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* After the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', the name of the protagonist (Lincoln) and one of his sisters (Luna) rose in popularity, with the former name breaking the top ten and the latter name breaking the top 15.
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* After the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', the name of the protagonist (Lincoln) and one of his sisters (Luna) rose in popularity, with the former name breaking the top ten 50 and the latter name breaking the top 15.
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* The popularity of ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' caused the name of its' protagonist to rise 50 places the year after it premiered.
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* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The name "Zelda" had been out of vogue for decades by the time the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] came out. Now it's a fairly common name thanks to the perennial popularity of the series. Creator/RobinWilliams' daughter Creator/ZeldaWilliams is a famous example of someone named after the character.
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* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The name "Zelda" had been out of vogue for decades by the time the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] came out. Now it's a fairly common name thanks to the perennial popularity of the series. Creator/RobinWilliams' daughter Creator/ZeldaWilliams is a famous example of someone named after the character. Ironically the character was named after a famous person (Zelda Fitzgerald).
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* After Barack Obama became President in 2009, bringing his daughters Malia and Sasha into the public eye, the name Maliyah was the [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/malia-obama-first-daughte_n_567776.html fastest growing name in popularity in 2009]], and the name Sasha also jumped in popularity.
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* After Barack Obama became President in 2009, bringing his daughters Malia and Sasha into the public eye, the name Maliyah was the [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/malia-obama-first-daughte_n_567776.html fastest growing name in popularity in 2009]], and the name Sasha also jumped in popularity. However, Sasha Obama's first name is Natasha which has only decreased in popularity since the family came into public prominence over a decade ago.
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* After it was used as the name of one of the doctors in ''Series/{{ER}}'' , Carter became a popular name for boys.
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* Brandon became a popular name in the 90's after it used for the lead character of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.
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* The year after ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' came out, Diego, one of the names of the animals in the movie, jumped from the 140th most popular baby name in the United States to number 83.
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* After it was used as the name of ''Series/MurphyBrown'''s son, many people named their babies Avery. However, in a similar manner to Madison above, the name somehow became more popular among girls than boys despite the character in question being male.
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* After it was used as the name of ''Series/MurphyBrown'''s son, mother, many people named their babies baby girls Avery. However, in a similar manner to Madison above, Like Madison, the name somehow had only been used for boys prior to the show's premiere and soon became more one of the most popular among girls than boys despite names for girls. As of 2018, it's in the character in question being male.
top 15.
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* In 2016, the names Chase and Skyler [[note]]often shortened to Skye[[/note]] made the top 100 baby names due to them being the names of two of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'''s most popular characters.
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* In 2016, the names Chase and Skyler [[note]]often shortened to Skye[[/note]] made the top 100 baby names due to them being the names of two of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'''s most popular characters. On a smaller note, the name "Rocky", which had declined in the 2000's, which was not in the top 1000 baby names for most of the 2000's, began a slow rise in popularity once one of the show's dogs had that name.
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* After it was used as the name of the titular protagonist's son, many people named their babies Avery. However, in a similar manner to Madison above, the name somehow became more popular among girls than boys.
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* After it was used as the name of the titular protagonist's ''Series/MurphyBrown'''s son, many people named their babies Avery. However, in a similar manner to Madison above, the name somehow became more popular among girls than boys.
boys despite the character in question being male.
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* The year that ''[[VideoGame/PriPara Idol Time [=PriPara=]]]'' premiered, Yui, the name of the show's protagonist, [[https://www.tokyofamilies.net/2017/11/top-20-popular-baby-names-in-japan/ topped baby name charts]]'' in Japan.
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* The year that ''[[VideoGame/PriPara Idol Time [=PriPara=]]]'' premiered, Yui, the name of the show's protagonist, [[https://www.tokyofamilies.net/2017/11/top-20-popular-baby-names-in-japan/ topped baby name charts]]'' charts]] in Japan.
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[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* The year that ''[[VideoGame/PriPara Idol Time [=PriPara=]]]'' premiered, Yui, the name of the show's protagonist, [[https://www.tokyofamilies.net/2017/11/top-20-popular-baby-names-in-japan/ topped baby name charts]]'' in Japan.
* The year that ''[[VideoGame/PriPara Idol Time [=PriPara=]]]'' premiered, Yui, the name of the show's protagonist, [[https://www.tokyofamilies.net/2017/11/top-20-popular-baby-names-in-japan/ topped baby name charts]]'' in Japan.
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* Colby from ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' inspired people to name their kid's Colby following his season, as explained by Jeff Probst when Colby made his return in a later season.
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* Colby from ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' inspired people to name their kid's kids Colby following his season, as explained by Jeff Probst when Colby made his return in a later season.
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* After it was used as the name of the titular protagonist's son, many people named their babies Avery. However, in a similar manner to Madison above, the name somehow became more popular among girls than boys.
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* The name "Wyatt" rose in popularity after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/SuperWhy'' due to the titular protagonist having that name in their non-superhero form.
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* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
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* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.name.
* If the Royal Family in the UK has a new baby, chances are many people will name their kids after the child, as was the case with Charlotte and George.
