Fun Facts About the Name Khaleesi
- More than 5 thousand babies named Khaleesi: U.S. records list 5,535 babies given the name Khaleesi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Khaleesi Mean?
Khaleesi is a title in Dothraki, the language of the nomadic Dothraki people in George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. It is the word used for the wife of a khal, a Dothraki leader, and it is generally translated into English as "queen." It is built from khal plus a feminine ending, so its literal sense is closer to "wife of a khal" - the female counterpart of a khal rather than a ruler in her own right. The customary translation "queen" is an interpretation of that role, not a separate root meaning.
Because Dothraki is a constructed language rather than a natural one, Khaleesi does not descend from an older name and has no inherited root or earlier forms to trace. Its meaning is the one the language itself assigns to it, and similar-looking real-world names are unrelated to it.
Khaleesi Name History & Origins
The word belongs to the small Dothraki vocabulary in Martin's novels, where it serves as the title for Daenerys Targaryen after she marries the Dothraki leader Khal Drogo. In the story she is addressed as Khaleesi, and the narrative treats the title as the Dothraki equivalent of "queen." Other Dothraki terms built on the same root include khal, the leader himself, and khalasar, the group that follows a khal.
For the television adaptation Game of Thrones, which first aired in 2011, linguist David J. Peterson expanded the fragments of Dothraki in the novels into a full constructed language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and sound system, and the spoken title became familiar to a wide audience. In the 2010s the word also began to appear in real use as a personal name, given mainly to girls in the United States and other English-speaking countries.
How Popular is the Name Khaleesi?
Khaleesi recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #550 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #690 | 410 | 0.0255% |
| 2024 | #665 | 434 | 0.0269% |
| 2023 | #709 | 399 | 0.0249% |
| 2022 | #665 | 444 | 0.0271% |
| 2021 | #702 | 411 | 0.0251% |
| 2020 | #734 | 373 | 0.0231% |
| 2019 | #583 | 524 | 0.0312% |
| 2018 | #550 | 564 | 0.0332% |
| 2017 | #629 | 470 | 0.0272% |
| 2016 | #756 | 377 | 0.0213% |
| 2015 | #822 | 342 | 0.0192% |
| 2014 | #758 | 369 | 0.0207% |
| 2013 | #1,026 | 243 | 0.0139% |
| 2012 | #1,512 | 147 | 0.0083% |
| 2011 | #4,990 | 28 | 0.0016% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Khaleesi Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Khaleesi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Khaleesi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.