Arya was derived from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "Aryan" or "noble." It is a masculine given name in Iran, Indonesia, Bali, and Sanskrit-speaking regions of India. In Hindu- and English-speaking parts of the world, Arya is more often a feminine name, the latter influenced by the similar Italian name Aria, meaning "air" or "song."
 
The prime impetus of Arya's rise is the fiercely independent young character Arya Stark in the TV series Game of Thrones, based on the George R. R. Martin books A Song of Fire and Ice. Another influence is the Elven princess in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle trilogy, basis of the movie Eragon. 
 
The name resembles the musical Aria and the male Aryan, both also growing in popularity in the US. Arya entered the popularity charts in 2010.

Arya

A little heavy on the fiber content; we prefer Bram. But Bran is also the Celtic god of the underworld, whose symbol is the raven. It's probably not a coincidence that George R.R. Martin chose this name for the Stark heir who assumes the mystical title of "Three-Eyed Raven" in his A Song Of Ice And Fire books and HBO's Game of Thrones. The character's full name is Brandon.

Bran

Brienne

Bronn

This spelling of Caitlin is closely associated with Game of Thrones matriarch Catelyn Stark, whose name is pronounced CAT-lin on the show.

Catelyn

Cersei

Daenerys is yet another girls' name invented by "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin that is beginning to gain some traction in real life. Daenerys was used for 67 baby girls in 2013 while one of the character's titles, Khaleesi, was given to 241 baby girls. And the name Arya, also from the hyper-popular series, is one of the fastest growing <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a> in the country.

Daenerys

Daario

Davos

Though the most famous Elia, screenwriter Kazan, was male, this name sounds like a spin on many popular girls' names, from Ella to Ellie to Isla and Leah. While the Italian pronunciation has the middle syllable as LEE, making it closer to the original Elijah would give the middle syllable a long I sound -- eh-LYE-ah.

Elia

Ellaria

Gilly is a name that's popped up from time to time in different contexts: As a nickname for Gillian, for instance, and as the name of a town in Switzerland. But it's increasingly associated with Hannah Murray's character Gilly in HBO's Game of Thrones, whom Sam Tarly rescued from Craster's Keep. Despite her rough Wildling origins, Gilly has become one of the more charming, approachable characters on the show, and her name is just familiar enough that we can see it finding mainstream popularity. Spelled Gili, it's a unisex Hebrew name meaning "joy."

Gilly

The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if slightly somber—choice, especially in the middle. Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney named their son Leo Grey. 
 A common surname, Grey/Gray is still an unusual first name choice (it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013), while longer forms Grayson and Greyson are climbing rapidly. Grey is a color associated with the sign of Virgo, so Grey, Gray, and Grayson are perfect <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/zodiac-baby-names-ideas-for-your-virgo-babe">names for Virgo babies</a>.
 The best known bearer of the name, former Governor Gray Davis of California, was born Joseph Graham Davis, Jr, and others with Grey/Gray names include Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, and Grayer, the child in The Nanny Diaries.
 It's worth noting the connection to Christian Grey, of E. L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey. Do with that what you will.

Grey

Hodor

A Hispanic classic that has lost some momentum in recent years. It could be misunderstood by some as Jamie -- which is how it's pronounced on Game of Thrones.

Jaime

Jorah, a Biblical name with a lovely nature-related meaning, might make a fresher alternative to the overused Jordan. It's similar to the feminine Nora, Cora, and Laura, but depending on your viewpoint, that may be an advantage. Jorah Mormont, often called Jorah the Andal, is a major character in HBO's Game of Thrones, marked by his loyalty to the woman he considers the rightful Queen of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen.

Jorah

Jojen

Lancel

Lyanna

Of all the Game of Thrones creations this is surely the most delicate and the most wearable. Margaery, (pronounced like the Scottish name Marjorie) is a beautiful, powerful and intelligent character who becomes queen.

Margaery

Meera Bai, also spelled Mirabai, was a great female Hindu mystical poet whose works are popular throughout India. She was a fifteenth-sixteenth century Indian princess who devoted her life to writing paeans of devotion to the god Krishna.
The story of Meera was the basis of an eponymous Indian historical drama television series in 2009. It's also gotten a boost from HBO's Game of Thrones, in which Meera Reed is a tough, wise character who cares for the disabled seer Bran Stark once he flees Winterfell.
 Meera is a shimmeringly lovely name.