* If the Royal Family in the UK has a new baby, chances are many people will name their kids after the child, as was the case with Charlotte and George.
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%%* In 2016, the names Chase and Skyler [[note]]often shortened to Skye[[/note]] made the top 100 baby names due to them being the names of two of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'''s most popular characters.
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* After the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', the name of the protagonist (Lincoln) and one of his sisters (Luna) rose in popularity, with the former name breaking the top ten and the latter name breaking the top 15.
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-->'''Pain:''' This might be a different Hercules!\\
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-->'''Pain:''' This might be a different Hercules!\\
'''Panic:''' Yeah! Hercules is a very popular name nowadays!\\
'''Pain:''' Remember like a few years ago, every other boy was named Jason and the girls were all named Britney?
-->--''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', discussing this trope
'''Panic:''' Yeah! Hercules is a very popular name nowadays!\\
'''Pain:''' Remember like a few years ago, every other boy was named Jason and the girls were all named Britney?
-->--''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', discussing this trope
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* R&B singer Music/{{Aaliyah}} caused the name Aaliyah to suddenly explode in popularity in the mid-90s, along with its many variations. The name had originated in the Middle East (deriving from the Arabic ''`Aliya[='=]'', which is, roughly, the feminine form of ''`Ali'' and means "elevated," "exalted," or "noble") but became more associated in the the African American and Latino communities after the popularity of the singer.
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* R&B singer Music/{{Aaliyah}} caused the name Aaliyah to suddenly explode in popularity in the mid-90s, along with its many variations. The name had originated in the Middle East (deriving from the Arabic ''`Aliya[='=]'', which is, roughly, the feminine form of ''`Ali'' and means "elevated," "exalted," or "noble") but became more associated in the with the African American and Latino communities after the popularity of the singer.
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* The year before ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' was released, the name of the film's protagonist, Riley, was the 32nd most popular baby name for girls in the United States. After the film's release, the name jumped 20 places up on the chart to become the 12th most popular girl's name, and then became the 7th most popular baby name
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* The year before ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' was released, the name of the film's protagonist, Riley, was the 32nd most popular baby name for girls in the United States. After the film's release, the name jumped 20 places up on the chart to become the 12th most popular girl's name, and then became the 7th most popular baby name
name in 2016.
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** Shortly after ''Frozen'' came out, "Elsa" and "Anna" became amongst the Top 10 names for girl's in many countries.
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** Shortly after ''Frozen'' came out, "Elsa" and "Anna" became amongst the Top 10 names for girl's girls in many countries.
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* The year before ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' was released, the name of the film's protagonist, Riley, was the 32nd most popular baby name for girls. After the film's release, the name jumped to the #12 spot and eventually became one of the top 10 baby names in 2016.
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* The year before ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' was released, the name of the film's protagonist, Riley, was the 32nd most popular baby name for girls. girls in the United States. After the film's release, the name jumped to 20 places up on the #12 spot chart to become the 12th most popular girl's name, and eventually then became one of the top 10 7th most popular baby names in 2016.
name
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* The name Riley was one of the top 10 girls' baby names of 2016 thanks to ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', which was released the year before, having a protagonist with that name.
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* The year before ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' was released, the name Riley of the film's protagonist, Riley, was the 32nd most popular baby name for girls. After the film's release, the name jumped to the #12 spot and eventually became one of the top 10 girls' baby names of 2016 thanks to ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', which was released the year before, having a protagonist with that name.
in 2016.
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%%* The name Riley was one of the top 10 girls' baby names of 2016 thanks to ''WesternAnimation/{{Inside Out}}'', which was released the year before, having a protagonist with that name.
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* The introduction of Amber as a name after the mid-20th century has been attributed to Kathleen Windsor's sweeping historical romance ''Forever Amber''. These days the name's popularity has nearly eclipsed the original book.
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* By the time the Literature/HarryPotter series concluded in 2007, the previously rare name Hermione had experienced a huge spike in popularity, as did the less-rare-but-still-uncommon name Luna. (The names Ron(ald) and Harry have long been perennial standards but likewise experienced a significant spike attributed to the series.)
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* "Madison" as a first name was almost nonexistent when the movie ''Film/{{Splash}}'' was made, and was mostly a boy's name when it did appear. Then after the film's mermaid picked up the name, it exploded in popularity as a girl's name, reaching [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ the top ten in girls' names]] in the U.S. in 1997, staying there over a decade and a half, even reaching second for two years, before dropping to eleventh in 2015. (It also reappeared as a boys' name after ''Splash'' was released, but never attained the explosive popularity that it did as a girls' name.) In the film itself, it was a LineOfSightName taken from a street sign; Creator/TomHanks' character's immediate reaction is "That's not a name!"
