Giving a child a pop culture name has become more common over the years, with many parents paying homage to their favorite TV show or movie characters. It’s no surprise that Disney-themed baby names are high on many parents’ lists. BeenVerified recently did a study on how Disney movie releases can actually affect name choices, with many names surging in popularity after a new film comes out. Not all of the names have stayed popular in the years since, but they certainly made a splash for a while.
To see the most popular Disney baby names ranked by growth percentage, keep reading.
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Tiana
Violet
The Incredibles‘ release in 2004 seemingly spurred a 105% increase in popularity for the name Violet — after the invisible teen superhero in the film. But Violet has long been a popular name. In 2023, it was the 16th most-used baby name for girls, according to the Social Security Administration.
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Sebastian
There are actually two popular names on BeenVerified’s study that come from The Little Mermaid. We bet you can guess the more popular of the two, but first we’re here to talk about Sebastian. The boys’ name grew by 113% after The Little Mermaid animation came out in 1989.
Elsa
Frozen was such a sensation among both children and their parents that it’s unsurprising that it had a big impact on what people were naming their kids. A year after the movie came out in 2013, 1,140 babies were named Elsa — an increase of 126%, per BeenVerified.
Camilo
Although Encanto is a relatively new Disney film — having come out in 2021 — it still made a splash on the name charts. The name Camilo, which one of the Madrigal children has in the movie, soared in popularity by 142% the following year. Per BeenVerified’s data, 682 children were given the name.
Raya
Raya and the Last Dragon seemingly inspired parents to name their own kids after the warrior princess Raya. BeenVerified reported that the popularity of the name grew 161% in 2021, and it’s actually continued to grow ever since. A total of 862 children were named Raya in 2023, the study found.
Flynn
The name Flynn grew 166% in 2011 after the Rapunzel movie Tangled came out. In that film, Flynn Rider was the handsome hero who accompanied Rapunzel when she escaped her tower. Per the Social Security Administration data, in 2023, 322 boys were still given the name Flynn. So its popularity hasn’t really gone down since Tangled.