Meera

The romantic fairy tale-like name has come to modern attention via the beautiful but terrifying sorceress in Game of Thrones. The character may look as lovely as her name sounds, but it's hard to imagine a parent familiar with the book wanting to use the name for their child. Two alternate directions: Millicent or Melisande.

Melisandre

Myranda

One of the many faux-Medieval names invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones. Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of Cersei Lannister and (secretly) her brother Jaime. Their younger brother Tyrion sends her to Dorne to be married to the Dornish prince Trystane Martell to seal an alliance between the two houses.

Myrcella

Missandei

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance.
 Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben Johnson character in 1614, and it is also the name of the protagonist in James Fenimore Cooper's Ned Myers. In Australia, Ned Kelly is famous as a larger-than-life legendary outlaw figure. In this country, Ned Rorem is a respected modern composer.
 There was a 1990s sitcom called Ned and Stacey, and other Neds have appeared in The Simpsons (neighbor Flanders), Groundhog Day and School of Rock. Ned Stark is a prominent, and unusually heroic, character in Game of Thrones, giving the name some new cultural cache, though we can't recommend using his proper name, Eddard.

Oberyn

Osha

Petyr

Podrick

A surname occasionally used as a first, as in former attorney general Ramsey Clark. This spelling is now closely associated with the psychopathic Game of Thrones villain Ramsay Snow (later Ramsay Bolton), and so is probably best avoided as long as the show and books are popular.

Ramsay

The version of Rob used in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books and HBO's Game of Thrones.

Robb

Renley

Rhaegar

Rickon

Sam has long been used on its own for boys, as accepted standing by itself as it is as a short form of Samuel. Straightforward and down-to-earth, Sam is the name of the son of the co-stars of The Americans, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

Sam is one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/baby-names-starting-with/s">names that start with S</a> in the Western world, ranking higher in several European countries than it does in the US, where it's trended downward since the 19th century, though it's always been in the Top 1000.

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is a master namer, and this unusual choice from India is beginning to be heard in nurseries as well as on television. Sansa was perhaps slower to catch on than other names such as Arya and Khaleesi as Sansa Stark was in the first seasons of the show a weak and compromised character. 

But she's developed a good measure of backbone and integrity, which makes her lovely name a more attractive possibility. In 2023, 20 baby girls in the US were named Sansa, the same number as received the name in 2015.

Sansa

The third-most-popular spelling of this name, after Shea and Shay, is notable mostly for its connection to Game of Thrones. Shae is a "camp follower" -- AKA prostitute -- who becomes the loyal mistress to Tyrion Lannister while he is serving as Hand of the King.

Shae

Shireen

Talisa is a recent addition to the Tali family, brought to light by actress Talisa Soto. It got a further boost from Talisa of Volantis, a small but crucial character in HBO's Game of Thrones. Played by stunningly beautiful Charlie Chaplin descendant Oona Chaplin, Talisa because Talisa Stark when she married Lord Robb Stark, paving the way for a famously wrenching sequence at the end of season 3.

Talisa

Theon, an ancient name attached to a noted Greek teacher of mathematics and astronomy, also father to the first woman mathematician, might appeal to parents in this field. You can think of Theon as Theo with something a little extra. Theon is also the name of a major character in Game of Thrones -- albeit a rather notorious character, Theon Greyjoy, who is known as Reek after undergoing months of brutal torture at the hands of sadist Ramsay Snow.

Theon

Tyrion is one of the many new names entering the lexicon thanks to George R. R. Martin, author of the Game of Thrones book.  Tyrion's name shares its first two letters with those of his father Tywin and his grandfather Tytos.  The Tyrion Lannister character, a dwarf, is played by award-winning actor Peter Dinklage.  Martin has said he saw the Tyrion character as being both the ugliest and the most intelligent person in the world, a mixed legacy for any child.

Tyrion

Tommen

Tristayne

Tywin

The multicultural Yara is also the name of a beautiful green-skinned Brazilian goddess and might make a more unusual spin on Mara or Sara. Yara Greyjoy is the name of a strong female character in HBO's Game of Thrones, sister to the troubled Theon. In George R.R. Martin's books, this same character is named Asha; the show's producers changed it to avoid confusion with similar-sounding Osha.

Yara

Ygritte

JasmineMiller's list ""Game of Thrones" Names" of 47 great name ideas: Arya - Ygritte!

"Game of Thrones" Names

Heres the list with the best, most amazing and known names from "Game of Thrones", great for any parent GOT fan!