People are naming their baby after one of worst Star Wars characters

While 957 out of 1,000 may not seem that noteworthy, the administration also noted in their list that 218 babies were born with that name in 2014.

It’s worth noting that SSA’s names list, which only includes names given to a minimum of five people in a single year, does not include “Darth” or “Vader”. The name Anakin was first mentioned in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, when the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker that his father had “ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader”. But apparently 218 sets of parents made a decision to do just that previous year.

While the name first began gaining attraction in the late 90s, as Lucasfilm revealed more of the prequel trilogy, it’s insane to see how American culture has embraced Star Wars. Lucas continued using the name for Anakin in the prequels. “I think it’s the influence of other fantasy properties, like Game of Thrones and Hunger Games“, Satran tells Yahoo Parenting. “It’s not about the specific character, but the larger feeling that is conveyed by the franchise”.

Everyone knows Star Wars fans can be a little… obsessed.

What gives here? Perhaps these parents are eternal optimists hoping to rewrite the canon through their children? “The names that [director] J.J. Abrams came up with for the upcoming movie will be influential”, she says.

For the record, “Luke” is ranked number 28 on the Social Security Administration list.