'Game of Thrones' Fan Who Named Her Daughter Khaleesi is Sort of Regretting it Now [SPOILERS]

This story includes spoilers for 'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 5, "The Bells."

Given the enormous popularity of Game of Thrones, it's hardly surprising that the series’ loyal fans have commemorated some of the main characters by naming their pets and even their children after them. But after the most recent episode, "The Bells," which saw Daenerys Targaryen burn down King's Landing in its entirety even after its people had surrendered, fans are rethinking their decision of naming anyone after the Mad Queen. 

INSIDER reports that in 2018 alone, 560 babies were named "Khaleesi" in the U.S. This title was given to Dany when she married Khal Drogo in Season 1, which roughly translates to "queen," and is one of the many names she goes by in the hit HBO series.

Up until the most recent episode, Daenerys has generally been portrayed as the kind of leader who could finally bring peace to the Seven Kingdoms. But when she rode in on her dragon Drogon and set fire to all of the innocent civilians at the capital, fans who named their daughters after Daenerys started having second thoughts about their chosen namesake.

The Daily Beast spoke to one mother, Jasmine Estrada, who explained that she does not agree with Daenerys's recent actions, making the decision to name her now-six-year-old daughter after the Mother of Dragons "bittersweet."

"I'm kind of in shock," Estrada said. "It was kind of disappointing that her power trip took over. That was not cool."

But it's not all bad news for these dedicated Game of Thrones fans. Another mother who named her kid after the character, Katherine Acosta, still supports Daenerys. "I'm still behind her," Acosta told The Cut. "Even after last night's episode, I'm still rooting for her. I don't think she did anything wrong. I think she did what she had to do."

"After the episode, a lot of people kept tagging me on memes and being like, 'How do you feel that Khaleesi has that name now that Daenerys did all of that?' I'm like, I don't feel anything different," Acosta continued. "It's not like she did it just 'cause. If you watch the show, she had every right."

We don't know exactly what was going on in Daenerys' mind when she killed thousands of innocent people, but we definitely know she seemed to be following in her late father's footsteps. Whether or not she was justified in her actions is up for fans to decide.

[h/t: INSIDER]

This article also appears on Mental Floss.