Sunday Summary: Khaleesi and The Only Living Boy in New York

Fans of Game of Thrones, rejoice! The series returns on July 16th. I’m not watching the series – I half want to, but oh, the violence – not sure I can handle it. But I am watching Khaleesi, along with everyone else in the name world. Nancy first covered the name way back in 2012. It stands at #765 in the US as of 2016. This has me wondering: will Khaleesi continue as a girls’ name once the series leaves the air? Go mainstream and become just another three-syllable, ends-in-y pick, like Emily and Avery? Or fade away?

The question rises with any obviously pop culture-inspired pick. Luna and Aria clearly gained traction well beyond the early adopters who loved them in Harry Potter or Pretty Little Liars. (Or, again, possibly GoT if you include Arya Stark.)

And the answer is … hard to say. Plenty of today’s mainstream favorites started out borrowed from an unlikely source. Splash’s Madison comes to mind. But does anyone really think about the 1980s rom-com in 2017? It’s just a girls’ name, one that you like or not, but certainly one that we all find familiar.

So I guess we might know for certain about Khalessi until, oh, say 2037 or so.

Elsewhere online:

• The new most popular baby names in Spain are out. I’m intrigued by many on this list: Vega and Alba for girls, Alvaro and Izan for boys. It’s doubly interesting because, while we know Dutch names or Japanese names have little chance of catching on in the US, popular Spanish names are rich with potential to be heard here.
• I love, love, love the Simon & Garfunkel song “The Only Living Boy in New York.” The lyrics begin, “Tom, get your plane right on time.” And so I adore that they used the name Tom for the main character in this movie, apparently inspired by the song. Also, an actress named Kiersey plays Mimi in the film – I’m intrigued by both!
• While I’m staring at previews: Midnight, Texas debuts on NBC later this month. The supernatural series is packed with creative names. Manfred, Lemuel, Creek (female), Fiji (another female character), and Xylda. Okay, there’s an Olivia, too! It’s another Charlaine Harris – as in True Blood – story, so sounds promising. But will any of the names trend?
• Let’s go a little farther on the pop culture influences names thought. Nancy’s Names from Early Cinema series captivates me. So many rarities, and so much surprising history of use! Find the latest installment here.
• Vintage name lovers, don’t miss this list of Old Time Names from Baby Name Wizard!
• Rare names are everywhere! Ren has a great list of names given to five girls last year. Hello, Nesta, Paolina, Ceridwen, and Eleri. Also, she makes the case that Veruca might have a second derivation. I know, I know. Veruca still fails the wearability test. But oh, I do like the sound!
• I find these kinds of disagreements so heartbreaking. The Name Lady is right on track. You can’t change your husband’s mind – and he can’t change yours! Time to start fresh and find a name you both love.
• Are you following The Name Dame at Scary Mommy? Love her videos.
• Planning on using your child’s middle name instead of their first? Duana breaks down the best ways to do exactly this.
• This how-to-name-your-baby game from SJ Strum is pure genius! I came up with Romilly Kate for a girl, and then played again for boys and came up with Henry October.

Let let me end by wishing a happy third blogiversary to Kate at Sancta Nomina! I’m grateful for many things, but this community of namers nears the very top of my list. Kate, you’ve made our community so much richer with your insights. Thank you – and congratulations!

That’s all for now – as always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!