The baby name Lyanna stepped out of Westeros and climbed the baby name popularity charts, but it actually answers a question parents have struggled with for generations.
Thanks to Clio for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME LYANNA MEAN?
The baby name Lyanna was invented by George RR Martin for his sweeping Game of Thrones series. Martin invented dozens upon dozens of names. Most of them, like Lyanna, sound a lot like existing English-language names with a tweak.
Also true: George might’ve invented the name for his story, but he wasn’t really the first person to dream it up.
Assuming it’s a combination of Lee and Anne, then we combine:
- Lee means clearing, from the Old English leah.
- Ann means grace, from the Hebrew Hannah.
It’s not exactly a specific meaning, but it’s two appealing images.
LEANNA
Parents have been combining forms of Ann and Lee for generations:
- Leeanna, Lianne, Leanne, and Liana have all charted in the US Top 1000.
- Leeanne, Leighann, and other combinations have been in use, though not quite as popular.
- Double names, like Leigh Anne and Lee-Anna, are also seen, though would likely be recorded in official American data as just Leigh or Lee, obscuring the name’s true popularity.
If Ann-lee names, like Annalee, as well as elaborations like Eliana are counted, this name is powerfully popular across the generations.
It’s worth noting that while Lee tends to be masculine in modern-day usage, in the late 19th and early 20th-century America, Lee was routinely given to boys and girls alike.
GAME OF THRONES
We first meet the Stark family in 1996’s A Song of Ice and Fire. The novel and its sequels inspired blockbuster television adaptation Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011 until 2019.
Character Lyanna Stark was the sister of Ned Stark, the Lord of Winterfell. Her abduction and subsequent death was the cause of the civil war that toppled the ruling Targaryen family, and put Ned’s best friend, Robert Baratheon, on the throne.
We see her in flashbacks, and her name is mentioned at several pivotal points in the book series, as well as the television show.
In fact, Lyanna’s last year of life turns out to be of pivotal importance – even though many details remain unknown.
There’s a second Lyanna in the show, and she’s a fan favorite.
Lyanna Mormont is a member of the nobility, a young woman at the head of a house loyal to Ned Stark and his family. She’s named for Ned’s late sister. Ferocious and capable, Lyanna Mormont leads her family’s troops into battle alongside the Starks.
The younger Lyanna was played by Bella Ramsey, of The Last of Us and Catherine Called Birdie.
While Lyanna is a feminine name and an elegant choice, both of the Lyannas we meet in the world of Westeros are strong, determined characters. Ladies by birth, but fighters by nature.
MORE THAN LEE PLUS ANNA
Leanna is a compound name. But Lyanna feels like something slightly differnet. It’s not easily separated into nicknames, thanks to the Ly. It’s more like Juliana than Lee-Ann.
It also looks more like an elaboration of Lyla or Lyra, names favored by modern parents.
Another factor: without the television series, we might imagine the name is pronounced Lie-Anna. But Game of Thronesensures that we recognize this name – even if we’re not really watching the television shows.
That’s the power of popular culture. In the 2020s, at least, it helped us agree on a the perfect name to combine Lee and Ann – at least.
HOW POPULAR IS THE BABY NAME LYANNA?
Way back in the year 1975, the baby name Lyanna was given to just five girls. That marks the name’s debut in the Social Security Administration (SSA) data. At the time, Leann, Leanna, Leanne, and Leeann all charted in the US Top 1000. So did Lee and Leigh.
It remained a rare spelling alternative for years. But then the books came out, and the baby name Lyanna slowly gained in use.
In 2011, when the show debuted, Lyanna was given to just 33 girls.
By the time the show reached its conclusion in 2019, the name had soared to 500 births and reached an all-time high of #606 in the US.
Chances are that Bella Ramsey’s girl-warrior character provided baby name inspiration for countless parents.
Often names tied to fictional television characters fall out of use post-series. That’s the case with Lyanna. It charted in 2021 at #978 and then tumbled out of the rankings.
Except in 2024, the name returned at #957 – back in the US Top 1000, but only just.
It suggests that parents now think of the baby name Lyanna as a logical spelling for this lovely name. Though Leanna is rising, too, and Liana is the most popular of them all.
In addition, Eliana and Liliana are Top 100 names. Choices like Alianna, Liliana, and more also rank in the current US Top 1000.
STRONG AND ROMANTIC
No question that the 21st century is marked by the rise of the fantasy genre as a legitimate source of naming inspiration.
Powerhouse popular series Game of Thrones continues to hold the attention of audiences. It lends plenty of imaginative names a touch of strength and a sense of something just different enough.
The baby name Lyanna benefits from all of this. It aligns neatly with our ideas about how to spell and pronounce a daughter’s name now. It could be the perfect choice for parents who love all things Westeros – or just appreciate the name’s romantic appeal.
What do you think of the baby name Lyanna?
Wait so do you mean Clio your daughter or Clio a random reader suggested it?