What About Anakin If It’s A Baby Boy? Name Appears On Top 1,000 List
The first name Anakin just appeared on the list of top 1,000 baby names in America, but before you run off and name your child after Darth Vader, there are some things to consider.
Last year, 218 parents chose the first name Anakin for their baby boys, ranking it number 957 on the annual Social Security Administration’s list of 1,000 baby names.
Yes, Social Security keeps a list of the most popular baby names.
Anakin still hovers near the bottom of the list and is nowhere near as popular as Noah, Liam, and Mason, which rank first, second, and third.
People have tried to give meaning and definition to the name Anakin, but that’s difficult because it didn’t exist until George Lucas invented it. The name Anakin first appeared in 1983 during a fleeting reference by Obi-Wan in the movie Return of the Jedi.
Since then, rumors have spread as to the name’s origin, with some fans attributing it to British director Ken Annakin, something Lucas denied.
The name Anakin began to gain popularity with American families beginning in 1995, two years before the Star Wars: Special Edition movies were released.
About a hundred families a year were naming their baby boy’s Anakin until last year when that number jumped to 218, giving it a place in the top 1,000 list.
Whether you should give that name to your child is a personal choice; however, social media is split on the idea of naming newborns after well-known science fiction characters. The sound of the name Anakin seems to appeal to parents, but some fear it will scar the child or leave them open to being teased.
While you’re considering whether to name your newborn after Sci-Fi’s most hated villain, here’s something else to consider.
Jake Lloyd, who played young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I, was arrested this summer after he drove through a fence while fleeing the cops during a high speed pursuit.
Officers tried to pull Jake over because he was speeding, but then the former child actor led them on a 25-mile high speed chase before running off the road.
Just so you know, Lloyd says he now hates Star Wars and George Lucas because of the over-exposure he received as a child actor.
One thing is certain: pop culture drives the creation of baby names, and as Star Wars grows in popularity, so will the name Anakin.
[Photo by John Stillwell/WPA-Pool/Stephen Morton/Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]
