Would you call your baby Khaleesi? How the Game of Thrones-inspired name is now more common in the U.S. than Betsy

The name Khaleesi has become more popular than Imogen, Susannah and Betsy, according to new data from the Social Security Administration.

The moniker, which shot to prominence thanks to the character played by actress Emilia Clarke in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, was given to 146 baby girls in 2012.



In contrast, just 111 were named Imogen, 137 were named Betsy and 138 were named Nadine.



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Strange but true: Khaleesi is fast-becoming a hit with new parents thanks to the popularity of Game of Thrones - in the TV series the character is played by British actress, Emilia Clarke (pictured)

The name Khaleesi was invented by author George R. R. Martin for the Mother of Dragons character in his epic fantasy fiction series.



Game of Thrones was first published in 1996 and went on to become a New York Times bestseller in 2011, the same year it launched on HBO.



In 2010, less than five newborns were named Khaleesi, this then rose to 28 in 2011 and then more than quintupled the following year.



According to BabyNameWizard.com Khaleesi means for 'queen' or ‘ruler’ in the Game of Thones' fictional language, Dothraki.



Trending high: In 2012, new data released by the Social Security Administration reveals that 146 babies in the U.S. were given the offbeat moniker, surpassing more traditional names such as Betsy and Nadine

But this is not the first Game of Thrones-inspired baby name to become popular.



In 2012, the website Nameberry reported that the names Arya and Theon leapt in popularity.



Arya, the name of a lord’s daughter who is fiercely independent and loves learning skills like archery, became the site’s most popular girl’s name that July.



Meanwhile Theon, a character torn between his birth and foster family, was at number eight on boys’ names at that time.



However, according to the Social Security Administration findings they failed to trend like Khaleesi.