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* "Madison" as a first name was almost nonexistent when the movie ''Film/{{Splash}}'' was made, and was mostly a boy's name when it did appear. Then after the film's mermaid picked up the name, it exploded in popularity as a girl's name, reaching [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ the top ten in girls' names]] in the U.S. United States in 1997, staying there over a decade and a half, even reaching second for two years, before dropping to eleventh in 2015. (It also reappeared as a boys' name after ''Splash'' was released, but never attained the explosive popularity that it did as a girls' name.) In the film itself, it was a LineOfSightName taken from a street sign; Creator/TomHanks' character's immediate reaction is is, "That's not a [feminine] name!"
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* The name "Jennifer" received a boost with the release of ''Film/LoveStory'', becoming the single most common female given name in the United States for the years 1970-1984, where it had previously been relatively uncommon. Then it happened in Spanish. ''Love Story'' (and the many works that followed it) briefly made Jennifer a popular name in Spain, where it didn't exist in ''any'' form, and where before Franco's death, it was extremely discouraged to use non-standard (read: non-Catholic) names.
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* The name "Jennifer" Jennifer received a boost with the release of ''Film/LoveStory'', becoming the single most common female given name in the United States for the years 1970-1984, where it had previously been relatively uncommon. Then it happened in Spanish. ''Love Story'' (and the many works that followed it) briefly made Jennifer a popular name in Spain, where it didn't exist in ''any'' form, and where before Franco's death, it was extremely discouraged to use non-standard (read: non-Catholic) names.
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* Shortly after Darla Hood became one of ''Film/TheLittleRascals'' in 1935/36, parents all over the country were naming their baby girls "Darla".
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To see how names have changed in popularity over the years in Britain, visit [[https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/babynamesenglandandwales/2016 this page]] from the Office for National Statistics, which has an interactive chart.
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* The popularity of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' led to many baby girls named "Arya" and "Khaleesi". Funny that the latter is actually a title for Daenerys Targaryen, not a proper name in the series itself.
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* The popularity of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' led to many baby girls named "Arya" and "Khaleesi". Funny that the latter is actually a title for Daenerys Targaryen, not a proper name in the series itself.itself; "Daenerys" itself hasn’t nearly become as popular.
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* The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' fueled many parents to [[https://www.google.de/amp/comicbook.com/marvel/amp/2018/05/24/marvel-characters-baby-name-most-popular-2017/ name their children after characters]], among others "Valkyrie", "Quill", "Rocket" and "Hawkeye". Even more so, in 2017, 50 children were given the name "Marvel".
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* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'': by tradition, no newborns are ever named after the Princesses, and a mother who'd had just given birth directly told Twilight's that nopony would ever be given ''that'' name again.
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* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'': by tradition, no newborns are ever named after the Princesses, and a mother who'd had just given birth directly told Twilight's Twilight that nopony would ever be given ''that'' name again.
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* An in-universe inversion happens in ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum''. Twilight's ascension made people not use Twilight as a name, after that, or so she suspects.
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* An in-universe inversion happens [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum''. the ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'': by tradition, no newborns are ever named after the Princesses, and a mother who'd had just given birth directly told Twilight's ascension made people not use Twilight as a name, after that, or so she suspects.
that nopony would ever be given ''that'' name again.
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* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of Nevaeh, which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2007, Nevaeh had become the 31st most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. A few years later, more parents, apparently having heard the name but not knowing its derivation, or being appallingly lax in spell-checking birth certificate forms, began naming their daughters "Neveah".
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
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* Prior to the rise of pop culture, the best way to get people to name your kids after you was to conquer them. As an example, prior to 1066, nearly everyone in England had solid Old English names like Edwin, Edgar or Athelstan. Once William the Conqueror made the aristocracy Norman French, things changed, and soon nearly everyone was called William, Richard, Robert, Henry or Hugh. Ironically, because the Normans were originally Vikings (hence "Nor(se)man") all five of those names are of Germanic origin.
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* Prior to the rise of pop culture, the best way to get people to name your kids after you was to conquer them. As an example, prior to 1066, nearly everyone in England had solid Old English names like Edwin, Edgar or Athelstan. Once William the Conqueror made the aristocracy Norman French, things changed, and soon nearly everyone was called William, Richard, Robert, Henry or Hugh. Ironically, because the Normans were originally Vikings (hence "Nor(se)man") all five of those names are of Germanic origin.origin.
* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of Nevaeh, which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2007, Nevaeh had become the 31st most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. A few years later, more parents, apparently having heard the name but not knowing its derivation, or being appallingly lax in spell-checking birth certificate forms, began naming their daughters "Neveah".
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of Nevaeh, which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2007, Nevaeh had become the 31st most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. A few years later, more parents, apparently having heard the name but not knowing its derivation, or being appallingly lax in spell-checking birth certificate forms, began naming their daughters "Neveah".
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
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Fiction has an influence on people, both unconsciously and consciously. Many people are inspired by them--to [[TheRedStapler buy things featured in a work]], [[PetFadStarter to get pets due to one being featured in a work]], or even to name their child (and to a lesser extent, their pet) after a character featured in a work.
