While this does not seem very high on the list, the administration noted that 218 babies were named Anakin in 2014.
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However, Anakin likely became more of a household name thanks in large part to the prequel trilogy, which largely explores how Darth Vader came to be.
In a detail we at first missed while reviewing the just-released list of 2014’s most popular baby names last month, Entertainment Weekly points out that “Anakin” made the top 1,000 names for boys.
Skywalker didn’t make it into the top 1,000 names-but Luke ranked as the 28th most popular boys” name (there were 10,431 of “em, according to the SSA) and Lucas was No. 19 (12,078 Lucases were born in 2014).
While the name first began gaining attraction in the late 90s, as Lucasfilm revealed more of the prequel trilogy, it’s insane to see how American culture has embraced Star Wars. On the girls side, 368 baby girls were named after Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi, putting the name at No. 755 on the girl list. Now that I think of it, those do have a nice ring to them. “There is something mythic or heroic about this name that inspires people, even if the name is attached to a dark character”, she says.
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The name “Anakin” has to be inspired by Star Wars since there really is no English equivalent name, notes Yahoo Movies. “These characters are superhuman, and that’s something parents feel they can hitch their child’s identity to”. Have an interesting story to share about your family?
