History Main / BabyNameTrendStarter

* Before ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/harley/top "Harley"]] was known as a boy's name, and an older one at that. Then the show invented the character of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn as a DistaffCounterpart, sidekick, and girlfriend to [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]], which not only revived the name but made it more common among girls than boys. Her live-action debut in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' created an even bigger bump.

* The boy's names [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/dylan/top/ "Dylan"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/brandon/top/ "Brandon"]] experienced a surge in popularity during the run of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.

* Literature/TheBible has been a popular source of baby names for ''centuries''. Common examples include Adam, Angel[[note]]As well as specific angels like Daniel, Michael, Nathaniel, and Raphael[[/note]], Elijah, Eve, Isaiah, Joseph, Joshua, Leah, Luke, Mary, Matthew, Rebecca, etc. This also includes variations in different languages: Maria, Marie, Mariah, etc.

* The name Eric (and its variants) had been pretty much unknown in Britain following the end of the Danelaw. In 1858, a novel titled ''Literature/EricOrLittleByLittle'' was published. Although largely forgotten today, this was one of the most popular children's novels of the era and created a vogue for the name Eric that lasted until UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, when it fell out favour due its Germanic connotations.

* In ''Radio/TheArchers'' in the early part of TheEighties, a child was born into the Ambridge farming community. In keeping with this trope, the scriptwriters opted to name the infant ''Kylie'', after [[Music/KylieMinogue a soap-opera-actress-turned-pop-singer]] who was quite big at the time. The expectation in a very long-running soap opera was that the pop singer would quickly vanish into obscurity, leaving the character to grow up with a vaguely embarrassing name she'd quietly hate her parents for giving her. In 2023, however, the character Kylie is over forty. And [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Kylie Minogue is still very much with us]].

* In ''Radio/TheArchers'' in the early part of TheEighties, a child was born into the Ambridge farming community. In keeping with this trope, the scriptwriters opted to name the infant ''Kylie'', after [[Music/KylieMinogue a soap-opera-actress-turned-pop-singer]] who was quite big at the time. The expectation in a very long-running soap opera was that the pop singer would quickly vanish into obscurity, leaving the character to grow up with a vaguely embarrassing name she'd quietly hate her parents for giving her. In 2023, however, the character Kylie is over forty. And [[RealLifeWrotesThePlot Kylie Minogue is still very much with us]].

* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' caused the previously unknown name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/sadie/top "Sadie"]] (a diminutive of "Sarah") to jump into the top 100 baby names the year after the show's premiere.

* A combination of ''Series/AgentsOfShield'' and the 2012 version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2012}}'' having characters nicknamed [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/leo/top Leo]] caused the name to jump up 30 places in 2013.

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' made [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/ezekiel/top "Ezekiel"]] gain popularity again after lingering in obscurity for many years. In 2018, it made the top 100 baby names.

* Before ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/harley/top "Harley"]] was known as a boy's name, and an older one at that. Then the show invented the character of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn as a DistaffCounterpart, sidekick, and girlfriend to [[ComicBook/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]], which not only revived the name but made it more common among girls than boys. Her live-action debut in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' created an even bigger bump.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' kicked off one in-universe in one story where a pregnant woman he rescued pleaded for his real name to give her child in his honor. He gives her the name [[DeadGuyJunior Ben]], what follows is a montage of single panels where new parents proudly say, "We're naming him Ben" showing he never stopped.

* After the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', the name of the protagonist [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/lincoln/top Lincoln]] and one of his sisters, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/luna/top Luna,]] rose in popularity, with the former name reaching the top 50 and the latter breaking the top 15.

* After the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', the name of the protagonist [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/lincoln/top Lincoln]] and one of his sisters, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/luna/top Luna,]] rose in popularity, with the former name breaking the top 50 and the latter name breaking the top 15.