If a work is extremely popular, then it often causes a fad where many babies are named after major characters from the work for about a year or two. In hindsight, it can be easy to tell when someone was born if their name was a popular fad name during that period. Usually these fads die out quickly, however some become so popular that they popularize an obscure name (or even a name [[GenderBlenderName originally intended for the opposite gender]]) to the point where the name stays popular long after the popularizing work becomes a distant memory. The bad side of this is that if a name loses popularity after the fad, then it can be awkward for the child later in life (such as if they're named after a fantasy character with an odd name).
Note, that names usually must follow the OneMarioLimit (AKA, they're obscure or even invented names). If they're a common name then the work ''must'' have been the main cause on why it became (even more) popular all of a sudden.
Sub-trope to TheRedStapler.
----
!!Examples:
[[AC: Advertising]]
* In [[https://youtu.be/cl0IlD4qLUM?t=95 this]] Nike ad, Wayne Rooney's success starts a trend to name babies "Wayne".
[[AC: Comic Books]]
* French SpaceOpera comic-book ''ComicBook/{{Valerian}}'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valrian_and_Laureline#Laureline invented the name Laureline]] for the female protagonist. It is not an unheard name for French women today.
[[AC: Fan Works]]
* An in-universe inversion happens in ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum''. Twilight's ascension made people not use Twilight as a name, after that, or so she suspects.
[[AC: Film -- Animation]]
* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'':
** Shortly after ''Frozen'' came out, "Elsa" and "Anna" became amongst the Top 10 names for girl's in many countries.
** Thanks to the popularity of ''Frozen'', and Elsa in particular, [[http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a25009957/mid-year-results-babycentre-top-20-boys-and-girls-names-of-2014-emily-and-oliver-top-the-chart Elsa's name broke into the Top 100 names for baby girls in the UK]].
** In Japan, the names Anna and Rin (which means cold) [[http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/11/13/japans-top-baby-names-in-2015-will-naruto-influenced-monickers-still-reign-supreme/ were two of the top 10 baby names for two years in a row]] as a result of this movie. Rin could have also had some ''Franchise/LoveLive'' influence, as one of the most popular characters is Rin Hoshizora.
%%* The name Riley was one of the top 10 girls' baby names of 2016 thanks to ''WesternAnimation/{{Inside Out}}'', which was released the year before, having a protagonist with that name.
[[AC: Film -- Live Action]]
* Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaption of ''Literature/{{Lolita}}''. had a positive effect on the name "Lolita" itself, which had fallen out of popularity but had a small resurgence following the film's release. In Lolita itself, the girl is actually named Dolores, variously nicknamed Dolly, Lo or Lola. Lolita was the pseudo-intellectual Humbert's "fancy" nickname for her.
* "Madison" as a first name was almost nonexistent when the movie ''Film/{{Splash}}'' was made, and was mostly a boy's name when it did appear. Then after the film's mermaid picked up the name, it exploded in popularity as a girl's name, reaching [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ the top ten in girls' names]] in the U.S. in 1997, staying there over a decade and a half, even reaching second for two years, before dropping to eleventh in 2015. (It also reappeared as a boys' name after ''Splash'' was released, but never attained the explosive popularity that it did as a girls' name.) In the film itself, it was a LineOfSightName taken from a street sign; Creator/TomHanks' character's immediate reaction is "That's not a name!"
* After ''Film/TheOmen1976'' came out, the name Damien [[http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ experienced a slight decline]] in popularity, but it did get a one-day spike among children born on [[NumberOfTheBeast June 6, 2006]] -- which, not coincidentally, was also the release date of [[Film/TheOmen2006 the remake]].
* The name "Jennifer" received a boost with the release of ''Film/LoveStory'', becoming the single most common female given name in the United States for the years 1970-1984, where it had previously been relatively uncommon. Then it happened in Spanish. ''Love Story'' (and the many works that followed it) briefly made Jennifer a popular name in Spain, where it didn't exist in ''any'' form, and where before Franco's death, it was extremely discouraged to use non-standard (read: non-Catholic) names.
* While the boy's name Kevin had become quite popular in Germany the years before, it reached its peak as the most common name in 1991 after the release of ''Film/HomeAlone'' and stayed very high in popularity for about 10 more years.
[[AC: Literature]]
* The names "Isabella", "Edward" and "Jacob" were popular before ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' was published. Still, they saw a significant boost, as did "Renesmee". Despite being invented by Creator/StephenieMeyer, in 2010 ''fifty-five'' baby girls in the US were given that name in real life.
* Millions of baby girls were named Alice after the success of Creator/LewisCarroll's ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''.
* J. M. Barrie's ''Literature/PeterPan'' popularized the name Wendy so much after its release, that he is often erroneously credited with ''inventing'' the name. It's really a very obscure nickname for Gwendolyn.
* Since the 1960s, naming your child after a character from Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' has been something of a trend for aging hippies and nerds. "Galadriel" has been in the US popular name list since 1969.
* The Polish/Lithuanian name "Grazyna" was invented by the poet Adam Mickiewicz for his narrative poem ''Grazyna, A Lithuanian story''. It's derived from the Lithuanian word ''grazi'', meaning "beautiful", and it was widespread in Poland up until around the 1980s.
