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June 16, 2026 · TV & Film · 8 min read
Star Wars Baby Names: Leia, Cassian, Rey, Kylo and the Saga
Star Wars has been generating baby names for almost fifty years. Some — Leia, Luke — were always going to be classics. Others are rarer than you'd guess. The data tells a generation-by-generation story of which films hit and which didn't.
The Originals (1977 Trilogy)
Leia · The princess. Leia first appeared in significant US data in 1977-78 (the original film) and then cooled, then surged again with the prequels and even more after Carrie Fisher's death in 2016. Top 200 in the US currently.
Births per year — SSA data
Luke · Luke was already a popular name pre-Star Wars (Biblical), but the films kept it culturally current. Top 50 in the US for decades.
Han · Mostly used as a Korean name in modern American data (very different audience), but Han Solo's character occasionally drives intentional uses. Single syllable, sharp.
Anakin · The prequel-era name. Anakin appeared sporadically in the 1980s but spiked clearly with the prequels (1999-2005). Top 1000 in the US — small but consistent. The choice signals the parent's era of fandom.
The Prequel Era
Padme · Padmé Amidala. Padme is genuinely rare in US data but appears in clusters — used by Star Wars fans, mostly with prequel-era nostalgia.
Ahsoka · Ahsoka Tano grew from prequel fan-favorite into the central character of multiple shows. Ahsoka has appeared in US data only since 2018 and is climbing — but slowly.
Obi · Obi-Wan. Obi (just the front half) is occasionally used as a standalone — short, distinctive, and with the prequel-era cultural weight.
The Sequel/Mando Era
Rey · Sequel trilogy lead. Rey has been climbing in US data since 2015 (the year Force Awakens released). Short, vowel-rich, with multiple cultural references (Spanish for 'king' too, which gives it cross-cultural appeal).
Births per year — SSA data
Kylo · Kylo Ren. Kylo spiked clearly after 2015 — went from zero in US data to top 800 in two years. The villain-name parents acknowledged the character's tragic redemption arc.
Births per year — SSA data
Grogu · Baby Yoda. Grogu hasn't really hit US baby data — the name is too tied to the character to use as a standalone. But it's mentioned in baby-name discussions constantly.
Mando · The Mandalorian. Same as Grogu — it's a title, not really a name, and fans use it as a reference rather than a real choice.
The Quietly-Rising Star Wars Names
Cassian · Cassian Andor (Rogue One, the Andor series). Cassian is climbing in US data — already top 500 — and is one of the most successfully crossed-over Star Wars names of the past decade.
Births per year — SSA data
Jyn · Rogue One's lead. Jyn is rare in US data, but the few parents picking it know exactly what they're doing.
Ezra · Already covered in our names-that-mean-strong piece — but worth noting that Star Wars Rebels' Ezra Bridger is one of the reasons the name is climbing among Gen-Z parents.
Mara · Mara Jade (extended universe / Legends). Mara is a real, historically common name that the EU fanbase has kept warm.
The Star Wars Pattern
Star Wars names cross over to mainstream baby data when the character is likable enough that the kid won't get teased AND the name sounds like a real name independent of the franchise. Leia, Luke, Cassian, Rey — all work as ordinary names. Yoda, Chewbacca, Jabba — never going to happen.
The cleanest indicators of Star Wars driving a name: the name appearing zero times in pre-release data, then surging in the year of a movie/show release, then staying. Kylo (post-2015), Cassian (post-Andor 2022), Ahsoka (post-Mandalorian 2020) all match this pattern.
For more film and franchise name articles, see our Dune, Disney Princess, and Halo pieces.
More ways to explore
256,000 names across 21 countries — pick a tool below.
