Just a few days ago, we found out that a whole lot of British people were naming their offspring after characters from Game of Thrones. The concept of bestowing children with surnames inspired by popular TV shows and movies is nothing new. Hell, Disney’s Frozen brought the name Elsa back into the mainstream after being dormant for 97 years.
So it should come as no surprise that Star Wars –– with its enduring 40-year choke hold on popular culture — has influenced a certain sect of the US population to name their newborn babies after Anakin Skywalker. Yes, you read that right. The Social Security Administration just released its annual report of the most popular baby names in America and “Anakin” made the top 1,000 list coming in at #957. While it barely made it onto the roster, it’s worth noting that 218 boys were born last year with Darth Vader’s birth name.
It’s very possible these new parents drew inspiration in choosing the moniker by maybe only viewing The Phantom Menace. I mean, the concept of watching the future Lord Vader decide to kill off a bunch of younglings (spoiler?) before ultimately choosing to name your own youngling after him, well, that’s just way too freaking dark man. I guess they shouldn’t be surprised when they’re called into the principal’s office because of Anakin’s knack for choking out the other kids.
Typical Anakin.
(Via i09)