[[folder:Real Life -- Actors]]
* The name "Emma" was already rising in popularity, but jumped ([[https://www.behindthename.com/name/emma/top from thirteenth to fourth place]] in the States) upon the release of ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' with Creator/EmmaWatson. Since then, it has never been out of the top four and was at #1 in 2008 and from 2014 through '18.
* Thanks to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', there were spikes in popularity of the name Nichelle as a baby name.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/jayden/top "Jayden",]] a name that was practically unheard of before TheNineties, skyrocketed in popularity after 1998 when Jaden Smith was born, peaking in 2010 as the fourth most popular boy's name.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/owen/top "Owen"]] boomed in popularity after Creator/OwenWilson starred in ''Film/{{Anaconda}}'' and ''Film/Armageddon1998''. As of 2019, it's in the top 30 baby names.
* The name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/emilia/top/ "Emilia"]], once a fairly obscure variant on "Emily", has surged in popularity thanks to the increasing popularity of the actress Creator/EmiliaClarke.
* "Liam", an Irish variant of "William", was unheard of in the US until 1994, when it entered the top 1000 baby names, thanks to the release of ''Film/SchindlersList'', featuring Irish heartthrob Creator/LiamNeeson. It would skyrocket to number 2 on the list in 2013, thanks to ''Film/TheHungerGames'' star Creator/LiamHemsworth.
* In Brazil, ever since a famous actor couple named their son "Enzo" in the late '90s, [[https://veja.abril.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/enzo-ibge.jpg?quality=70&strip=info&w=650 the name skyrocketed in popularity]] -- "Enzo Gabriel" in particular became the most common composite name in 2009, and outright male name in 2018! A [[https://imgsapp.em.com.br/app/noticia_127983242361/2017/11/28/920209/20171128143725278123a.jpg kindergarten class]] featuring ''seven'' "Enzos" went viral, and the name is now memetic as a trendy baby name (for single moms in particular; the female equivalent is "Valentina", which took off without a clear reason). Like "Karen", "Becky", and "Chad", it is also an online slang term: say "Enzos", and others will know you're talking about the current teenage populace in [[LowerClassLout a demeaning way]].
* Shortly after Darla Hood became one of ''Film/TheLittleRascals'' in 1935/36, parents all over the country were naming their baby girls "Darla".
* Tends to happen from time to time with popular ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' cast members. For example, the names "Victoria" and "Maya" increased in popularity after Victoria Jackson and Creator/MayaRudolph became regulars on the show.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/ryan/top/ "Ryan"]] exploded as a boy's name in TheSeventies after Creator/RyanONeal starred in ''Film/LoveStory'', which (as noted above) did the same to "Jennifer" as a girl's name.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/drew/top "Drew"]] took off first as a boy's name in TheEighties, then had a smaller boom as a girl's name in TheNineties, thanks to Creator/DrewBarrymore.
* The girl's name [[https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi "Alyssa"]] had a rapid rise in popularity in the mid-1980s, following Creator/AlyssaMilano's StarMakingRole on ''Series/WhosTheBoss''. It went from being ranked at 230 in popularity for girls in 1982 to number 27 in 1990. It dropped slightly, but then saw another boost in the late '90s and early '00s, where it was solidly in the top 15 names for girls from 1997 to 2004, which coincides neatly with her appearance on ''Series/Charmed1998''.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/millie/top/ "Millie",]] a diminutive of "Mildred" or "Millicent", started skyrocketing as a girl's name in the US in the late 2010s, hitting the top 200 by 2020, thanks to Creator/MillieBobbyBrown's StarMakingRole on ''Series/StrangerThings''. There wasn't a similar boost in the UK or the rest of the English-speaking world despite Brown being English herself, possibly because, in those countries, the name had already been a popular choice since the 2000s.
* "Olivia" became a popular name after Creator/OliviaDeHavilland starred in ''Film/CaptainBlood''.
* [[https://nameberry.com/babyname/annette "Annette"]] boomed in popularity in the 1950s when Creator/AnnetteFunicello starred in ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub''.
* The tragic and sudden early death of Creator/RiverPhoenix in 1993 caused the name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/river/top "River"]] to enter the top 1,000 boy's names for the first time the following year, as many parents named their sons in tribute to a talented actor taken too soon (especially one who, before his fatal overdose, was not widely known to have drug problems). As noted above, it has continued to rise since then.
* After ''Series/Roots1977'' premiered, many parents named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/levar/top/ "Levar"]] after Creator/LeVarBurton, who played Kunta Kinte in his StarMakingRole. To a lesser extent, it also happened to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kunta/top "Kunta"]] itself, but to a smaller degree.
* The previously rare boy's name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/denzel/top "Denzel"]] had a large spike in the early '90s after ''Film/{{Glory}}'' became Creator/DenzelWashington's StarMakingRole and won him his first Oscar. It peaked in 1993 after the release of ''Film/MalcolmX'', where he played the title character.
* By 1935, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/shirley/top/united-states over 40 thousand babies]] were named Shirley by mothers either in honour of Creator/ShirleyTemple or in hopes that their daughter would be just as much of a box office superstar as their namesake.
* Since TheNineties, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/keanu/top "Keanu"]] has been a not-uncommon boy's name thanks to the actor Creator/KeanuReeves. (It's Hawaiian for "cool breeze", appropriately enough given that Reeves' father is from UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}.) It enjoyed a revival in the mid-2010s hand-in-hand with Reeves' CareerResurrection thanks to ''Film/JohnWick''.

[[folder:Real Life -- Athletes]]
* The tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash caused [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kobe/top/ those]] [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/gianna/top/ names]] to trend in 2020. Kobe's name had previously spiked in the late '90s and early '00s when he first started playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
* [[https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31309206/the-jalen-generation-how-jalen-rose-name-spread-world-sports The name Jalen]] and other variations was popularized in the 1990s by the basketball player Jalen Rose. Rose's name was a combination of the names of his father James and his uncle Leonard.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/brady/top "Brady"]] saw a large spike as a boy's name in the 2000s due to Creator/TomBrady, the quarterback for the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague New England Patriots]] who went on to become one of the winningest pro athletes in American history. The name peaked in 2007 when Brady led the Patriots to a 16-0 "perfect season".[[note]]Though the ''post''season saw them lose the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl in [[DownToTheLastPlay one of the biggest upsets in sports history]].[[/note]] It fell off just as fast in the late '00s and '10s, though, likely because the Patriots had by that point become ''the'' OpposingSportsTeam for every football fan west of New Haven.
* Creator/ColinMcRae's 1995 [[UsefulNotes/WorldRallyChampionship WRC]] championship win spurred a number of boys named after the Scotsman, among them Kenyan rally driver [=McRae=] Kimathi.
* Lots of parents named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/shaquille/top "Shaquille"]] in the early '90s after Creator/ShaquilleONeal.