* The name "Pamela" was invented for a book, ''Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded''. This generated one of the first entertainment marketing booms, with ''Pamela'' towels, dishes, playing cards, stationery, etc. ''In 1740.''
* The name "Svetlana" was invented by a Russian poet and popularized by another in the early 1800s. It's still hugely popular today, both in Russia and outside it, and is even used as the Russian translation of a Greek saint's name. "Svetlana" wasn't a nonsense word, though; "svet" means light, and it's a little like naming your daughter "Radiance" or something. The closest English equivalent would be Helen.
* The name "Vanessa" was invented by Creator/JonathanSwift for his lover Esther Vanhomrigh ("Van" from her surname, "Essa" from a pet form of her given one) and used in his semi-autobiographical poem ''Cadenus and Vanessa'', published after Vanhomrigh's death. The name became a popular choice for girls following the publication of the poem.
* ''Literature/{{Shirley}}'' was a boy's name until Creator/CharlotteBronte gave the heroine of her novel that name. After that it became much more popular as a girl's name as the writers of ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' can attest.
[[AC: Live-Action TV]]
* The name Dylan experienced a surge in popularity during the run of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.
* The Brazilian SoapOpera ''Escrava Isaura'' was extremely popular in Poland, and caused a number of young girls to be named Isaura.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The name "Amelia" has experienced a recent surge in popularity, coming as high as #1 in the U.K. and #12 in the U.S. for girls. [[http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/03/the-pond-effect-amelia-is-britains-top-baby-name-for-girls/ The reason seems to be one character:]] Amelia Jessica "Amy" Pond.
* In the 1980s, the names Crystal[[note]]in a variety of invented spellings, like the show's own "Krystle"[[/note]], Alexis, and Dominique became popular for girls in the USA thanks to the {{Rich Bitch}}es of ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''.
* The name "Emma" exploded in popularity after Rachel of ''Series/{{Friends}}'' gave the name to her daughter.
* From ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', Carrie's rugged puppy Aidan seems to have inspired a resurgence in that name (and its variant Aiden).
* ''Series/FamilyTies'' led to "Mallory" being a popular girls' name, even though it was almost completely non-existent prior to the show (and was basically a last name adopted into a first name). Unlike "Madison", which came about under similar circumstances, "Mallory" died out quickly after the show ended.
* ''Series/TrueBlood'' made Sookie the fastest growing name for girls in 2010.
* The popularity of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' led to many baby girls named "Arya" and "Khaleesi". Funny that the latter is actually a title for Daenerys Targaryen, not a proper name in the series itself.
* Colby from ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' inspired people to name their kid's Colby following his season, as explained by Jeff Probst when Colby made his return in a later season.
* Xander's picked up as a boy's name since ''Series/{{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}'' (although the biggest spike in usage comes the year that Buffy went off the air.)
[[AC: Music]]
* The name "Kayleigh" was popularized in the U.K. after it appeared in a 1985 hit single of the same name by the British ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Marillion}}; the name itself was derived from "Kay Lee", an ex-girlfriend of singer Derek "Fish" Dick.
* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of Nevaeh, which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2007, Nevaeh had become the 31st most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. A few years later, more parents, apparently having heard the name but not knowing its derivation, or being appallingly lax in spell-checking birth certificate forms, began naming their daughters "Neveah".
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
* The Australian singer-songwriter John Williamson created a song about a tomboy whose father nicknamed her Cydy (short for sidekick). It is now an official (if still mostly uncommon) Australian girl name.
* Many red-nosed pets, especially dogs, are named after the title character of ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer''.
[[AC: Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The name "Zelda" had been out of vogue for decades by the time the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] came out. Now it's a fairly common name thanks to the perennial popularity of the series. Creator/RobinWilliams' daughter Creator/ZeldaWilliams is a famous example of someone named after the character.
* Enforced by Creator/{{Bethesda}}, who announced a challenge for players of ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'': if any of them had a child on its then latest release date (11/11/11) and named it after a ''Skyrim'' character, the child could get free games for life. At least one couple did it, with their son Dovahkiin.
[[AC: Theatre]]
* The name "Jennifer" became hugely popular in the United Kingdom after Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw gave it to the female lead in his 1906 play ''The Doctor's Dilemma''.
[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Inverted: ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' may have been responsible for the name "Patrick" steadily declining in popularity since the early 2000s. It used to be one of the top 50 most popular boy's names in the United States--but as of 2017, it's only in the top ''200''. Understandably, not many millennial parents want to name their sons after an overweight, dimwitted pink starfish.
* Inverted: the name Peter dropped the most it ever had in history in 2000, the year after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. It's had a steady decline since.
%%* In 2016, the names Chase and Skyler [[note]]often shortened to Skye[[/note]] made the top 100 baby names due to them being the names of two of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'''s most popular characters.
[[AC: Real Life]]
* "Shirley" was an uncommon and exclusively masculine name until Creator/CharlotteBronte's novel ''Shirley'' was published in 1849. The eponymous character is an independent heiress, and her name is intended to be a TomboyishName, being what her parents would have named a boy had they got one like they wanted. It would stay primarily a (rather rare) boy's name until Creator/ShirleyTemple became famous. Then it became a popular girl's name, reaching No. 1 in popularity in 1935. Male Shirleys are now thin on the ground.
