Girl named after Game of Thrones character is refused passport

Children being named after Game of Thrones characters has been a common occurrence for several years now. The trend peaked in 2018, with more than 4,500 babies being given Westeros-inspired names, from Aegon to Lyanna. Now, a few years down the line, parents are finding some unexpected consequences of naming their children after pop culture icons.

Recently, a girl named Khaleesi (a title given to Daenerys Targaryen by the Dothraki), 6, was denied a British passport for a dream trip to Disneyland because of her name. There's thousands of children named Elsa, Leia, Hermione, and so on, who are all fine to go on holiday. But if you're named after the Mother of Dragons, you apparently need special approval. The girl's mother, Lucy, was told by the Passport Office that she required permission from Warner Bros. because the name 'Khaleesi' is trademarked.

"I was absolutely devastated, we were so looking forward to our first holiday together," Lucy told BBC News. "But then I had a letter come through from the Passport Office, saying her name is trademarked by Warner Brothers. It was the first I've heard of such a thing - I was astonished."

The situation was quickly resolved. Turns out, while Warner Bros. has Game of Thrones fully trademarked, that doesn't stop people from naming their children after the characters. The Passport Office quickly got in contact with Lucy to amend their mistake, and the situation is in the process of being resolved. "If I hadn't posted this on social media, nothing would have been done," Lucy said. "I would have been stuck, not knowing what to do."

Funnily enough, children with pop culture-inspired names being denied passports is nothing new. "People contacted me about similar experiences," Lucy added.

At the end of the day, Khaleesi is just a name, there's no reason why it shouldn't be allowed. I mean, I'd understand if the parents wanted to name their child her full title: Queen Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, Lady of Dragonstone, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, the Unburnt, and Mother of Dragons. That would be a tad excessive.

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