[[folder:Real Life -- Musicians]]
* R&B singer Music/{{Aaliyah}} caused her name 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 with the African American and Latino communities after the popularity of the singer. The name spiked in popularity in 2001 after her untimely death.
* The Music/BackstreetBoys' popularity in Mexico caused many boys around that time to be named Kevin or Brian (often spelled as "Brayan").
* In 2000, Sonny Sandoval, the frontman of Music/{{POD}} and a born-again Christian, gave his daughter the unusual name of [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/nevaeh/top "Nevaeh",]] which is "heaven" [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]]. By 2010, Nevaeh had become the 25th most popular name for baby girls in the United States, with most of this popularity coming from evangelical Christian parents. It's also occasionally been misspelled "Neveah", but that's neither here nor there.
* 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.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/britney/top "Britney",]] an [[MyNaymeIs alternate spelling]] of "Brittany", saw a spike in popularity in the early '00s thanks to Music/BritneySpears. (The base spelling Brittany itself--an old name deriving from a region of France--and other variations on such, did not see anything similar.)
* While [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/taylor/top "Taylor"]] had been falling off from its peak in the mid-'90s by then, it did get a momentary bump in 2008 thanks to Music/TaylorSwift. The JustForFun/OneMarioLimit seems to have kicked in since, however, and the name has continued its decline.
* The same thing happened to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kanye/top "Kanye"]] in 2004 thanks to Music/KanyeWest, with over five hundred baby boys given the name that year.
* Layne Staley of Music/AliceInChains gave a boost to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/layne/top "Layne"]] as a boy's name in TheNineties. His death from a heroin overdose in 2002 created a second boom that year, and since then it's had a comfortable baseline of popularity due to his status as rock royalty.
* Over four hundred baby boys were named [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/elvis/top "Elvis"]] in 1956, and over six hundred in 1957, when the future [[Music/ElvisPresley King of Rock & Roll]] made his debut. A second spike happened in the late '70s after his untimely death.
* In UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands there used to be only one person named Vajèn (Vajèn van den Bosch, born 1998), whose mother had made up the name. In 2011 she participated in ''Series/TheVoice Kids'' and made it to the final round, and suddenly [[https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Vajèn there were hundreds]] of baby girls being named Vajèn.
* The name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kehlani Kehlani]] (a variation of a Hawaiian name) became one of the top 1000 names in the U.S. in 2016, around the rise of the American singer [[Music/{{Kehlani}} of the same name]].
* The girls' name [[https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi Mariah]] jumped from number 562 in popularity in 1989 to number 69 in 1991, the year after Music/MariahCarey released her debut album. Fittingly, Carey's parents were inspired by the song "They Call the Wind Maria" (pronounced Ma-rye-ah) from the 1969 film ''Film/PaintYourWagon,'' which was likely a factor in that name with that spelling reaching its century peak of popularity in the 1970s and the spelling with the H on the end receiving a bump in popularity of over 200 places in the same decade. The spelling with the H on the end is more traditional, as it's originally a name from the Bible.
* Upon her international breakthrough in 2011, the English pop singer Music/{{Adele}} saw [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/adele/top/ her name]] jump in popularity across the US and Europe (except in her home country, oddly enough).
* The groundbreaking success of the Tejano pop singer Music/{{Selena}} caused [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/selena/top her name]] to skyrocket in popularity in the US in the first half of the '90s. It peaked in 1995 when she was murdered by a LoonyFan, causing nearly four thousand girls to be named after her in tribute and briefly pushing the name into the top 100. In the 2010s, it came full circle when Music/SelenaGomez, herself named after the singer, became a pop superstar and gave the name a second wind of popularity.
* After the release of Music/WhitneyHouston's [[Music/WhitneyHoustonAlbum self-titled debut album]] in 1985, the name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/whitney/top/ "Whitney"]] skyrocketed in popularity and became the 32nd most common girl's name in the US. It had another small bump in 1993, the year after the release of ''Film/TheBodyguard''.
* Music/SheenaEaston's breakthrough in 1980 with "9 to 5" caused the name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/sheena/top "Sheena"]] to jump from obscurity to one of the 100 most popular girl's names in the US by 1984.
* This was {{Double Subver|sion}}ted by [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/miley/top "Miley"]] as a girl's name. It saw a spike in the late '00s thanks to ''Series/HannahMontana'' star Music/MileyCyrus, but fell off just as quickly in the early '10s after she embraced a HotterAndSexier image post-Disney... only to return in the late '10s as she cleaned up her image, enjoyed a CareerResurrection, and became an elder stateswoman of pop music.
* After Creator/TyreseGibson released his debut album in 1998, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/tyrese/top "Tyrese"]] shot up the rankings of boy's names in the US, and would remain popular through the '00s.
* For girl's names, the same thing happened when Music/{{Mya}} released her debut album that same year and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mya/top her name]] similarly exploded.
* In TheSeventies, the band Music/CaptainAndTennille caused a lot of parents to name their daughters [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/tennille/top "Tennille"]] after their female singer.
* While the girl's name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/ashanti/top "Ashanti"]] had a small boost before then due to the Black Power movement, the debut of the singer Ashanti in 2002 caused a huge spike in the name's popularity that lasted for much of the '00s.