* The name "Emma" jumped ([[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ from thirteenth to fourth place]]) upon the release of ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone]]'' with Creator/EmmaWatson.
* Thanks to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', there were spikes in popularity of the name Nichelle as a baby name.
* R&B singer Music/{{Aaliyah}} caused the name Aaliyah to suddenly explode in popularity in the mid-90s, along with its many variations. The name had originated in the Middle East (deriving from the Arabic ''`Aliya[='=]'', which is, roughly, the feminine form of ''`Ali'' and means "elevated," "exalted," or "noble") but became more associated in the the African American and Latino communities after the popularity of the singer.
* The Music/BackstreetBoys popularity in Mexico caused many boys around that time to be named Kevin or Brian (often spelled as "Brayan").
* The popularity of "Katrina" as a name for baby girls [[http://www.babynamewizard.com/namipedia/girl/katrina increased slightly]] after the 2005 storm, possibly due to the name being endlessly repeated in the media, possibly as a statistical blip. The [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ following years]] saw Katrina fall rapidly in popularity.
* In 1918, Italian general Armando Diaz signed the Victory Address, a short document meant to inform the population of the victory against Austria in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. It was shown in schools, barracks, and town halls, and many children were required to memorize it. The Address ended with the words "firmato: Diaz" (signed: Diaz), which led many to think that "firmato" ("signed") was his name. In the following years, many children were baptized with that name.
* After Barack Obama became President in 2009, bringing his daughters Malia and Sasha into the public eye, the name Maliyah was the [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/malia-obama-first-daughte_n_567776.html fastest growing name in popularity in 2009]], and the name Sasha also jumped in popularity.
* Prior to the rise of pop culture, the best way to get people to name your kids after you was to conquer them. As an example, prior to 1066, nearly everyone in England had solid Old English names like Edwin, Edgar or Athelstan. Once William the Conqueror made the aristocracy Norman French, things changed, and soon nearly everyone was called William, Richard, Robert, Henry or Hugh. Ironically, because the Normans were originally Vikings (hence "Nor(se)man") all five of those names are of Germanic origin.
If a work is extremely popular, then it often causes a fad where many babies are named after major characters from the work for about a year or two. In hindsight, it can be easy to tell when someone was born if their name was a popular fad name during that period. Usually these fads die out quickly, however some become so popular that they popularize an obscure name (or even a name [[GenderBlenderName originally intended for the opposite gender]]) to the point where the name stays popular long after the popularizing work becomes a distant memory. The bad side of this is that if a name loses popularity after the fad, then it can be awkward for the child later in life (such as if they're named after a fantasy character with an odd name).
Note, that names usually must follow the OneMarioLimit (AKA, they're obscure or even invented names). If they're a common name then the work ''must'' have been the main cause on why it became (even more) popular all of a sudden.
Sub-trope to TheRedStapler.
----
!!Examples:
[[AC: Advertising]]
* In [[https://youtu.be/cl0IlD4qLUM?t=95 this]] Nike ad, Wayne Rooney's success starts a trend to name babies "Wayne".
[[AC: Comic Books]]
* French SpaceOpera comic-book ''ComicBook/{{Valerian}}'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valrian_and_Laureline#Laureline invented the name Laureline]] for the female protagonist. It is not an unheard name for French women today.
[[AC: Fan Works]]
* An in-universe inversion happens in ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum''. Twilight's ascension made people not use Twilight as a name, after that, or so she suspects.
[[AC: Film -- Animation]]
* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'':
** Shortly after ''Frozen'' came out, "Elsa" and "Anna" became amongst the Top 10 names for girl's in many countries.
** Thanks to the popularity of ''Frozen'', and Elsa in particular, [[http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a25009957/mid-year-results-babycentre-top-20-boys-and-girls-names-of-2014-emily-and-oliver-top-the-chart Elsa's name broke into the Top 100 names for baby girls in the UK]].
** In Japan, the names Anna and Rin (which means cold) [[http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/11/13/japans-top-baby-names-in-2015-will-naruto-influenced-monickers-still-reign-supreme/ were two of the top 10 baby names for two years in a row]] as a result of this movie. Rin could have also had some ''Franchise/LoveLive'' influence, as one of the most popular characters is Rin Hoshizora.
%%* The name Riley was one of the top 10 girls' baby names of 2016 thanks to ''WesternAnimation/{{Inside Out}}'', which was released the year before, having a protagonist with that name.
[[AC: Film -- Live Action]]
* Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaption of ''Literature/{{Lolita}}''. had a positive effect on the name "Lolita" itself, which had fallen out of popularity but had a small resurgence following the film's release. In Lolita itself, the girl is actually named Dolores, variously nicknamed Dolly, Lo or Lola. Lolita was the pseudo-intellectual Humbert's "fancy" nickname for her.
