Dads tempt fate naming sons after Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Kylo Ren (Disney/Lucasfilm)

You'd think dads who've seen Star Wars would think twice about naming their son after a Sith Lord, but it seems they're not.

Kylo - as in Kylo Ren, son of Han Solo and Leia Organa - is the fastest-rising name in the US, according to newly released Social Security data.

Two years ago - when The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren's first appearance in the Star Wars universe, was released - Kylo was the 2368th-most popular baby name. In 2016, it skyrocketed to 901st.

The data also shows 'Donald' dropping 45 spots to 488th.

"Even parents who are huge Donald Trump supporters are unlikely to name their child Donald," Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabynameWizard.com, told the Associated Press.

That's because, she says, parents tend to avoid controversial names - which also explains the sudden collapse in the number of parents calling their baby 'Caitlyn'.

"Caitlyn was already falling in popularity. Now it is suddenly controversial," says Ms Wattenberg.

It dropped 542 spots to 1151st.

Ms Wattenberg says it's not because people are anti-transgender - just because it's controversial.

Emma topped the girls' list for the third year in a row, followed by Olivia, Ava, Sophia and Isabella. In New Zealand, the top names in 2016 were Olivia, Charlotte, Isla, Harper and Ella.

For boys, it was Noah again - four years running - followed by Liam, William, Mason and James. In New Zealand, they were Oliver, Jack, William, Mason and James.

Newshub.