Khaleesi (given name)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Khaleesi
Daenerys Targaryen cosplayer, 2012
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈkəls/
Genderfemale
Origin
Word/nameCreated literary name from constructed language Dothraki
Meaningqueen
Other names
Related namesCaleesi, Daenerys, Kaleesi, Khaleesie, Khalesi, Khalessi
A cat named Khaleesi. Both children and pets worldwide were named for the character Daenerys Targaryen.

Khaleesi is a feminine given name derived from the

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books and in Game of Thrones
, the television series based upon the novels.

The intended pronunciation of the word from the constructed language used in the television series varied from the pronunciation originally intended by linguist David J. Peterson. Peterson pronounced the word as kuh-LAY-see or kuh-LAYA-see while the pronunciation used in the television series was kuh-LEE-see.[1][2]

Parents who chose the name for their daughters said they were attracted by the strength and beauty of the character, who liberated slaves and overcame obstacles to assume power in her own right. Pet owners also named their animals after the character. The dark turn taken by the character and her ultimate fate on the 2010s television series prompted discussion about whether parents would regret using the name for their daughters.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][excessive citations]

Usage

The name Khaleesi remains in regular use and, as of 2022, had been among the thousand most popular names in use for girls in the United States since 2014 and has continued to increase in usage. It is also in use in other countries.[15][16] [17] Daenerys, the name of the character, declined in popularity after the end of the series but also remains in regular use. There were 108 newborn American girls who were given the name in 2021. Another 123 newborn American girls were given the name in 2022.[18]

References

  1. ^ Das, Abhimanyu (9 April 2019). "Meet the Person Who Created Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones -- And Learn How 'Khaleesi' Should Have Been Said". TED. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  2. ^ Longridge, Chris (14 March 2019). "Everyone's been pronouncing 'Khaleesi' wrong all this time". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. ^ Matthews, Dylan (9 April 2014). "Before Game of Thrones, no one named babies "Khaleesi." In 2012, it beat the name "Betsy."". Vox. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Are people really calling their baby girls Khaleesi?", The Guardian, 15 August 2014, retrieved 7 May 2022
  5. ^ Safronova, Valeriya (29 April 2019). "Hello, Arya! 'Game of Thrones' Baby Names Are for Girls: Baby names inspired by the powerful women on "Game of Thrones" are rising in popularity". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  6. ^ Pelletiere, Nicole (3 May 2019). "This mom and 'Game of Thrones' superfan named her daughter Khaleesi". Good Morning America. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  7. ^ Murphy, Joe (10 May 2019). "Name of Thrones: Parents are naming their kids after favorite 'Game of Thrones' characters: "If it's a boy it's Aegon, if it's a girl we'll call her Myrcella."". nbcnews.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  8. ^ Ingraham, Christopher (13 May 2019), "Why at least 3,500 parents may be having regrets after last night's 'Game of Thrones'", Washington Post, retrieved 7 May 2022
  9. ^ McGovern, Kyle (13 May 2019), "So You Named Your Kid Daenerys. How's That Feel Now?", New York Magazine, retrieved 7 May 2022
  10. ^ Bereznak, Alyssa (14 May 2019). "About Those Parents Who Accidentally Named Their Children After a Fictional War Criminal". The Ringer. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  11. ^ Shugerman, Emily (13 May 2019). "Game of Thrones' Just Rained Fire on One Mom and Her Girl, Named After 'Khaleesi'". thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  12. ^ Kast, Catherine (13 May 2019), "Parents don't regret naming kids after 'Game of Thrones' killer Khaleesi", New York Post, retrieved 5 June 2022
  13. ^ Fiorito, Roberta (22 May 2019). "Emilia Clarke Breaks Her Silence on People Naming Their Kids and Pets 'Daenerys'". purewow.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  14. ^ Choudhary, Sayantan (9 January 2022). "Peter Dinklage on Game of Thrones Season 8 backlash: "We told you not to name your dog Khaleesi!"". wikiofthrones.com. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Change in Popularity from 2020 to 2021". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  16. ^ Selcke, Dan (20 April 2022). "Babies named "Daenerys" shot up 700% after Game of Thrones premiered". winteriscoming.net. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Names that increased in popularity from 2021 to 2022". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  18. ^ "beyond the Top 1000 names". ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.