Kit Harington was 11 years old before he learned his real name

Kit Harington shot to fame playing Jon Snow on Game of Thrones. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few Song of Ice and Fire devotees have since had sons and named them “Kit.” Why not? It’s a solid name: short, sweet, memorable but not weird.

It’s also not Kit Harington’s real name, which came as a shock to him when he learned it in grade school. Kit’s actual, full name is Christopher Catesby Harington.

“I actually didn’t know my name until I was 11 years old. I found out at school,” Harington told Candis Magazine. “You know how you have to fill out those exam form things to find out how clever you are? Well, there was the space for my name and I put down Kit Harington, because that’s what my parents had called me from day one, and the guy came up to me and said, ‘No, your name’s Christopher.'”

When Kit Harington learned that his real name is “Christopher”

That was new information for young Kit, who wasn’t about to change his identity because some teacher told him to. “I was like, ‘I think I know,’ and they all went, ‘No, no, no, it’s Christopher!'” he continued.

"And that’s how I found out! I love the name now – it’s certainly served me well."

I suppose “Christopher Harington” works too.

I actually don’t know if anyone is naming their kid “Kit” because of Kit Harington. However, we do have data on people who named their children after Game of Thrones characters. In 2018, a year before the final season, over 4,500 people took that plunge. Easily the most popular Game of Thrones baby name was “Arya,” although “Yara,” “Lyanna” and “Khaleesi” were also quite popular.

I’m betting the number of people naming their kids after Game of Thrones has since gone down, but with the prequel show House of the Dragon now on the air, maybe we’ll see a rise in the number of little Rhaenyras and Daemons running around.

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h/t Digital Spy