# Khaleesi (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/khaleesi/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “queen”, “king” |
| Pronunciation | /kəˈliː.si/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Kaleesi, Khalessi, Kahleesi |
| US babies named this | 5,537 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 5,537 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 617, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Dothraki khaleesi (“queen”), feminine of khal (“king”). Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin for the title of the character Daenerys Targaryen in his book A Song of Ice and Fire (1996) novels. Popularised by the later television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011).

## What it means

Khaleesi is grouped under king and queen.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 28 | 4,990 |
| 2012 | 147 | 1,512 |
| 2013 | 243 | 1,026 |
| 2014 | 369 | 758 |
| 2015 | 342 | 822 |
| 2016 | 378 | 755 |
| 2017 | 470 | 629 |
| 2018 | 565 | 549 |
| 2019 | 524 | 583 |
| 2020 | 373 | 734 |
| 2021 | 411 | 702 |
| 2022 | 444 | 666 |
| 2023 | 399 | 709 |
| 2024 | 434 | 667 |
| 2025 | 410 | 690 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 2,636 |
| 2012 | 21 | 1,483 |
| 2013 | 50 | 772 |
| 2014 | 53 | 740 |
| 2015 | 68 | 609 |
| 2016 | 69 | 615 |
| 2017 | 76 | 565 |
| 2018 | 56 | 710 |
| 2019 | 53 | 724 |
| 2020 | 29 | 1,127 |
| 2021 | 33 | 1,039 |
| 2022 | 28 | 1,180 |
| 2023 | 25 | 1,288 |
| 2024 | 26 | 1,262 |
| 2025 | 21 | 1,454 |

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.