Daenerys
Daenerys is a feminine given name usually used in reference to the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen, created by American author George R. R. Martin. Parents who used the name said they were inspired by the strength and beauty of the character and her actions in liberating slaves and assuming power in her own right.
- Literature
Meaning & Origin of Daenerys
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Daenerys is a feminine given name usually used in reference to the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen, created by American author George R. R. Martin. Parents who used the name said they were inspired by the strength and beauty of the character and her actions in liberating slaves and assuming power in her own right.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Literature
The Story of Daenerys
Daenerys first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2012, with 21 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2018, when 166 Daeneryss were born — ranking #1,358 that year. As of 2026, Daenerys ranks #1,476 for baby girls with 148 births, gradually rising (+10%). In total, more than 2K Daeneryss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2010s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Daenerys
Phonetically similar names — useful when Daenerys is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Daenerys
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About the name Daenerys
Daenerys is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2012 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Daenerys's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #1,358. Use the chart and map above to compare Daenerys's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2018 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.