We Owe This Year's Trendy Baby Names to Game of Thrones, Hunger Games

In 2017, kindergarten classes across the nation might be full of little Aryas and Theons, as expectant parents are apparently being heavily influenced by Game of Thrones, according to a list of the “hottest baby names” of the first six months of this year. Pop culture seems to be the cause for the recent popularity of certain baby names like Sybil (Downton Abbey), Blue (Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby), and Django (the title character of Quentin Tarantino’s next film).

However, the list isn’t indicative of the number of babies who have actually been given these names. Instead, it reflects those which have received the biggest spike in page views for the baby-naming guide Nameberry. Additionally, most of the names on the list are based in tween and teen culture—like Niall (a member of the boy band One Direction), Cinna (The Hunger Games), and Caia (a half-witch, half-lycan character from the Lunarmorte young adult novel series)—so it could very well be that the page views are being driven by bunch of young girls researching their latest crush, shopping for confirmation names, or fantasizing about what they’ll name their babies in their happily ever afters. Or they could just be pregnant. In which case, we might see a Peeta or Prim pop out on an episode of 16 & Pregnant.