The Names We Inherit: How Movies Shape the Way We Name Our Children

When Allie's parents sat down to watch "The Notebook", they didn't know it would end up changing the name of their future daughter. Originally set on naming her Ava, they were unexpectedly struck by the character of Allie Hamilton. She was sweet, strong, independent, and unique.

My mom loved the way Allie acted," she says. "She thought she was very classy and had great manners." On top of that, they loved the name itself, how it sounded, how it was spelled, and Rachel McAdams, the actress who played her. "They admired her passion, adventurous nature, and independence to make her own decisions without letting outside sources intervene."

Even though they admired the character, her parents did not necessarily expect her to grow up and act like Allie Hamilton. "They were inspired by her, but they still expected me to be my own person. However, of all of her traits, they had hoped her strong-willed characteristics would stick."

Now, "The Notebook" is Allie's favorite movie, not just because of the story, but because it's where her name came from. "I feel sort of a connection," she says. "That's where my roots are from after all, haha."

In a similar manner, Margot Fitts' parents didn't originally plan on naming their daughter after a movie character. But, when they couldn't find one they agreed on, they did what any film-loving couple might: they turned to movies for inspiration. After watching Wes Anderson's film "The Royal Tenenbaums," they decided to name their daughter Margot, after the secretive, yet self-sufficient, eldest daughter of the family, Margot Tenenbaum.

"They just really liked the movie, and when they heard the name, they thought it sounded cool," Fitt recalls. Although she does not completely relate to Margot Tenenbaum, whom she describes as "kinda crazy," she still finds the connection very fun and intriguing, even dressing up as Margot Tenenbaum on Halloween.

Both of their stories are one of many that illustrate how movies shape us in countless ways, even in ways we do not always recognize, even in ways that are as deep as our own names.

Movies influence names in surprising ways. Some names, like Katniss, spike in popularity as audiences fall in love with the character, only to then become too strongly associated with the film and fall off. Others like Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" gain traction and hold onto their popularity, becoming long term names.

According to data from the Social Security Administration, "Twilight" caused a spike in Bellas, with the name soaring in popularity at the height of the saga. "Frozen" did the same for Elsa, although now many parents feel the name is too closely tied to the film, and therefore, it is not as popular.

"Names actually tell us more about the parents than they do the child," says Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief at Nameberry the largest website devoted to baby names. "Names are a reflection about what's happening in society at the time, what the parents are drawn to and enjoy, and what values they want to reflect in their children."

Certain film names thrive because they fit right into the cultural moment. "It's not just about the movie, a name has to be already primed for revival. It has to sound right for the time." Although "Barbie" was a huge hit, the fact that the name is still very popular in older generations has limited its appeal, according to Kihm. She explains that since Barbie was released in the summer of 2023 (and was marketed for months in advance), we would expect to see a bump between 2022 and 2023 if the movie was going to significantly impact the name moving forward. In 2022, Barbie was given to 27 baby girls, and in 2023, 32. This is a slight increase (we can assume that some parents were inspired by the film to use the name) but she does not expect to see a huge jump in 2024.

Still, popular movies can have a huge impact on naming trends. Take Madison, which was an extremely uncommon girls' name until the 1984 movie "Splash", where a mermaid chooses the name because she sees it on a street sign. At the time the movie was released, it played as a joke because Madison was not seen as a real first name. The movie changed all that. In 1983, the year before the movie came out. Not a single baby girl born in the US was named Madison. Only 10 years, there were 4,384 with that name.

For some, the connection to "Splash" is a profound example of how pop culture doesn't just reflect society, it actively reshapes it, creating new identities and naming traditions that last for generations.

Madison Zuckerman exemplifies this cultural transformation. Her parents didn't name her after the Splash mermaid Madison, rather they simply "got the name from a baby naming book," as she says. By the time she was born in 2001, Madison had completed its journey from a non-existent name to a mainstream staple like Emily, Olivia, and Sophia. The irony, as she notes, is that "she has never actually seen 'Splash'."

Still, "Splash" has shaped her in ways she never anticipated. "One thing I have noticed from being abroad that I think is so funny is that apparently Madison is an extremely American name. Like, half the time I tell people my name, they go, 'That's so American,' to a point I wasn't expecting." Without realizing it, she has become part of something bigger, a cultural ripple effect set in motion by a single creative decision in 1984.

The influence of pop culture shows in her name, but she's taken ownership of it in her own way. "I used to go by Madi until college, but I wanted a little rebrand, so I started introducing myself as Madison. Madison feels a little more unique to me." In that small shift lies the bigger truth about names: they are both inherited and self-defined. We grow into them, reshape them, and infuse them with meaning beyond their origins.

Because of Mavis's ("Hotel Transylvania") deep curiosity, fierce spirit, and her touch of rebellion, many parents have embraced her name as a symbol of curiosity and adventure, as some people have chosen to adopt the name Mavis for themselves. Formerly known as Emily, Mavis Zou, decided to change her name in college. "I remember watching this movie and thinking her personality was very similar to mine," said Zou. "Mavis from the movie is quirky, very cute and daring in both love and hate. She just goes after what she wants right away." Her new name wasn't just a better reflection of who she was, but who she aspired to be. "I also wanted to be more straightforward like her. At that time, I wasn't very straightforward, so she inspired me."

However, not all film-inspired names surge in popularity, some take a drastic decline after a film's release. When Annabelle the doll, a character from the horror Conjuring series got her own film in 2014, the name took a big flop in popularity.

Another example of this is the name Carrie. While already common before the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Carrie" in 1976, after the film's release parents started to stray away from what was once a very popular name because of the film's horror connotations and the immediate association with the film.

However, this association did not stop every parent. While pregnant, Debbie Jacques, a self-described "wicked Stephen King fan," was watching "The Rage: Carrie 2," and remembered how much she loved the character's full name, Carietta. It seemed like a beautiful and unusual choice. And even though the name Carrie suffered a massive dropoff after the film's release, Carietta, now 21, has never felt burdened by her name's origins. "I love horror movies, and so does my family. It's been something we've all been able to bond over and share together."

Debbie acknowledged that some parents might have hesitated to name their child after a horror icon, but for her, none of that mattered. She didn't see "Carrie" as just a horror film; she saw the name Carrietta for what it was, beautiful, unique, and deeply tied to something that she loved and wanted to share. "It's just a name," she said. "It's fiction. No one's going to hear Carrietta and think she's going to start moving objects with her mind."

For Carrietta herself, her name became something she deeply embraces, saying "I think it's a very cool story. I use it as a fun fact all the time." Unlike Elsa or Katniss, Carrietta's name is unusual enough that she rarely has to deal with immediate associations. "I have gotten asked where my name comes from because it is so unique, but because it is an older movie, not a lot of people are immediately familiar with it and can make the correlation. As soon as I say I'm actually named after Carrie like the movie they automatically know what it is."

When a parent names their child after a film character, they aren't just picking a name, they're sharing a part of themselves, of their identity with their child, that their child will now make their own. As Carrietta reflected, "I think it kinda becomes a part of your identity in a really cool way, and it's a way to relate to people, like, 'Hey, have you ever seen this movie? That's what I'm named after.'"

As Sophie Kihm explained, "Our names are so central to our identity, but are not chosen by us, and after our deaths our names are the only part of us that live on." Names can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. We grow into them, and they grow into us.

And movies? They're not just something we watch. They're something we live.