Sometimes it seems like the entire world is watching the Game of Thrones. Facebook memes, cinema parties, and myriads of entertainment articles are telltale signs that people are watching, reading, and celebrating this HBO phenomenon. This mania has even infiltrated the wedding business.

I perform a lot of wedding ceremonies and have noticed an uptick on the inclusion of the Celtic Knot or Handfasting ceremony (used in various wedding ceremonies on the Game of Thrones). One couple even used the theme song of the show as their recessional. It’s a great tune but not one you’d normally expect at a nuptial observance.

I just
ran across an article that referenced the statistics that a growing number of
folks are naming their babies after some of the more popular characters in
Thrones.
highlighted the fact that the name Khaleesi has overtaken the ever popular
Brittany or Britney. Khaleesi is a name that basically means “queen” in a
fabricated language written into the scripts of Thrones. (An interesting
sidelight to that is the fact that the gal who used the theme song as her
recessional was named Britney.)

What really caught my eye was an observation by the author of the article. He noted that the Khaleesi character had heretofore seemed like the presumed savior of the Seven Kingdoms. She was the benevolent sort who wanted to turn the world into a peaceable realm. Not only was she kind, she was beautiful—exactly the sort of person you’d want your daughter to become. Now, with only one episode remaining, it appears as though she has gone mad—killing thousands all by herself (with the help of her fire-breathing dragon).

Consequently, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of little girls out there who might be named after a maniacal, murdering despot. We’ll have to wait for the final episode to be sure, but it’s beginning to look as though their parents have jumped the gun. It’s tough to overlook a holocaust.

Whatever happened to John and Mary?
We used to name our kids after saints. That seems to be going by the wayside.
Christians and Jews were adamant that their children are given names into which
they could live—names like Jacob, Abraham, Paul, and Elizabeth. Even I named my
boys to be unusual. I guess I got tired of being one of many guys named David
wherever I went. At least I waited until I really knew the meaning of their
names—no mad monarchs in the picture.

Still, there are a lot of great Biblical names I’m not anxious to see make a comeback. These would be names like Ebenezer, Gideon, Gomer, and Zipporah.

People used to bestow names not only because they liked the sound of them but also they wanted their children to become the kind of person their namesake had been. Things seem to have changed. There are a lot of girls out there who may want soon to change their names to Britney.

[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and currently resides in Aldie, VA.]

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