonder if there are any little Cerseis running around?

http://blastr.com/2012/07/game-of-thrones-twilight.php

[T.Allen.Smith]

What do these works have in common? They're starting naming trends among new parents.

I wonder if there are any little Cerseis running around?

http://blastr.com/2012/07/game-of-thrones-twilight.php

Haven't read the link but I'm betting that we will see an influx of names from the Starks.

Bran, Sansa, Arya.....

[beckyefp]

I remember taking swimming lessons when I was five and asking people to call me Bella. I'm kind of glad I grew out of that name before the Twilight series became so big.

[JCFarnham]

A lot of these names I really like, like Isabella, the problem being that I won't be able to use them for a while now (I'm not talking about fiction). Associations.. not necessarily bad I suppose, but still.

I have no problem with people named after the Starks mind you. Though I suppose you could be accused of "making shit up". After all, they are all more or less regular names twisted to sound "weird", or archaic names, or foreign names. Ever noticed that? Bran, irregular contraction of Brandon. Eddard, speaks for itself. There are plenty more like that in there like the names of certain Lannisters.

Nothing wrong with that. How do you think we got the language we have today?

[Reaver]

Damn. I shouldn't have named my children Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, Thufir Hawat and Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.

[Kit]

I have no problem with people named after the Starks mind you. Though I suppose you could be accused of "making shit up". After all, they are all more or less regular names twisted to sound "weird", or archaic names, or foreign names. Ever noticed that? Bran, irregular contraction of Brandon.

Well, Bran was a king/minor deity in Welsh mythology, and I assumed GRRM got it from there (his wife is Pagan and would know all about such things, I don't know what religion he himself adheres to, if any). Bran of legend is associated with ravens, which are also figuring heavily in GOT-Bran's storyline.

Of course, our common name of "Brandon" I'm sure has the same origin.

[T.Allen.Smith]

I believe the name Brandon is originally a surname derived from a hilly place.

Bran & Brandon are two distinct names.

I do a good bit of research on names for my own writing. I'm also a big GRRM fan. During research I've learned that a lot of the names he uses are real names with meanings that relate to the character.

[Jess A]

Hmm. I would rather see 'Eddard' or 'Stark' as opposed to silly names like 'Metallica'.

[Chilari]

My fiance and I have long wanted to call our future daughter Melody. But then Dr Who came along and ruined that - by the time we start thinking about having kids it'll probably be quite popular and not the fairly unusual name we were hoping for. Probably for the best. If she were to inherit my natural musical "talents" she'd probably be the most ironically named person in the country.

[Benjamin Clayborne]

My fiance and I have long wanted to call our future daughter Melody. But then Dr Who came along and ruined that - by the time we start thinking about having kids it'll probably be quite popular and not the fairly unusual name we were hoping for. Probably for the best. If she were to inherit my natural musical "talents" she'd probably be the most ironically named person in the country.

I don't know if Dr Who is popular enough to affect baby naming that much, but Melody is about the 200th most popular name in the U.S. in recent years (up from 300th ten years ago but that was a short-termed drop).

You can get all the stats at the Social Security Administration's Baby Name site.