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Here's How Parents Who Named Their Daughters 'Khaleesi' Feel About The Name Now

Updated September 2, 2021

This article contains spoilers about the most recent Game of Thrones episode.

In the most recent episode of Game of Thrones, Daenerys, the supposed true Queen of Westeros, descended into madness and killed thousands of innocent people in the battle of King's Landing.

This character development has shocked many, especially since she was once one of the most admired characters.

So much so, that many parents named their daughters after her. So how do they feel about that name now? Let's take a look.

The names "Khaleesi" and "Daenerys" have been on the rise since "Game of Thrones" premiered in 2011.

According to the United States’ Social Security Administration, 560 babies were named Khaleesi and 163 were named Daenerys last year.

Daenerys is the birth name of character portrayed by Emilia Clarke on the show, while Khaleesi is the Dothraki term for 'Queen' (and one of Daenerys' many titles).

IMDb

Daenerys was portrayed in the series as a revolutionary and the true queen who would rule fairly and with love.

However, the most recent episode saw her character transform into the very thing she said she would never become.

For most of the last episode, titled "The Bells", Daenerys destroyed King's Landing and in the process, killed thousands of innocent people.

The episode drew sharp criticism from fans who were blindsided by the character's sudden shift in motivations.

Of course, along with citicism, the memes also started coming.

Daenerys was once a character to admire, which made it easy to see why so many people wanted to name their children after her.

But now do these parents find themselves reconsidering the name?

A lot of moms were shocked and disappointed with the character's turn.

“It was kind of disappointing that her power trip took over. That was not cool,” Jasmine Estrada, a mom to a six-year-old named Khalessi (her own spelling of the name, but pronounced the same way as it is on the show), told The Daily Beast.

Other moms stood by the name, even after the most recent episode.

"Even after last night’s episode, I’m still rooting for her. I don’t think she did anything wrong. I think she did what she had to do," said Katherine Acosta, the mom of a one-year-old named Khaleesi, in an interview with The Cut.

Some still feel the name represents strength and confidence.

"The name is unique and I also wanted her to be like Khaleesi," said Shay, a mom to a daughter named Khaleesi, in an interview with Buzzfeed News. "Strong woman and rock her world [sic] and everyone obeying her."

There's still one episode to go until we truly find out Daenerys' fate.

Maybe she will turn it around after all. Either way, these babies were named after one of fiction's most notable female characters, for better or worse.

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