How did “Elder Scrolls” influence baby names?

The character Jagar Tharn from the video game "Elder Scrolls: Arena" (1994).
Jagar Tharn from “Elder Scrolls: Arena

Elder Scrolls video games have been coming out since the mid-1990s — initially on MS-DOS, then on Windows and Xbox/Playstation, and now online as an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). The games are set in open worlds and involve free-form gameplay.

The complete Elder Scrolls series is made up of more than two dozen games, but so far there have been only five primary releases:

  1. The Elder Scrolls: Arena (1994)
  2. The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996)
  3. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)
  4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
  5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) – featuring Dovahkiin

These elaborate games involve a multitude of characters. I’ve done my best to figure out which ones were the most memorable/important, and then to cross-check their names with baby names in the SSA data. Here’s what I’ve come across so far. I’ll start with the debuts…

The character Serana from the Elder Scrolls video game "Dawnguard" (2012).
Serana from “Dawnguard
  • The name Jagar debuted in the data in 1994. The game Arena featured the character Jagar Tharn (pictured above), who was the main antagonist.
  • The name Kanen also debuted in 1994. The game Arena featured the character Kanen the Wise.
  • The name Karliah debuted in 2012. The game Skyrim featured the character Karliah.
  • The name Serana debuted in 2014. The Skyrim add-on Dawnguard (2012) featured the character Serana (pictured at right), who was a vampire.
  • The name Tamriel debuted in 2015. (And it’s a one-hit wonder so far.) Though it sounds Biblical with that -iel ending, Tamriel is actually the continent upon which all Elder Scroll games are set.
  • The name Alduin debuted in 2016. (It’s also a one-hit wonder so far.) The game Skyrim featured the dragon character Alduin, who was the main antagonist.
  • The name Lynly also debuted in 2016. The game Skyrim featured the character Lynly Star-Sung, who was a barmaid.
  • The name Alisanne debuted in 2017. The character Alisanne Dupre (a “Listener”) was mentioned in Skyrim, but was featured in the online game The Elder Scrolls: Legends (2017).

And now a couple of rises…

  • The name Aela saw increased usage after the release of Skyrim, which featured the character Aela the Huntress, who was a werewolf.
  • The name Jordis saw increased usage after Skyrim came out, and this could have been inspired by the character Jordis the Sword-Maiden…or, perhaps more likely, by the appearance of singer Jordis Unga on the second season of The Voice.

For all the Elder Scrolls players out there: What other characters might have had an influence on names? Which character names should I check?

Sources: The Elder Scrolls – Wikipedia, Elder Scrolls – Characters by Game

2 thoughts on “How did “Elder Scrolls” influence baby names?

  1. Some random Elder Scrolls names that I encountered in Germany:

    Girls: Lielle and Fjola
    Boys: Joshur and Tahiel

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