Expectant parents often find inspiration from movies and TV shows when coming up with names for their newborns. It makes sense that you would see a few Atticuses or Angelinas in strollers these days, but a baby named after the Star Wars Sith Lord? That doesn't seem like something you would find embroidered on too many baby blankets.
But babies named after Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader, are out there — and there's actually quite a lot of them. The Social Security Administration recently released its list of the top 1,000 baby names in the United States for 2014. Anakin made the cut as the 957th most popular baby name for boys, with 218 newborns bearing that name last year, according to the SSA.
Not only is Anakin a popular name for boys in this country, it's becoming more popular every year. Anakin ranked No. 1,234 in 2013, so apparently some people are getting excited for the impending release of The Force Awakens on December 18.
It looks like parents are also naming their kids after the "real" Anakin's children, Luke and Leia. Luke was the 28th most popular boys name in 2014, with 10,431 babies born with that name — up from No. 34 in 2013. But since there are famous Lukes outside of the Star Wars saga, it's possible that parents found inspiration for this name elsewhere. Leia is also becoming an increasingly popular name, coming in at No. 509 on the list, with 605 babies receiving that name in 2014, after being ranked No. 571 in 2013. And no, Chewbacca, Yoda and Jabba the Hutt were not on the list, in case you were wondering.
Outside of the Star Wars franchise, there were a few other seemingly pop culture-inspired baby names on the list. Khaleesi, the title of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, was the 755th most popular baby name for girls in 2014, with 368 newborns taking that name. Khaleesi was the 1,021st most popular baby name for girls in 2013.
Archer, which could have something to do with the espionage animated show on FX that goes by the same name, was the 303rd most popular baby name for boys last year, with 1,171 babies receiving that name — up from a rank of 351 last year.
Aria snagged the 31st spot in baby names for girls last year, counting 5,893 newborns with that name — up from No. 40 the previous year. That could be a variation of Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, or perhaps some parents got inspiration from somewhere else in pop culture: Pretty Little Liars' Aria Montgomery. The spelling does match, after all.
Check out the SSA's complete list of top baby names here.
Via: Entertainment Weekly
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