It seems that Stranger Things hasn’t just dominated our Netflix viewing habits and deskside conversations this year – it’s also had an impact on how we’re naming our children…
Based on data from nearly 400,000 parents, BabyCenter has released a list of the most popular names for babies born in 2016, with Sophia and Jackson coming out on top. Emma, Olivia, Ava and Mia make up the top five for girls, with Aiden, Lucas, Liam and Noah doing the same for boys.
Glance a little further down the list, though, and you can really see the influence of Netflix’s unlikely summer sci-fi hit. There’s been a 46 percent increase in babies named Nancy (perhaps inspired by Natalia Dyer’s character, Nancy Wheeler) in the last year, with Dustin up by 32 percent
Similarly, the name Lucas saw a 25 percent increase in popularity to become the third most popular boy’s name (up one place since last year), while Winona Ryder’s portrayal of Joyce Byers can perhaps account for the fact that the number of babies named Joyce increased by 23 percent.
While neither Eleven nor Barb (poor Barb) managed to break onto the baby names list, they have gained popularity elsewhere – specifically in the canine world. Dog-walking website Rover.com reports that Stranger Things inspired dog names are up by 12 percent (though, as the site notes, there have been no dogs named after the Demogorgon so far…)
With a new season of Stranger Things already in production – and due to arrive on Netflix next year – it seems that this ‘80s naming revival is only just beginning…
READ MORE: Who Is Natalia Dyer? Everything You Need To Know About The Stranger Things Star