* "Madison" as a first name was almost nonexistent when the movie ''Film/{{Splash}}'' was made, and was mostly a boy's name when it did appear. Then after the film's mermaid picked up the name, it exploded in popularity as a girl's name, reaching [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ the top ten in girls' names]] in the U.S. in 1997, staying there over a decade and a half, even reaching second for two years, before dropping to eleventh in 2015. (It also reappeared as a boys' name after ''Splash'' was released, but never attained the explosive popularity that it did as a girls' name.) In the film itself, it was a LineOfSightName taken from a street sign; Creator/TomHanks' character's immediate reaction is "That's not a name!"
* After ''Film/TheOmen1976'' came out, the name Damien [[http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ experienced a slight decline]] in popularity, but it did get a one-day spike among children born on [[NumberOfTheBeast June 6, 2006]] -- which, not coincidentally, was also the release date of [[Film/TheOmen2006 the remake]].
* The name "Jennifer" received a boost with the release of ''Film/LoveStory'', becoming the single most common female given name in the United States for the years 1970-1984, where it had previously been relatively uncommon. Then it happened in Spanish. ''Love Story'' (and the many works that followed it) briefly made Jennifer a popular name in Spain, where it didn't exist in ''any'' form, and where before Franco's death, it was extremely discouraged to use non-standard (read: non-Catholic) names.
* While the boy's name Kevin had become quite popular in Germany the years before, it reached its peak as the most common name in 1991 after the release of ''Film/HomeAlone'' and stayed very high in popularity for about 10 more years.
[[AC: Literature]]
* The names "Isabella", "Edward" and "Jacob" were popular before ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' was published. Still, they saw a significant boost, as did "Renesmee". Despite being invented by Creator/StephenieMeyer, in 2010 ''fifty-five'' baby girls in the US were given that name in real life.
* Millions of baby girls were named Alice after the success of Creator/LewisCarroll's ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''.
* J. M. Barrie's ''Literature/PeterPan'' popularized the name Wendy so much after its release, that he is often erroneously credited with ''inventing'' the name. It's really a very obscure nickname for Gwendolyn.
* Since the 1960s, naming your child after a character from Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' has been something of a trend for aging hippies and nerds. "Galadriel" has been in the US popular name list since 1969.
* The Polish/Lithuanian name "Grazyna" was invented by the poet Adam Mickiewicz for his narrative poem ''Grazyna, A Lithuanian story''. It's derived from the Lithuanian word ''grazi'', meaning "beautiful", and it was widespread in Poland up until around the 1980s.
* The name "Pamela" was invented for a book, ''Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded''. This generated one of the first entertainment marketing booms, with ''Pamela'' towels, dishes, playing cards, stationery, etc. ''In 1740.''
* The name "Svetlana" was invented by a Russian poet and popularized by another in the early 1800s. It's still hugely popular today, both in Russia and outside it, and is even used as the Russian translation of a Greek saint's name. "Svetlana" wasn't a nonsense word, though; "svet" means light, and it's a little like naming your daughter "Radiance" or something. The closest English equivalent would be Helen.
* The name "Vanessa" was invented by Creator/JonathanSwift for his lover Esther Vanhomrigh ("Van" from her surname, "Essa" from a pet form of her given one) and used in his semi-autobiographical poem ''Cadenus and Vanessa'', published after Vanhomrigh's death. The name became a popular choice for girls following the publication of the poem.
* ''Literature/{{Shirley}}'' was a boy's name until Creator/CharlotteBronte gave the heroine of her novel that name. After that it became much more popular as a girl's name as the writers of ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' can attest.
[[AC: Live-Action TV]]
* The name Dylan experienced a surge in popularity during the run of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.
* The Brazilian SoapOpera ''Escrava Isaura'' was extremely popular in Poland, and caused a number of young girls to be named Isaura.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The name "Amelia" has experienced a recent surge in popularity, coming as high as #1 in the U.K. and #12 in the U.S. for girls. [[http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/03/the-pond-effect-amelia-is-britains-top-baby-name-for-girls/ The reason seems to be one character:]] Amelia Jessica "Amy" Pond.
* In the 1980s, the names Crystal[[note]]in a variety of invented spellings, like the show's own "Krystle"[[/note]], Alexis, and Dominique became popular for girls in the USA thanks to the {{Rich Bitch}}es of ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''.
* The name "Emma" exploded in popularity after Rachel of ''Series/{{Friends}}'' gave the name to her daughter.
* From ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', Carrie's rugged puppy Aidan seems to have inspired a resurgence in that name (and its variant Aiden).
* ''Series/FamilyTies'' led to "Mallory" being a popular girls' name, even though it was almost completely non-existent prior to the show (and was basically a last name adopted into a first name). Unlike "Madison", which came about under similar circumstances, "Mallory" died out quickly after the show ended.
* ''Series/TrueBlood'' made Sookie the fastest growing name for girls in 2010.
* The popularity of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' led to many baby girls named "Arya" and "Khaleesi". Funny that the latter is actually a title for Daenerys Targaryen, not a proper name in the series itself.
* Colby from ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' inspired people to name their kid's Colby following his season, as explained by Jeff Probst when Colby made his return in a later season.
