Game of Thrones. Gossip Girl. Mad Men.
The cult status of television shows in recent years has created an unprecedented surge in baby names inspired by our most-loved fictional characters.
Give it a few years and every primary school from here to Sydney will be infiltrated by Arias, Bettys and Blairs. Heck, there might even be a kid called Netflix at this rate.
But according to BabyCenter, the popularity of certain monikers has been getting a whole lot... stranger.
Thanks to the growing obsession with Netflix's Eighties-set series Stranger Things, the name Nancy (inspired by the on-screen character Nancy Wheeler who annoyingly dumps Barb as a BFF in favour of dating Steve Harrington) saw a 46 per cent increase, while the number of children named Dustin (influenced by the show's character Dustin Henderson who, along with Mike and Lucas, go off in search of missing friend Will) increased by a whopping 32 per cent over the last year.
Similarly, the name Lucas saw a 25 per cent jump in popularity, nabbing third pace in the ranking of most popular boys' names.
Okay, so the name was number four last year but we have a suspicion that the bandana-wearing, walkie-talkie communicating teen might have had something to do with it rising up the ranks.
Sadly, the name Barb didn't make the cut. First she cut her finger, then she was taken to the Upside Down (and no one seemed to give a damn) and now her name hasn't made it as one of the most popular names in 2016. Oh, the injustice.
But, it looks like television shows weren't the only cultural phenomenon inspiring expectant parents this year.
Thanks to the international coverage of the US presidential election, the name Hillary saw a 64 per cent increase since 2015 which means that, one day, we might just get a woman president called Hillary. You never know...
Meanwhile, Ivanka rose by 39 per cent and Donald saw an increase of 5 per cent.
That poor child.
Here are 25 of the most popular names for boys and girls in 2016:
Most popular girls' baby names
- Sophia
- Emma
- Olivia
- Ava
- Mia
- Isabella
- Riley
- Aria
- Zoe
- Charlotte
- Lily
- Layla
- Amelia
- Emily
- Madelyn
- Aubrey
- Adalyn
- Madison
- Chloe
- Harper
- Abigail
- Aaliyah
- Avery
- Evelyn
- Kaylee
Most popular boys' baby names
- Jackson
- Aiden
- Lucas
- Liam
- Noah
- Ethan
- Mason
- Caden
- Oliver
- Elijah
- Grayson
- Jacob
- Michael
- Benjamin
- Carter
- James
- Jayden
- Logan
- Alexander
- Caleb
- Ryan
- Luke
- Daniel
- Jack
- William
Did yours make the cut?
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