[[folder:Real Life -- Political and Military Leaders]]
* Prior to the rise of pop culture, the best way to get people to name their 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 things like William, Richard, Robert, Henry, or Hugh, names of Continental Germanic (generally Frankish) origin that the Normans, who were originally Vikings (hence "Nor(se)man") but had adopted French ways, brought with them. Interestingly, [[UsefulNotes/HenryTheThird Henry III]] created an instance of this by naming [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst his son and heir]] (who had an illustrious if controversial reign) after the last king of the House of Wessex, [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWessex Edward the Confessor]], reviving the distinctively Anglo-Saxon name "Edward" not only for the English monarchy, but for the English people and for Europe generally (see: French "Édouard", German/Dutch "Eduard", Spanish/Portuguese "Eduardo" and "Duarte",[[note]]Thanks to the later connections between the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet House of Lancaster]] and the royal houses of Iberia--namely that the founder of the House of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, was the ancestor of the main lines of the ruling houses of Portugal and Castile. (One of the reasons UsefulNotes/HenryVIII married Catherine of Aragon was that as a member of the Castilian House of Trastámara, Catherine actually had a ''stronger'' connection to the Lancastrian claim to the English throne than Henry VII did, as she was a legitimate descendant of John of Gaunt through his second wife Constance of Castile; Henry VII's Lancastrian claim was through the legitimised bastard children of John of Gaunt's mistress-turned-wife Katherine Swinford, which children had been required to renounce their claims to the throne in exchange for legitimisation.) Descent from John of Gaunt is probably also the reason that a certain junior member of the Portuguese ruling house with an interest in maritime matters was given the name "Enrique" (i.e Henry, as in Henry the Navigator--a somewhat un-Portuguese name at the time, but one with a lot of resonance among the Plantagenets).[[/note]] and Scandinavian "Edvard").
* UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily:
** If the family has a new baby, chances are many people will name their kids after the child, as was the case with Charlotte and George.
** [[UsefulNotes/DianaPrincessOfWales Princess Diana]] died in 1997. That year and the next, her name suddenly shot up to the 409th and 396th most popular girl names in the UK, after having been outside of the Top 1000; by 1999, it had dropped off again.
** The name "Victoria" had short bursts of popularity during [[UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria the Queen]]'s succession (1837), coronation (1838), marriage (1840), Diamond Jubilee (1897), and eventually her death (1901). Since then, she has had this impact on the name in the Anglosphere more broadly; before her reign, "Victoria" was a Latin name, but thanks to her it's seen as one of the most quintessentially English names out there and has been a perennial favorite.
** In 2011, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge married Catherine "Kate" Middleton. While neither William nor Catherine's names saw any boosts (both names were perennial favorites, anyway), the spotlight put on Catherine's family caused her younger sister Philippa "Pippa" Middleton to become a socialite and writer in her own right, leading to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/pippa/top "Pippa"]] becoming a popular girl's name in the UK.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/meghan/top "Meghan"]] saw a slight bump in 2018 thanks to Creator/MeghanMarkle's marriage to Prince Harry that year.
* While it is still far from a common name, "Kamala" saw a surge in popularity after Kamala Harris was elected the first female vice president of the United States.
* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI:
** In 1918, Italian general Armando Diaz signed the Victory Address, a short document meant to inform the population of the victory against Austria. 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.
** This happened with [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/pershing/top "Pershing"]] in 1918 when the US entered the war and John J. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front.
* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII:
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/dwight/top "Dwight"]] saw two peaks in popularity as a boy's name, 1945 and 1953, and remained popular for a while after. The common denominator in both was UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander who presided over the end of the war in 1945 and was elected President of the United States in late 1952.
** During the war, lots of parents named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/macarthur/top/ "MacArthur"]] as UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur gained recognition as commander of the United States Army in the Pacific. The variant [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mcarthur/top/ "McArthur"]] proved the most popular.
** When the war broke out, lots of parents, not just in the UK but also in her dominions and in the US, named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/winston/top "Winston"]] in tribute to the UK's wartime Prime Minister UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill.
* If [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates the President of the United States]] has a name that isn't one of the old standards like "John", "Richard", "Ronald", "George", "Bill", or "Joe", it's likely that a lot of Americans will name their sons after him. After the initial spikes wear off, the continued popularity, or lack thereof, of those names also tracks closely with the popularity of those Presidents.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mckinley/top "McKinley"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley in 1896. Public sympathy after his assassination kept the name popular for some time after.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/theodore/top "Theodore",]] [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/roosevelt/top "Roosevelt",]] [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/teddy/top "Teddy",]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/ted/top "Ted"]] after UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt (who was nicknamed Teddy) ascended to the Presidency in 1901 following [=McKinley's=] assassination. As he remained popular for a while after, so did his names. "Theodore" would get a second wind in the 2010s and hit the top 10 in 2021, this time due to TR's internet-fueled reputation as a MemeticBadass and real-life ActionPolitician making the name a popular choice for parents who want some of his badassery to rub off on their sons.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/taft/top "Taft"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/WilliamHowardTaft in 1908. This one rapidly fell off as his administration proved so unpopular that he remains [[MedalOfDishonor the only President]] to place ''third'' when running for reelection.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/woodrow/top "Woodrow"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/wilson/top "Wilson"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson in 1912. While they remained popular through the decade, conservative backlash against Wilson's economic and foreign policy during TheRoaringTwenties caused them to quickly fall off.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/warren/top "Warren"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/harding/top "Harding"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/WarrenGHarding in 1920. His corruption scandals caused the names to quickly fall off, as while he was never personally touched by them, they led many Americans to see him as a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter. Not even his early death in office redeemed the names, not least because it's been long speculated that it was actually an assassination by his jilted wife, fed up with his extramarital affairs (which spilled out after his death).
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/calvin/top "Calvin"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/coolidge/top "Coolidge"]] after UsefulNotes/CalvinCoolidge ascended to the Presidency in 1923 following Harding's death. While "Coolidge" was just a blip, "Calvin" remained popular thanks to Coolidge's image as a decent, steady hand at the helm during a time of economic prosperity.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/herbert/top "Herbert"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/hoover/top "Hoover"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover in 1928. The popularity of both names collapsed as TheGreatDepression started on his watch and he took the blame for it, with "Hoover" in particular widely used as [[PersonAsVerb a prefix for things related to poverty]] (such as "Hooverville" for a shanty town).
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/franklin/top "Franklin"]] after the election of UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt in 1932, with "Roosevelt" also getting a renewed bump. This one remained popular well into TheForties as FDR led the country through the Depression and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/truman/top "Truman"]] after UsefulNotes/HarryTruman ascended to the Presidency in 1945 following FDR's death. This one fell off in popularity in TheFifties as he was dragged down by his increasingly unpopular handling of UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar.
** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy didn't do this for his first name (a perennial favorite) or his last, but his assassination in 1963 ''did'' do this for his middle name, with 125 parents naming their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/fitzgerald/top/ "Fitzgerald"]] in his honor in 1964.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/lyndon/top "Lyndon"]] after UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson ascended to the Presidency in 1963 following the assassination of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. As he was assailed for UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and the social crises of the late '60s, this one quickly collapsed in popularity.
* After UsefulNotes/BarackObama 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. Notably, this hasn't affected the popularity of Natasha, Sasha's rarely-used full first name, which has only decreased in popularity since the family came into public prominence.

[[folder:Real Life -- Miscellaneous]]
* In Brazil, two foreign celebrities led to phonetic versions that are still popular to date, Daiana/Daiane for UsefulNotes/DianaPrincessOfWales and Maicon for Music/MichaelJackson.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/paris/top/ "Paris"]] saw a huge momentary spike in popularity in 2004, and a smaller but more sustained bump in the late '00s and '10s, thanks to Creator/ParisHilton.
* Cars:
** While the German automaker Mercedes-Benz had been selling cars in the US since 1958, it was only in TheEighties when they dethroned a [[AudienceAlienatingEra malaise-era]] Cadillac as the premier luxury automaker in the minds of many Americans. Hence why [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mercedes/top "Mercedes"]] took off as a name for baby girls during that time, as the automaker gave it an aura of poshness. In a way, the name came full-circle, as Mercedes-Benz founder Emil Jellinek named the brand after his daughter[[note]]The name's original meaning is an epithet for the Virgin Mary: "Our Lady of Mercies"[[/note]].
** The same thing happened to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/portia/top "Portia",]] as the German sports car manufacturer Porsche also saw a sales boom in the US during that time. Amusingly, the names Portia and Porsche have no relation whatsoever, yet Portia remains a popular girl's name due to ''sounding'' like the car company.
** For boy's names, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/bentley/top "Bentley"]] took off in the late '00s almost as quickly as a Bentley Continental GT, the car that turned what had once been a small, exclusive British marque into a major player in luxury cars.
* The Black Power movement in the '60s and '70s upended many naming conventions for African-Americans. Before, both White and Black people named their sons and daughters using more or less the same pool of "English" given names, but afterwards, there was a surge in interest in indigenous African, Egyptian, Arabic, and even French names among Black people, who saw these names as getting them back in touch with their roots and their heritage and rejecting a legacy tied to slavery. Even after the decline of Afrocentrism by the '90s, these naming conventions stuck around.

