Maybe Joffrey on Game of Thrones isn’t exactly cool—but if you watch Game of Thrones, you’ll probably understand why I picked it as the cool name this week. (And if the episode’s still sitting on your DVR, read no further. There are SPOILERS afoot!)
Weddings don’t seem to end very well on Game of Thrones. There was last year’s infamous Red Wedding, when half of the Stark family met their tragic demise. And last night’s royal wedding ended with the horrific and satisfyingly graphic poisoning of the character you most love to hate, Westeros’s spoiled little boy king Joffrey Baratheon.
But even if Joffrey himself isn’t someone you’d want to emulate, could the name be worthy of your child? Joffrey is the Scottish variation of Jeffrey—and it’s a name that means “pledge of peace,” which means it was hardly fitting for this young man. It’s never been in the top 1000 here in the U.S., though Jeffrey itself has been in the top 250 since the 1940s.
I like pairing Joffrey with short and sweet middle names, like James, Jett, Lee, Thorn, or Scott. (I’m kinda digging the Thorn, as you could end up with the cool J.T. nickname for your boy.)
What do you think? Would you ever consider naming your son a name that’s associated with a pop culture villain, or is it all good guys and heroes for you? You can read more about my Game of Thrones favorite names here, or find the name for your baby with our Baby Name Finder.
