If you're at the age where your friends or siblings are having kids, you probably know at least one couple who gave their kid a head-scratching name. And if recent data is to be believed, the likelihood that a friend's kid will be named after a character from Star Wars is skyrocketing right now.
According to data released by the Social Security Administration, Kylo was the fastest-rising boy name in America in 2016, just one year after Star Wars: The Force Awakens became a hit at the box office and reintroduced Star Wars to a new generation of fans. Adam Driver's performance as Kylo Ren must have been really inspirational to fans of the series, because Kylo is now one of the top 1,000 boys names in the Social Security database, a leap of over 2,300 spots from the year before.
This is the second consecutive year in which a Star Wars character saw their name rise into the top 1,000 names. Anakin, the name of the boy who would eventually grow into Darth Vader, was No. 957 on the popularity list for boys in 2015.
Pop culture tends to have a heavy impact on what parents choose to name their kids, but it doesn't always provoke growth. Variations of the name Caitlin dropped more than any other name in 2016—that traditional version alone fell 542 spots—and people who follow name trends claim it was in part due to association with Caitlyn Jenner.
"It was inevitable, Caitlyn was already falling in popularity," says Laura Wattenberg, who runs a site that tracks change each year. "Now it is suddenly controversial."
The top overall names for boys and girls last year were Noah and Emma, respectively.
It's one thing to help your kid stand out from a pack of people named Mike and Mary, but some parents go a little far to give their kid a unique moniker. But hey, I'm sure your kids won't be that annoyed in 15 years when they have to answer, "Yes, like that Kylo" for the 575th time. Look on the bright side, little Kylo—at least they didn't name you Chewbacca.