!! In-Universe Examples:

[[folder:Advertising]]
* In [[https://youtu.be/cl0IlD4qLUM?t=95 this]] Nike ad, Wayne Rooney's success starts a trend to name babies "Wayne".

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In one very heartwarming short ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story, where a pregnant woman he just saved insisted on learning his real name to name her baby in his honor. After some thought, Peter tells her [[DeadGuyJunior it's Ben]], and she happily resolves to use it. The last page shows many other new parents, all also naming their children Ben and, presuming the woman kept her promise of keeping Spider-Man's name secret, the implication is both that Peter gets this request a lot and every time he covertly honors his Uncle Ben with it.
* Comicbook/{{Superman}} once raced a woman to a hospital just before she gave birth. Afterwards, he hoped the kid wouldn't get grief when the other kids learned what his middle initial "S." stood for.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* {{Inverted|Trope}} 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 that nopony would ever be given ''that'' name again.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Discussed in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer'' when protagonist Tris [[NobleFugitive is on the run]] and can use his real name, as the his mother's, his, and little sister Kait's names are popular among commoners because the royals themselves were popular. This is something that Tris's evil half-brother, [[TheUsurper Jared]] and his late mother never got, and another point of resentment Jared [[CainAndAbel feels for]] his younger half-brother.
* In ''Literature/TheShadowCampaigns'', it's mentioned that it's fairly common for commoners to name their children after recently born royals. Princess Raesinia takes advantage of this while going undercover as a schoolgirl revolutionary. Since there are literally hundreds of girls roughly her age named Raesinia, nobody ever considers that she might be ''that'' Raesinia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/CookieClicker'', one of the headlines says that your cookies become so popular, your bakery's name becomes the most popular baby name.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', [[spoiler:since Amy is actually a princess, many girls from her country who share her birth date are named after her (including Morgan, whose real name is Amy).]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode "Tappy Tappy Tappy Tap Tap Tap", Tina is at Josh's tap show, trying to find out who she thinks sabotaged his show. She tries to interrogate Josh's understudy, Sawyer, but whenever she tries, it turns out to be the wrong Sawyer because there are actually six boys named Sawyer. According to one Sawyer, "''Series/{{Lost}}'' was really popular when [they] were born."
[[/folder]]

* The introduction of Amber as a name after the mid-20th century has been attributed to Kathleen Windsor's sweeping historical romance ''Forever Amber''. Jewel names have long been popular, but at the time of the book's setting, Amber was considered one of the more exotic, unusual jewel names, along with such names Emerald and Topaz. By the time the book was written, however, jewel names were considered embarrassingly old-fashioned but for a few popular holdouts such as Ruby and Pearl, so the reintroduction of Amber was a double blast from the past. These days the name's popularity has nearly eclipsed the original book.

* The name "Pamela" was invented by Samuel Richardson for the book ''Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded''. This generated one of the first entertainment marketing booms, with ''Pamela'' towels, dishes, playing cards, stationery, etc. ''In 1740.''

* A few parents were inspired to name their daughters [[http://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/cortana/ "Cortana"]] after the AI from the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series, particularly after ''VideoGame/Halo3'', when it entered the baby charts. At least 100 of them exist now in the US.

* ''Series/DuckDynasty'' caused many parents to name their kids after members of the Robertson family, most notably [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/jase/top "Jase"]] after the COO of their company Duck Commander (his real name was Jason, but he normally went by his nickname), [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/sadie/top "Sadie"]] after the family's teenage daughter[[note]]Which, as noted above, already had a smaller boost in the '00s thanks to ''Series/GreysAnatomy''[[/note]], and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/silas/top "Silas"]] after Willie's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} uncle (who often went by just "Si"). Thanks to the Robertson family's devoutly religious GoodOlBoy public image, the names were especially popular with Christian parents.

* ''Series/DuckDynasty'' caused many parents to name their kids after members of the Robertson family, most notably [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/jase/top "Jase"]] after the COO of their company Duck Commander (his real name was Jason, but he normally went by his nickname), [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/sadie/top "Sadie"]] after the family's teenage daughter[[note]]Which, as noted above, already had a smaller boost in the '00s thanks to ''Series/GraysAnatomy''[[/note]], and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/silas/top "Silas"]] after Willie's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} uncle (who often went by just "Si"). Thanks to the Robertson family's devoutly religious GoodOlBoy public image, the names were especially popular with Christian parents.

* Mei has become a top 10 baby name in Japan thanks to it being the name of one of the girls in ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro''. In 2014, [[https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/12/02/haruto-mei-top-list-of-most-popular-names-in-japan/ it was the most popular girl name]].

** In the year after the release of the film, [[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/news/2017/07/27/frozen-baby-names-elsa-disney/34910491/ the popularity of the name "Elsa" went up over 240 spots in the U.S.]]
** It also [[http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a25009957/mid-year-results-babycentre-top-20-boys-and-girls-names-of-2014-emily-and-oliver-top-the-chart jumped 243 places to become the 88th most popular baby name for girls in the UK]].

* The year after ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' came out, Diego, the name of one of the main animal characters in the movie, jumped from the 140th most popular baby name in the United States to number 83.
* After ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'' came out, the name "Ariel" exponentially became more popular. Unfortunately, the name "Ursula" [[BabyNameTrendKiller suffered the reverse]].

** The surprise critical and commercial acclaim of the movie made Miles, an already popular name, jump 23 places from 98th to 75th in 2019, and continued to grow to 54th place by 2020.
** Gwen, an uncommon name, saw a big bump in popularity, jumping 82 places from 909th to 827th place in 2019.

** The name of Creator/KeanuReeves' character in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'', Duke, grew in popularity due to the success of both the actor and the film.
* The name Flynn jumped up 871 places a year after the release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''.
* Keanu Reeves' character in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOnTheRun'', Sage, caused the name to increase in popularity despite the film only having a teaser trailer released at the point. It helps that the actor who played the character is extremely popular, and the trailer [[AdoredByTheNetwork frequently showed up before many theatrical releases]] around this period.
* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'':
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/aurora/top "Aurora"]] as a baby name took a while to catch on, but it suddenly became much more popular in the 2000s notably around the time the Franchise/DisneyPrincess line was established, which gave the film a renewed burst of popularity. It leapt up even higher after ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' was released.
** "Meriweather" was known as a boys' name before the movie (with Merry being a common nickname for it), but it's now associated with girls after the good fairy.

