New TV Character Baby Names: Is Aylee the next Arya?
by Linda Rosenkrantz
The names of TV characters have had an influence on baby naming since the era of must-see daytime soaps and Dallas and Dynasty, and more recently we’ve seen the effect of the Mad Men midcentury matrix and individual names like Finn and Dexter and Addison and Aria and Arya taking hold.
Things are a little different now, with fewer people glued to their TV screens—or even their tablets or phones—to watch ‘appointment’ television. And yet, with the new season beginning, I can’t help wondering if any of the more distinctive names of the characters on debuting shows might catch on. The one freshman period program, Reign, offers some possibilities, as do The Originals—_a spin-off of _The Vampire Diaries and the sci-fi The Tomorrow People.
And with two hunky ex-models playing characters named Killian on two different new shows, I think I’d put my money on him.
So here are the promising names on new shows, bearing in mind that some of these series might be here today and gone tomorrow, and a lot also depends on the appeal of the character:
Girls
Astrid—a sympathetic and supportive (and attractive) character on the sci-fi show The Tomorrow People.
Aylee—one of several interestingly named and gorgeous ladies-in-waiting to Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, in Reign, set in sixteenth century France.
Clarissa—a mysterious young woman in Reign, a name not new to TV.
Davina—a 16-year-old witch with a dark side in The Originals.
Freya –one of the young generation of witches in The Witches of East End.
Greer—see Aylee—an Old Hollywood name beginning to be reconsidered.
Ingrid—_see Freya—_another Old Hollywood name, this one with a Nordic touch.
Kenna—_see Aylee—_an original name with some potential as a successor to Jenna.
Lisette—a non-Hispanic appellation for a Latina mom in Welcome to the Family.
Lola—one of Mary Stuart’s main ladies-in-waiting in Reign.
Lulu—an attractive ‘former trophy wife’ in Back in the Game.
Marika—one of Rebel Wilson’s nerdyish pals in Super Fun Night.
Samira—a second-generation Pakistani immigrant character who’s a talented musician, in Lucky 7.
Sandrine—a character named Sandrine played by an actress named Sandrine—exotic model Sandrine Holt—in Hostages.
Sawyer—a little girl on _Hostages—_evidencing the growing gender-bending of the name. (Sara Gilbert and Diane Farr both have daughters named Sawyer).
Violet—the young daughter/granddaughter on Mom. A name everyone already loves.
BOYS
Alaric—In The Originals, he’s a dishy vampire hunter who goes by the nickname Ric.
Archer—a somewhat intimidating ex-military guy in Hostages.
Baxter—a typical TV ex-husband type on Mom.
Crawford—a not very likable dad on Dads, played by Martin Mull.
Dash—on The Witches of East End, yet another ex-model plays the brother of Killian.
Dudley—an appealingly awkward pre-teen on Back in the Game.
Duncan—the rogue FBI agent played by Dylan McDermott in Hostages.
Jedikiah—an unusual twist on an Old Testament name, worn by a fierce, shape-changing robot in The Tomorrow People.
Killian—the two groovy guys bearing this name are in The Tomorrow People and The Witches of East End.
Kives—an unexplained offbeat name for a somewhat obnoxious chick-magnet type in Hello Ladies. Guess we’ll have to watch for an explanation.
Kramer—no, it’s not Cosmo Kramer but Kramer Delaney on Hostages. Could Kramer be the next Cohen ? Doubt it.
Roscoe—a cute Nameberry-named child on Mom (shown in illustration).
Thatcher—we may think of him as an up-and-coming baby boy name, but on Betrayal he’s an elderly father figure, just as Thatcher Grey was on Grey’s Anatomy.
Wade—an LA-based best friend character on Hello Ladies.
Warner—a successful video game developer played by Giovanni Ribisi on Dads.