Star Wars villain Kylo Ren becomes fastest-rising baby name in the US
The character played by Adam Driver was the central villain in 2015 film The Force Awakens
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Considering Star Wars is one of the world’s biggest cultural phenomenons, it’s no surprise to learn the long-running franchise provides inspiration to parents on the hunt for baby names. That those parents would opt to name their newborn after a villain – and (spoiler) murderer of one of the series’ best-loved characters – comes as more of a surprise. But sure enough, Kylo is the fastest-growing boy’s name in the US.
The Social Security Administration has released its annual list and jumping 2,368 spots to 901 is Kylo, the character played by Adam Driver. It ended at 3,269 in 2015.
This comes as no surprise to BabynameWizard.com founder Laura Wattenberg who, the Associated Press reports, states that the names of villains are these days more likely to inspire parents than on-screen heroes.
The category’s popular culture-inspired runners up include Creed, Adonis (from Rocky sequel Creed) and Zayn, presumably after former One Direction singer Zayn Malik who is now enjoying a solo career in his own right.
As for the girls, the fastest-growing name was Kehlani with experts believing this to be due to the American singer-songwriter.
Kylo may see an even bigger rise following Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, in which Driver will appear this December.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments