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Thanos, Loki & Valkyrie Became More Popular Marvel Baby Names In 2020
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration data, there was an uptick in children named after popular Marvel Cinematic Universe characters born in 2020, with more children being named after heroes and villains such as Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Thanos (Josh Brolin). The number of children with Marvel-inspired names has seen an increase when compared to previous years. This comes during a period of incredible popularity for Marvel, with their films performing incredibly well at the box office even in changing industry landscapes.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to be one of the most popular franchises in the world. Even after the release and record-breaking box-office of Avengers: Endgame, each new installment in theaters or on Disney+ quickly takes the world by storm and becomes the hot topic of discussion. As such, over the years many newborn children have been named after characters seen across the MCU. 2020 saw the trend continue, with new characters joining the current selection of Marvel-inspired baby names.
As reported by Huffington Post, the U.S. Social Security Administration data has revealed that there was an upward trend in children named after popular Marvel characters, with the Administration keeping records of names that more than 5 children have. 135 children were named after Loki, while 128 children were named after Valkyrie, increasing from 2017's 75 children. Even Thanos became a somewhat popular baby name, with 2019 seeing 18 children named after the supervillain following his roles in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, though the number decreased slightly in 2020 by 4%. Other popular Marvel characters having children named after them includes 9 children named Bucky, and 47 named Quill, inspired by the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) respectively.
Pop culture-inspired baby names have been a constant trend, with more new parents taking inspiration from pieces of media that matter a great deal to them when naming their children. In 2016, Kylo became the fastest-rising boys' name, with parents taking inspiration from the dark-side persona of Ben Solo (Adam Driver) in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. In the UK, the ONS reported that 2020 saw 189 children named Kylo, outnumbering children who have more traditional names such as Gary and Nigel, with more pop culture-inspired names outdoing more traditional names as years have passed.
The recent U.S. Social Security Administration data is a good perspective on the impact the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had on audiences and is currently having. Many have now grown up with the franchise over its 13-year history, being inspired by its heroes, brought together, and having established bonds by watching these films. And now that many of these fans are adults, they hope to perhaps pass on what has become special to them onto a new generation in some form. It may not be traditional, but it is a good way to measure how far-reaching Marvel has become.
