Prachee Mishra
According to data from the U.S. Social Security Administration, the number of children named after popular Marvel Cinematic Universe characters born in 2020 increased, with more children being named after heroes and villains like Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Thanos (Tom Hiddleston) (Josh Brolin). When compared to prior years, the number of children with Marvel-inspired names has increased. This comes at a time when Marvel is experiencing unprecedented popularity, with its films earning exceptionally well at the box office despite shifting industry landscapes.
U.S. Social Security Administration Show Increase In Trend
As reported by The Huffington Post, data from the U.S. Social Security Administration shows a rising trend in children named after popular Marvel characters, with the Administration keeping track of names shared by more than five children. There were 135 children named after Loki, while 128 children were named after Valkyrie, up from 75 in 2017.
Following his appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Thanos became a moderately popular baby name in 2019, with 18 children named after the supervillain, though the number declined significantly by 4% in 2020. 9 children are called Bucky, and 47 are named Quill, after the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), respectively.
Pop Culture Spreading Its Magic
Pop culture-inspired baby names have been a steady trend, with more new parents drawing inspiration for their children’s names from media that means a lot to them. Parents took inspiration from the dark-side demeanour of Ben Solo (Adam Driver) in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Kylo became the fastest-rising boys’ name in 2016. According to the ONS, there were 189 children named Kylo in the UK in 2020, outnumbering children with more traditional names like Gary and Nigel, with more pop culture-inspired names outnumbering more traditional names as time goes on.
Marvel Cinematic Universe And Its Influence
The most recent data from the U.S. Social Security Administration provides a good perspective on the influence the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had and continues to have on moviegoers. Many people have grown up with the franchise over the course of its 13-year run, being inspired by its heroes, being brought together, and forming connections as a result of viewing these films. Now that many of these admirers are adults, they aspire to pass on what has been precious to them in some way to a new generation. It’s not exactly traditional, but it’s a decent way to gauge how big Marvel has become.