* By 1935, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/shirley/top/united-states over 40 thousand babies]] were named Shirley by mothers either in honour of Creator/ShirleyTemple or in hopes that their daughter would be just as much of a box office superstar as their namesake.

* "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. (It derives from an old English/Welsh name that either means "Matthew's son" or "Maude's son", so that makes sense.) Then after the film's mermaid picked up the name, it exploded in popularity as a girl's name, reaching [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/madison/top the top ten in girls' names]] in the United States in 1997, staying there over a decade and a half, and even reaching second in 2001 and '02, 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 (Madison Avenue in New York City); Creator/TomHanks' character's immediate reaction is, "That's not a [feminine first] name!"
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/damien/top "Damien"]] saw a brief but gigantic spike in popularity after ''Film/TheOmen1976'' came out thanks to that film's iconic villain, TheAntiChrist Damien Thorn. Ironically, the name was originally associated with a ''saint'', but the film used it as a LouisCypher name due to how similar it sounded to the word "demon", and thus made it sound badass. It rose again in popularity in the 2000s, particularly a brief one-day spike among boys born on [[NumberOfTheBeast June 6, 2006]] -- which, not coincidentally, was [[MeaningfulReleaseDate also the release date]] of [[Film/TheOmen2006 the remake]].

* While the name Kevin had become quite popular for German boys in the '80s, 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. Unfortunately, as noted on the BabyNameTrendKiller page, [[GhettoName stereotypes]] concerning this and other "American" names later killed it stone-dead in the '00s.
* The ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' fueled many parents to [[https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/marvel-characters-baby-name-most-popular-2017/ name their children after characters]], among others "Valkyrie", "Quill", "Rocket", and "ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}". Even more so, in 2017, 50 children were given the name "Marvel".
* ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'' caused many parents to name their baby daughters Allison after one of the main characters in the film, becoming a top ten girl's name for most of the '90s.

* ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'' seems to have done this with [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/dylan/top Dylan]] as a girl's name, even as various real-life tragedies (noted on the BabyNameTrendKiller page) took off its shine as a boy's name. Before that film came out, it was an almost entirely masculine name, one that went with her {{tomboy}} demeanor.

* As detailed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LMr5XTgeyI here]], ''Film/BreakfastAtTiffanys'' is singlehandedly responsible for the explosive spread of Tiffany as a name in the '70s and '80s. Amusingly enough, [[IAmNotShazam the main character's name is actually "Holly", and the title refers to the jewelry store]] ("Tiffany" was the ''surname'' of the family who started the jewelry store).
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/samara/top/ "Samara"]] spiked in popularity in the mid-'00s after the release of the [[ForeignRemake American remake]] of ''Literature/TheRing''. This one is especially notable because the original Japanese version of the film, ''Ringu'', destroyed the popularity of "Sadako", its name for the StringyHairedGhostGirl villain.
* "Luke" may be a Biblical name, but it skyrocketed in popularity following the release of ''Film/CoolHandLuke'' in 1967. Amusingly: it got even ''more'' popular a decade later following the release of [[Film/ANewHope the original]] ''Franchise/StarWars'', likely thanks to Luke Skywalker.
* The popularity of ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' in TheNineties caused a lot of parents to name their newborn sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/dante/top "Dante"]] after the film's protagonist Dante Hicks. While it wasn't a box-office hit, it became extremely well-traveled on home video in the latter half of the decade, which was when the name really took off.

* The names "Isabella", "Edward", and "Jacob" were popular before ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'' was published. Still, they saw a significant boost, as did the invented name "Renesmee", given to 55 baby girls in the US in 2010.
* 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 names Luna and Lily. The names Ron(ald) and Harry have long been perennial standards but likewise experienced a significant spike attributed to the series.

* 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. At the time, it was nothing more than an 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 on the US popular name list since 1969.

* 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.
** This becomes a plot point in one of the Franchise/DoctorWho tie-in novels, where the Doctor recognises a character as a secret time-traveller because she's trying to blend in in Ancient Rome with the name Vanessa, when of course it didn't exist then.

* ''Literature/TheFaultInOurStars'' made Hazel jump to the top 100 baby names two years after its release.
* The success of ''Literature/PippiLongstocking'' outside its native Sweden popularized the name "Annika" in many other countries.
* 'Ayla' is a Turkish and Scottish feminine name (in the latter case it's a variant on Aila or Isla), which became a lot more popular in Western countries from the 1980s onwards following the success of the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series.

* Many red-nosed pets, especially dogs, are named after the title character of ''Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer''.
* For a long time, Tatiana was considered a vulgar, peasant name in Russia. Then along came ''Literature/EugeneOnegin'', and the name’s popularity skyrocketed among all the social classes.
* The novel ''Literature/PeytonPlace'' led to a surge in girls named Alison.
* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' did this for [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/jace/top/united-states "Jace",]] a short form of "Jason", which started skyrocketing in the late '00s, jumped into the top 100 boy's names by 2012, and overtook the name it was derived from the following year.
* The name Eric (and its variants) had been pretty much unknown in Britain following the end of the Danelaw. In 1858, a novel titled ''Literature/EricOrLittleByLittle'' was published. Although largely forgotten today, this was one of the most popular children's novels of the era and created a vogue for the name Eric that lasted until UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, when it fell out favour due its Germanic connotations.
* Before it was a name, "Mavis" was an outdated word for a thrush, until Creator/MarieCorelli used it in ''Literature/TheSorrowsOfSatan'' for the character Mavis Clare. As a result, real people started naming their daughters Mavis, and the name was quite popular in the first half of the twentieth century.
* Heidi is a rare name in English-speaking countries. Without the influence of ''Literature/{{Heidi}}'', it probably wouldn't be a name at all.
* [[https://www.thebump.com/b/katniss-baby-name "Katniss"]] was unheard of as a given name before the release of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', which led a number of parents to give their daughters the name in the early 2010s. It enjoyed another boost in 2020 with the release of the prequel novel ''Literature/TheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes''.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The names Dylan and Brandon experienced a surge in popularity during the run of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.

