Khaleesi
Khaleesi was the 690th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 410 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 549th with 565 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 132 places. More babies were named Khaleesi in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning queen (invented Dothraki word) · American English
Say it kuh-LEE-see /kəˈlisi/
- Rank in 2025
- #690 girls, up 44 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 410girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2018565 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,537babies recorded
What does the name Khaleesi mean?
Khaleesi is an invented word. Wiktionary records that George R. R. Martin coined it in his novels A Song of Ice and Fire (from 1996) as the Dothraki word for queen, the feminine of khal, king, used as the title of the character Daenerys Targaryen. The television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011) made it famous, and US records show it as a girls' name from 2011. So its only "meaning" is the fictional one: queen.
khaleesi (Dothraki (constructed), “queen”)
How sure is this? Well established. A fictional title from a constructed language; the meaning is the author's.
Related names: Daenerys.
See also: American names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Khaleesi' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Khaleesi popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #690 | 410 |
| 2020 | #734 | 373 |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Khaleesi, counting every spelling?
Khaleesi is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #613 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #690 for Khaleesi on its own. Together these spellings went to 478 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khaleesi | 410 | #690 | 2,098 |
| Khalessi | 55 | #3,011 | 209 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Khaleesi?
410 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Khaleesi (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Khaleesi born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Khaleesi.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Khaleesi?
About 5,500 people born in the US named Khaleesi are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 10. That makes Khaleesi a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Khaleesi by state
How common Khaleesi was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (3.3×), Arizona (1.8×), Florida (1.8×), Connecticut (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Alabama, Idaho.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Khaleesi: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Khaleesi, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Khaleesi · Sibling names for Khaleesi
Questions about the name Khaleesi
What does Khaleesi mean?
Khaleesi means “queen (invented Dothraki word)” (American English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Khaleesi?
Khaleesi was the 690th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 410 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 549th with 565 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 132 places. More babies were named Khaleesi in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Khaleesi a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Khaleesi in the US.
Where is Khaleesi most popular?
In 2021–2025, Khaleesi was most common in Nevada (0.84 per 1,000 girls), followed by Hawaii and Arizona.