The Most Popular ‘Bridgerton’ Inspired Baby Names

The Netflix series “Bridgerton” is known for its scandalous twists. Viewers are hooked watching the emotional dramas of the elaborate balls, the high society love affairs and, of course, the gossip of Lady Whistledown.

But some superfans are taking the English romantic fiction to another level: naming their babies after the show’s popular characters. Emily Kim, an influencer who goes by @emdoodlesandstuff on Tiktok and specializes in baby name predictions, told Newsweek this trend isn’t all too surprising.

“I think this is typical with many popular shows and movies,” Kim said. “In my opinion, there are certain qualities that determine whether a piece of popular media will significantly impact baby name trends.”

Lady Whistledown, also known as Penelope, is among the character names seeing the biggest boost. Penelope is currently at spot 23 on the U.S. popularity charts, though Kim noted that the name started its ascent more than 20 years ago, in 2001.

“That is one year after Julia Quinn published her first Bridgerton novel,” Kim said. “There is no doubt that names from the show “Bridgerton” are becoming popularized in the US.”

Violet, which is the name of the matriarch of the Bridgerton clan, shows a similar spike in popularity around 2022, when it reached the top 20 baby names two years after the Netflix series debuted.

“It’s as if the first seed was planted by Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, giving the names plenty of time to grow to maturity and ripe to pick as a baby name here as the TV releases 20 years later,” Kim said.

For boys, Theo, who is the printer’s assistant in “Bridgerton,” ranked as 2023’s seventh most popular name.

“It is striking to see the cultural impact of shows like “Bridgerton” when it comes to baby name inspiration,” a spokesperson from pregnancy wellbeing organization One Tribe told Newsweek.

“Naming your child is one of the most important decisions a parent will make, and the increase in people searching for names based on the show suggests that this trend isn’t stopping soon.”

One Tribe found that searches for “Bridgerton baby names” has skyrocketed by 640% since the series premiered.

Based on a One Tribe analysis cross-referenced with Social Security data, the top 10 “Bridgerton”-inspired baby names for girls are:

The top 10 “Bridgerton”-inspired baby names for boys are:

“Bridgerton has certainly reintroduced us to some gorgeous regency style names, from Daphne, Violet and Penelope, to Anthony, Philip and George,” the One Tribe spokesperson said.

The Jane Austin Effect

The popular English names go beyond just “Bridgerton,” with characters from popular books like Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice” also gaining traction in recent years.

Take Elizabeth Bennett, the protagonist in Austen’s famed 1813 novel who is seen as intelligent and witty, as well as someone who can overcome social challenges. Elizabeth is the 15th most popular girl name currently, and Bennett is the 74th most popular boy name.

Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s good friend, is often seen as sympathetic and sensible. Charlotte is the third most popular name, and Lucas is the ninth for boys.

Kim also pointed out that there are endless other examples of this trend with classic names like Lydia, Charles, Caroline and William.

“Both Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice have primarily female viewers, they have a vast spread of likable main characters, and as British historical fiction, we American viewers can see these characters as the epitome of ‘classic and vintage,'” Kim said.

“As a baby name consultant, I can tell you that ‘classic and vintage’ is what the vast majority of parents are looking for in a baby name.”