** Samantha was a fairly uncommon name in the U.S. before the series.
** The series also popularized the name "Tabitha" after the child witch on the show had that name. After the '80s, however, the popularity of the name started to decline.
* The Brazilian SoapOpera ''Escrava Isaura'' was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff extremely popular in Poland]], and caused a number of young girls to be named Isaura.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The name "Amelia" 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/ BBC America speculated]] that the character Amelia Jessica "Amy" Pond was responsible.
* ''Series/Dynasty1981'': The names Crystal[[note]]in a variety of invented spellings, like the show's own "Krystle"[[/note]], Alexis, Fallon, and Dominique became popular for girls born in the 80s thanks to the show's resident {{Rich Bitch}}es. Granted, "Dominique" was a pre-existing French name[[note]]A unisex name, at that--some of the most famous Dominiques living today are probably men (being Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a French Minister of Finance in the 90's with his eyes on the presidency until a sex scandal caught up with him, and NBA legend Dominique Wilkins.[[/note]], but its popularity in the US grew tenfold thanks to the show.
* 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" becoming 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" (or "Aria") and "Khaleesi". The latter is a title for Daenerys Targaryen, not a proper name in the series itself; "Daenerys" itself hasn't nearly become as popular[[note]]Unfortunately, the popularity of "Khaleesi" [[BabyNameTrendKiller took a major hit]] after the show's controversial final season...[[/note]].
* ''Series/{{Survivor}}: The Australian Outback'' contestant Colby Donaldson inspired people to name their kids Colby following his season, as explained by Jeff Probst when Colby made his return in the ''All-Stars'' season.

* After it was used as the name of ''Series/MurphyBrown'''s mother, many people named their baby girls Avery. Like Madison, the name had only been used for boys prior to the show's premiere and soon became one of the most popular names for girls. As of 2018, it's in the top 15.
* After it was used as the name of one of the doctors in ''Series/{{ER}}'', Carter became a popular name for boys.
* Grayson became a popular name after it was used as the name of Jules' husband in ''Series/CougarTown''. The year after the show's premiere, it jumped up 50 places on the popular baby names chart and is now in the top 10.
* ''Series/ModernFamily'': The pet dog Stella caused many people to give their daughters and pets the same name.
* "Nellie" rose from 668 to 307 due to a variant "Nelly" being borne by the daughter of Billie Faiers of ''Series/TheOnlyWayIsEssex''.
* The {{telenovela}} ''Series/{{Marimar}}'' is popular in the Philippines. As a result, "Marimar" is a common name for female dogs.
* Audrey jumped up 20 spots on the baby name chart in 2006 after it was used as the name of the mom in ''Series/DrakeAndJosh''.
* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' made Ezekiel gain popularity again after lingering in obscurity for many years. In 2018, it made the top 100 baby names.
* The popularity of ''Series/{{thirtysomething}}'' made the name Ethan jump almost 200 places to the top 100 baby names after it was used as one of the names of the children in the show. It also had an impact on the name Brittany, which made the top 10 girl's names list the year after its' premiere.
* A combination of ''Series/AgentsOfShield'' and the 2012 version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2012}}'' having characters nicknamed Leo caused the name to jump up 30 places in 2013.
* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' caused the previously unknown name Sadie to jump into the top 100 baby names the year after the show's premiere.
* The name Ruth increased in popularity [[https://www.babycenter.com/baby-name-trends after a contestant on]] ''Series/TheBachelor'' gave her daughter the name.
* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' had this impact on [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/finn/top "Finn"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/quinn/top "Quinn"]], the names of two of the main characters on that show. Notably, Quinn was known mainly, though not exclusively, as a boy's name before it was given to cheerleader Quinn Fabray, after which it skyrocketed in popularity as a girl's name and eventually entered the top 100 for such.
* "Malcolm" saw a brief rise in popularity thanks to the success of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', though it trailed off after the series concluded.
* In the short term, ''Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians'' gave a brief spike to the names [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kourtney/top "Kourtney"]] and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/khloe/top "Khloe"]] in the early '10s. To a lesser extent, it also happened to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/chloe/top "Chloe",]] who Khloé Kardashian's first name is a variation of, though that name had been rising in popularity for a while by that point.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In 2013, the name [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/Castiel/top "Castiel"]] appeared in the top 1,000 baby names in the United States. [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/Dean/top "Dean"]] also rose in popularity around the same time after declining for several decades.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': The show's main characters became a seminal influence on baby names in the '90s and early '00s when it was at the height of its popularity.
** [[https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-rachel-3741.htm "Rachel"]] was already a popular name before the show's success, but afterwards, it saw a surge in popularity that briefly made it one of the top 10 girl's names in 1996.
** The name of her baby, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/emma/top Emma,]] also boomed in popularity, to the point where it's currently one of the top 10 names for baby girls, helped along by various other entries on this list.
** This also happened to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/phoebe/top "Phoebe"]] for the same reason.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/chandler/top "Chandler"]] was a fairly uncommon first name before the show's premiere in 1994, but the following year saw it rapidly spike into the top 200 boy's names, where it would remain through 2000.
** [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/ross/top "Ross"]] had already peaked as a boy's name in TheEighties and fallen off since, but the show's premiere caused a small boomlet in the mid-'90s.
* While the name "Peyton" existed prior to ''Series/OneTreeHill'' (especially with the popularity of ''Film/PeytonPlace''), its popularity saw a resurgence since the show's 2003 debut.
* This happened with [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/river/top "River"]] in the 2010s thanks to two shows, ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' and ''Series/DoctorWho'', that had ActionGirl characters by that name. While ''Firefly'' had only a brief run and lousy ratings in 2002 due to it getting ScrewedByTheNetwork, it [[VindicatedByHistory built its cult fandom]] in the ensuing years, especially after its creator Creator/JossWhedon enjoyed a CareerResurrection in the early '10s. One of the show's characters, the LittleMissBadass River Tam, became especially iconic. Around that time, ''Doctor Who'' also introduced a popular character named River Song, a LadyOfAdventure envisioned as a DistaffCounterpart to the Doctor. Amidst the mainstream explosion of geek culture during that time, the name River came to be seen as one you'd give to a girl who could kick ass and not put up with jerks. The funny thing? The boost was as both a girl's name ''and'' a boy's name. As noted below under Real Life, the name had already gotten some attention after the death of the male actor Creator/RiverPhoenix in 1993, and it still had those associations twenty years later.

