Mental Floss

It's a Loki! These Pop Culture-Inspired Baby Names Are Growing in Popularity

Michele Debczak|
The Class of 2030 could have a record number of graduates named Loki.
The Class of 2030 could have a record number of graduates named Loki. | Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2020

When brainstorming names for their kids, many expecting parents look to pop culture for inspiration. The popularity of the name Benjamin spiked following the release of The Graduate in 1967, and Twilight's success led to a lot of tiny Jaspers and Isabellas in the 2000s. This trend isn't going away any time soon. The influence of properties like Bridgerton, Star Wars, and Marvel can be seen in the UK's most popular baby names.

The first Avengers movie hit theaters a decade ago, and viewers are just as obsessed with the MCU as ever. After analyzing data from the UK's Office for National Statistics, CasinoGuardian found that the popularity of the name Loki has increased by 70 percent since 2012. That's not the only Marvel-inspired name to receive a boost in recent years. Wanda (a.k.a. The Scarlet Witch) saw a spike of 175 percent between 2018 and 2019, and the name Hope (a.k.a The Wasp) has risen by 14 percent over the last year.

The Star Wars franchise has been around for nearly half a century, and people are still taking baby name inspiration from the characters. Rey saw a 31 percent spike in popularity from 2019 to 2020. Some parents are more easily swayed by the television trends of the moment. Bridgerton-inspired names like Daphne, Benedict, and Gregory were more popular in 2020 than they were in 2019.

Paying homage to pop culture is just one baby-naming pattern you can expect to see in 2022. Other trends projected for the year include earthy names, spiritual names, and names from the 1950s. You can find the top eight baby-name trends for the year here.

Home/BABIES