The Social Security Administration released their annual list of top baby names this week, and for the first time in recent memory it doesn’t make me want to pack a handkerchief with trail mix and a Swiss Army Knife, tie it to a stick, and march off into the woods to live a life of solitude. I mean, it’s still a little infuriating (three of the fastest-rising names for boys are Major, King, and Messiah, which will be bordering on cruelty if the kids grow up to be shy and introverted), but at least some parents are starting to get it. And by “starting to get it,” I mean “naming their daughters after awesome characters from Game of Thrones.”
In America, “Arya” is the fastest-rising baby name for girls. According to a press release from the U.S. Social Security Administration, the name jumped from 711 in 2011 to 413 in 2012. That puts it far, far lower than any of the names in the Top 20 — your Emmas, Olivias, and Chloes — but presumably far, far higher than “Cersei.” [EW]
As far as I can tell there’s only one downside to naming your daughter Arya (which, in addition to being a character on a popular television show, is also kind of a pretty name), and that downside is this: George R.R. Martin has not finished writing the series yet. What if she dies like a coward on the first page of the next book? Or what if she ends up taking the throne by force, going mad with power, and becoming even worse than Joffrey? Then what? Do you just give her $200, apologize, and point her to the courthouse so she can change it?
This is why all children should be named John or Jane. Safer that way. More confusing? Sure. But safer.