* The reality show ''Series/DuckDynasty'' caused many parents to name their kids after members of the Robertson family, most notably [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/jase/top "Jase"]] after the COO of their company Duck Commander (his real name was Jason, but he normally went by his nickname), [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/sadie/top "Sadie"]] after the family's teenage daughter, and [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/silas/top "Silas"]] after Willie's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} uncle (who often went by just "Si"). Thanks to the Robertson family's devoutly religious GoodOlBoy public image, the names were especially popular with Christian parents.

* Greco-Roman mythology has also been a centuries-long source of baby names, with Jason and Diana being the most common in the modern Anglosphere, though Cassandra, Hector, Orion, Selene, Troy, and Venus are fairly popular as well.

* ''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, with a particularly big spike in babies named Zelda after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' released. Creator/RobinWilliams' daughter Creator/ZeldaWilliams is a famous example of someone named after the character. For the record, the character herself was named after a famous person, Zelda Fitzgerald.
* In English-speaking countries, the name Laura spiked in the late 1970s/early 1980s, died down, but popped up again briefly as "Lara" around the beginning of the 2000s in a resurgence attributed to the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' franchise. Oddly, it doesn't seem that many gamers directly named their daughters ''after'' the character, but that the game's popularity simply caused the name's visibility to increase enough that non-gamers became more aware of it.

* A few parents were inspired to name their daughters [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Cortana]], particularly after ''VideoGame/Halo3'', when it entered the baby charts - [[http://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/cortana/ and at least 100 of them exist now in the US]]!
* [[http://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/raiden/ Raiden]] has apparently taken off as a name in the US after ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' (which also led to parents naming their daughters [[http://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/kitana/ Kitana]] and [[http://www.nancy.cc/baby-name/mileena/ Mileena]]) and ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.

* 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 2000s and was not in the top 1000 baby names for that decade as a result, began a slow rise in popularity once one of the show's dogs had that name, returning to the top 1,000 in 2014.
** In Japan, Kento, which was the dub name of Ryder, became a popular boys' name after the show's Japanese premiere.
* 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 50 and the latter name breaking the top 15.
* The name "Wyatt" rose in popularity after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/SuperWhy'' due to the titular protagonist having that name in his non-superhero form (albeit spelled "Whyatt").
* The popularity of ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' caused the name of its protagonist to rise 50 places the year after it premiered.
* Before the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/BubbleGuppies'', Gil was a very obscure name. In 2012, the name hit the top 3,000 baby names in the United States thanks to the show's popularity.

* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mabel/top "Mabel"]] jumped 300 places after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''. Its popularity outlasted the show; in the UK, it reentered the top 100 girl's names in 2019 and has continued its ascent since. Ironically, the joke with Mabel was that Creator/AlexHirsch deliberately wanted to give her a name that was ''very'' [[OutdatedName old-fashioned and a bit uncool]], its previous peak of popularity having been in the late 19th century. Pacifica Northwest even lampshaded this in their first meeting, calling it "a fat old lady's name."

* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/carson/top/ "Carson"]] has two fathers for its popularity. First, the retirement of Creator/JohnnyCarson from hosting ''Series/TheTonightShow'' in 1992 caused many mothers to name their sons (and even a few daughters) Carson in his honor, with the name having a steady increase in popularity ever since. The biggest surge, however, came in the late '90s and early '00s when Creator/CarsonDaly started hosting the Creator/{{MTV}} music video countdown show ''Total Request Live''. It saw another, smaller spike in 2006, the year after Johnny Carson's death, when it permanently entered the top 100 after hanging around just outside it for a few years before that.
* In 1992, Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, better known [[OnlyOneName mononymously]] as simply Kennedy, started hosting ''Alternative Nation'' on Creator/{{MTV}}. By the time the show ended in 1997, [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/kennedy/top/ "Kennedy"]] went from almost unheard of as a first name (and a boy's name when it was used) to one of the 200 most popular girl's names in the US. Since 2011, it's been in the top 100.

* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mabel/top "Mabel"]] jumped 300 places after the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''. Its popularity outlasted the show; in the UK, it reentered the top 100 girl's names in 2019 and has continued its ascent since. Ironically, the joke with Mabel was that Creator/AlexHirsch deliberately wanted to give her a name that was ''very'' old-fashioned and a bit uncool, its previous peak of popularity having been in the late 19th century. Pacifica Northwest even lampshaded this in their first meeting, calling it "a fat old lady's name".

* If UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily has a new baby, chances are many people will name their kids after the child, as was the case with Charlotte and George.

* The name "Victoria" had short bursts of popularity during [[UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria the Queen]]'s succession (1837), coronation (1838), marriage (1840), Diamond Jubilee (1897), and eventually her death (1901). Since then, she has had this impact on the name in the Anglosphere more broadly; before her reign, "Victoria" was a Latin name, but thanks to her it's seen as one of the most quintessentially English names out there and has been a perennial favorite.
* In 2011, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge married Catherine "Kate" Middleton. While neither William nor Catherine's names saw any boosts (both names were perennial favorites, anyway), the spotlight put on Catherine's family caused her younger sister Philippa "Pippa" Middleton to become a socialite and writer in her own right, leading to [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/pippa/top "Pippa"]] becoming a popular girl's name in the UK.
* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/meghan/top "Meghan"]] saw a slight bump in 2018 thanks to Creator/MeghanMarkle's marriage to Prince Harry that year.

* 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.

* [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/dwight/top "Dwight"]] saw two peaks in popularity as a boy's name, 1945 and 1953, and remained popular for a while after. The common denominator in both was UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander who presided over the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in 1945 and was elected President of the United States in late 1952.

* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, lots of parents named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/macarthur/top/ "MacArthur"]] as UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur gained recognition as commander of the United States Army in the Pacific. The variant [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mcarthur/top/ "McArthur"]] proved the most popular.
* The same happened with [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/pershing/top "Pershing"]] in 1918 when the US entered UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and John J. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front.
* When World War II broke out, lots of parents, not just in the UK but also in her dominions and in the US, named their sons [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/winston/top "Winston"]] in tribute to the UK's wartime Prime Minister UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill.