An anonymous person on Reddit has written about the downsides of being named after a prominent character from a fantasy TV show whose identity we can all probably guess, even though this person doesn't name her explicitly. In the Reddit post from the r/TrueOffMyChest subreddit, this person says that "My parents named me after a fantasy TV show character, and it's deeply affected my life." They were born after the first season of the show in question, and her parents, "decided to name me after one of the main characters, but it's not her actual name, but instead her title."
"You can probably guess what it is, it's from a dark fantasy TV show with lots of swords and a big throne."
So her name is almost certainly Khaleesi, the title given to lead character Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO show Game of Thrones. People naming their children after Daenerys is something that's been happening for a while; actor Emilia Clarke even weighed in on the phenomenon a few years back. And apparently some of those people are now old enough to post on Reddit, a fact that is triggering an existential crisis for some respondents. "Boy am I old," one wrote.
Anyway, apparently being named Khaleesi has made life hard for this person. "I've been bullied and made fun of because of it in school," she wrote. "When I was growing up I liked the name because of how unique it is. I remember a teacher asking me if I'm telling the truth when I told her my name when I was about 6-sih. I didn't understand stuff like that really. I'm considering getting my name changed, but it feels a little wrong to do so. I do feel like it is my own name, and my parents did name me that."
"Because of my name, I got into horses and horse-riding, emulation I suppose? I am who I am because of it, but the bullying recently is getting to me. Lots of 'riding' jokes. I don't hate my parents or anything but I did feel angry at them today over it."
This isn't the only time a person named "Khaleesi" has run into problems. Just a few months ago, we heard about a British girl named Khaleesi being denied a passport because the authorities were unsure if Warner Bros. Discovery had trademarked that name. (She did eventually get her passport, by the way.)
Naming your kids after a figure from pop culture isn't anything new — I'm sure there were a burst of Lukes and Leias after Star Wars first came out — but "Khaleesi" is awfully distinctive. If you absolutely must name your daughter after Game of Thrones, I might choose Arya, Margaery, or even Brienne; all of those names sound distinctive but are normal enough that you can claim ignorance of the source material if needed. If you have a son your job is even easier, since names like Jon and Robb are right there.
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h/t Irish Star