The Baby Name Sweeping the Nation, Thanks to Disney

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Frozen hasn’t just been influencing kids: More than 1,000 parents named their baby Elsa in 2014. (Photo: Disney)

It looks like some new parents just couldn’t let it go: Elsa is now a popular name for baby girls in the United States, according to Social Security Administration data recently analyzed by The New York Times. In fact, in 2014, more than 1,000 parents named their child after the famous ice queen from Frozen, which was released in 2013. That makes Elsa the 286th most common girls name in the nation — after not having made it into the top 500 since 1917.

STORY: Top Baby Names of 2014

The male names of Frozen, despite being unusual, also saw an increase in use. Olaf, the hug-loving snowman, had 22 namesakes, up from nine in 2013. “Kristoff” increased to 32 in 2014. And as for Sven, his carrot-eating reindeer? Parents chose his name for 55 baby boys last year, compared to 33 in 2013.

But the name of Elsa’s sister, Anna, didn’t see much of an upswing in popularity, the Times notes. Anna has always been a popular name, but Frozen didn’t boost it that much higher, as it moved up only one spot from last year to its current spot as the 34th most common girl’s name.

STORY: The Baby Name Trend That’s on the Rise

This is not the first time a Disney film has influenced baby names, of course. Each year since the release of Brave in 2012, for example, there have been more than 100 little girls named after Merida, the red-headed heroine of the film. Other Disney-influenced names over the years have included Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine — and another crop of Elsas is likely on its way, as a Frozen sequel was announced in March. Long live the queen.

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