Americans love playing video games. According to the “2022 Essential Facts about the Video Gaming Industry” published by the Entertainment Software Association, 66% of Americans – more than 215 million people – are regular gamers. The average age is 33, and players are fairly equally split between men (52%) and women (48%).
Given the average age of gamers (probably married and starting a family) and the fact that both sexes participate, it shouldn’t be surprising that players sometimes choose baby names in honor of characters in their favorite games. (Other forms of entertainment inspire naming, too. These, for instance, are the most popular names inspired by popular music.)
To compile a list of the most popular names in the U.S. inspired by video games, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a report published by Confused.com, an insurance comparison company that sometimes analyzes data around various lifestyle and entertainment topics. The number of babies born with each name in 2021 and 2011 was sourced using the Social Security Administration’s baby names data for those years.
Some of the names aren’t as unusual as you might think, and in fact might not actually be inspired by games at all. For example, Nate may be a character in “Uncharted,”but Nate – often short for Nathan – is a common male name anyway. And while the longevity and continuing popularity of the Super Mario games may have encouraged some parents to name their offspring Mario or Luigi, those are also names frequently given in Italian or Italian-American households independent of gaming. (Super Mario variations count among the best-selling Nintendo games of all time.)
Zelda, on the other hand, may be a classic female sobriquet from earlier times, but its current popularity quite possibly has to do with “The Legend of Zelda.” The same is true of re-spellings of otherwise popular names like “Alyx” and “Jak” – from “Half-Life 2” and “Jak and Daxter,” respectively.
Click here to see the most popular baby names inspired by video games
The most popular name, however, was Sora. In 2011, more than 8,000 boys were tagged with the name from “Kingdom of Hearts.”
10. Alyx
> Girls named Alyx in 2021: 22 (rank: 5,533 out of 17,543 female names)
> Girls named Alyx in 2011: 30 (rank: 4,680 out of 19,573 female names)
> Known from: Half-Life 2
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9. Jak
> Boys named Jak in 2021: 31 (rank: 3,554 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Jak in 2011: 17 (rank: 5,194 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Jak and Daxter
8. Luigi
> Boys named Luigi in 2021: 32 (rank: 3,468 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Luigi in 2011: 36 (rank: 3,111 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Super Mario
7. Sora
> Boys named Sora in 2021: 51 (rank: 2,539 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Sora in 2011: 08 (rank: 8,762 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Kingdom Hearts
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6. Ryu
> Boys named Ryu in 2021: 77 (rank: 1,934 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Ryu in 2011: 73 (rank: 1,902 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Street Fighter
5. Nate
> Boys named Nate in 2021: 99 (rank: 1,657 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Nate in 2011: 132 (rank: 1,296 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Uncharted
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4. Link
> Boys named Link in 2021: 155 (rank: 1,227 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Link in 2011: 36 (rank: 3,111 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: The Legend Of Zelda
3. Zelda
> Girls named Zelda in 2021: 490 (rank: 604 out of 17,543 female names)
> Girls named Zelda in 2011: 81 (rank: 2,294 out of 19,573 female names)
> Known from: The Legend of Zelda
2. Raiden
> Boys named Raiden in 2021: 835 (rank: 383 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Raiden in 2011: 475 (rank: 536 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Metal Gear/Mortal Combat
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1. Mario
> Boys named Mario in 2021: 929 (rank: 348 out of 13,993 male names)
> Boys named Mario in 2011: 1,597 (rank: 224 out of 14,346 male names)
> Known from: Super Mario
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