* Xander's picked up as a boy's name since ''Series/{{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}'' (although the biggest spike in usage comes the year that Buffy went off the air.)
[[AC: Music]]
* The name "Kayleigh" was popularized in the U.K. after it appeared in a 1985 hit single of the same name by the British ProgressiveRock band Music/{{Marillion}}; the name itself was derived from "Kay Lee", an ex-girlfriend of singer Derek "Fish" Dick.
* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of Nevaeh, which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2007, Nevaeh had become the 31st most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. A few years later, more parents, apparently having heard the name but not knowing its derivation, or being appallingly lax in spell-checking birth certificate forms, began naming their daughters "Neveah".
* Baby name databases don't seem to have any data for the name [[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Tevin Tevin]] before 1990, but it peaks in popularity in 1992 (top 200). In between those two years, an R&B singer named Tevin Campbell had released his debut album and scored several hits off it, and his popularity resulted in many baby boys being given his uncommon first name.
* The Australian singer-songwriter John Williamson created a song about a tomboy whose father nicknamed her Cydy (short for sidekick). It is now an official (if still mostly uncommon) Australian girl name.
* Many red-nosed pets, especially dogs, are named after the title character of ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer''.
[[AC: Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The name "Zelda" had been out of vogue for decades by the time the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] came out. Now it's a fairly common name thanks to the perennial popularity of the series. Creator/RobinWilliams' daughter Creator/ZeldaWilliams is a famous example of someone named after the character.
* Enforced by Creator/{{Bethesda}}, who announced a challenge for players of ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'': if any of them had a child on its then latest release date (11/11/11) and named it after a ''Skyrim'' character, the child could get free games for life. At least one couple did it, with their son Dovahkiin.
[[AC: Theatre]]
* The name "Jennifer" became hugely popular in the United Kingdom after Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw gave it to the female lead in his 1906 play ''The Doctor's Dilemma''.
[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Inverted: ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' may have been responsible for the name "Patrick" steadily declining in popularity since the early 2000s. It used to be one of the top 50 most popular boy's names in the United States--but as of 2017, it's only in the top ''200''. Understandably, not many millennial parents want to name their sons after an overweight, dimwitted pink starfish.
* Inverted: the name Peter dropped the most it ever had in history in 2000, the year after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. It's had a steady decline since.
%%* In 2016, the names Chase and Skyler [[note]]often shortened to Skye[[/note]] made the top 100 baby names due to them being the names of two of ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol'''s most popular characters.
[[AC: Real Life]]
* "Shirley" was an uncommon and exclusively masculine name until Creator/CharlotteBronte's novel ''Shirley'' was published in 1849. The eponymous character is an independent heiress, and her name is intended to be a TomboyishName, being what her parents would have named a boy had they got one like they wanted. It would stay primarily a (rather rare) boy's name until Creator/ShirleyTemple became famous. Then it became a popular girl's name, reaching No. 1 in popularity in 1935. Male Shirleys are now thin on the ground.
* The name "Emma" jumped ([[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ from thirteenth to fourth place]]) upon the release of ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone]]'' with Creator/EmmaWatson.
* Thanks to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', there were spikes in popularity of the name Nichelle as a baby name.
* R&B singer Music/{{Aaliyah}} caused the name Aaliyah to suddenly explode in popularity in the mid-90s, along with its many variations. The name had originated in the Middle East (deriving from the Arabic ''`Aliya[='=]'', which is, roughly, the feminine form of ''`Ali'' and means "elevated," "exalted," or "noble") but became more associated in the the African American and Latino communities after the popularity of the singer.
* The Music/BackstreetBoys popularity in Mexico caused many boys around that time to be named Kevin or Brian (often spelled as "Brayan").
* The popularity of "Katrina" as a name for baby girls [[http://www.babynamewizard.com/namipedia/girl/katrina increased slightly]] after the 2005 storm, possibly due to the name being endlessly repeated in the media, possibly as a statistical blip. The [[https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ following years]] saw Katrina fall rapidly in popularity.
* In 1918, Italian general Armando Diaz signed the Victory Address, a short document meant to inform the population of the victory against Austria in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. It was shown in schools, barracks, and town halls, and many children were required to memorize it. The Address ended with the words "firmato: Diaz" (signed: Diaz), which led many to think that "firmato" ("signed") was his name. In the following years, many children were baptized with that name.
* After Barack Obama became President in 2009, bringing his daughters Malia and Sasha into the public eye, the name Maliyah was the [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/malia-obama-first-daughte_n_567776.html fastest growing name in popularity in 2009]], and the name Sasha also jumped in popularity.
* Prior to the rise of pop culture, the best way to get people to name your kids after you was to conquer them. As an example, prior to 1066, nearly everyone in England had solid Old English names like Edwin, Edgar or Athelstan. Once William the Conqueror made the aristocracy Norman French, things changed, and soon nearly everyone was called William, Richard, Robert, Henry or Hugh. Ironically, because the Normans were originally Vikings (hence "Nor(se)man") all five of those names are of Germanic origin.
