20 Best Video Game Inspired Baby Names

video game baby names
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

Sometimes it can be very difficult to give your baby the perfect name. This is why parents take inspiration for baby names from TV shows, movies, and books. Then why not take inspiration from your favorite video games? When you were playing video games in the ’80s and ’90s, you probably overlooked a lot of baby name gems. No, you might not want to name your child Pac-Man, Pikachu, or Donkey Kong. But there are many rare names in video games that can be better suited for your little one. Many of these video game baby names are either very unique or they are names that are labeled as antiquated. Therefore, it is always a perk for your child to not know anyone else with the same name as them.

Video games also have some of the strongest male and female main and supporting characters out there. We took names from your favorite fighter games such as Street Fighter, Metroid, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts. Many of these names have strong meanings to match the powerful demeanor. As well, these names are not only dedicated to the animated characters. For the most part, people would not be able to tell that you stole your name from a video game character. Here is a list of video game baby names:

Ada

ada wong
Images: Capcom / Resident Evil

Ada is a very powerful name. It is a derivative of Adele and Adelaide and it means ”noble” in German. It is no wonder that the Resident Evil character, Ada Wong, got her name. She wears a bob and a long sleek red dress. While her character is not royalty, she serves as a mysterious spy who works for the rivals but also helps out the protagonist. If you name your baby girl, Ada, she will be highly intelligent, stealthy, and very independent. Ada Wong’s strong character had an impact on the baby name’s popularity. In 1998, when the first Resident Evil game came out, 79 parents named their baby girls Ada per one million births. In 2018, 589 babies were named Ada for every one million births.

Alyx

alyx vance
Images: Valve Corporation / Half-Life 2

Alyx is a more unique alternative to Alex and Alexandra. It is Greek for ”defender”. This perfectly matches the personality of Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2. Alyx fights with Gordon Freeman, the protagonist of Half-Life by kicking and shooting zombies who try to attack them. Alyx Vance is well-liked for being smart and beautiful, without being oversexualized. She is also renounced for being a realistic character. If you name your baby girl Alyx, she will be friendly, optimistic, and sensitive like the supporting lady. Despite Alyx’s charm, Alyx is still a rare name for a baby girl. It is not even among the Top 5000 most popular name for baby girls.

Amy

amy rose adventures of sonic the hedgehog
Images: Fox / Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

If you played Sonic the Hedgehog, you might know about the pink hedgehog who had a crush on him named Amy Rose. She is perky and energetic and is one of the most memorable characters in the Sonic series. She even came in fifth place in a Japanese popularity poll in 2006. The name Amy means ”beloved” in French. This reflects on the fact that she is a loved character and shows her love for Sonic. It is also among the Top 200 most popular girls names in 2017. Even though Amy is still a popular baby name, it is seen as a ”mom name” because it peaked in popularity in 1975.

Blaze

blaze the cat sonic generations
Images: Sega / Sonic Generations

Blaze is a name that is growing in popularity for boys. Originally, the name Blaise was more popular, but the Blaze spelling is becoming more visible (think the preschool cartoon, Blaze and the Monster Machines). But did you ever think about naming your baby girl Blaze? A prominent video game character is Blaze the Cat from Sonic the Hedgehog who is lavender in color. She was originally featured in Sonic Rush before she made a cameo in Super Smash Bros. She is very powerful and has the power to control fire. If your child is named Blaze, she might be elegant, calm, but emotional like the anthropomorphic cat. Blaze is an English name that means ”flame”.

Cloud

cloud strife final fantasy
Images: Square Enix / Final Fantasy

Fans of Final Fantasy know about the protagonist of the video game series, Cloud Strife. He is one of the most iconic video game characters of all time. Even though his name is Cloud, it does not mean that he is soft. He is a tough hero who can take on the powerful super villain, Sephiroth. After Final Fantasy’s 1997 release, six people named their child Cloud in 2000 per one million people, a name that has not been used since 1980 previously. Since then, the name has become almost six times more popular. Thirty-five people per million named their babies Cloud in 2015.

Daisy

princess daisy mario tennis
Images: Nintendo / Mario Tennis

If you name your child Daisy, you would not be only naming your baby after a beautiful flower. Your kid will also have the spunky, party-loving princess as her namesake. Princess Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland who was rescued by Mario when she was kidnapped by aliens. She is also Princess Peach’s best friend and Luigi’s love interest. Daisy was in Mario Kart, Mario Party, and the most recent Super Smash Bros. She has red hair and blue eyes and wears a yellow dress with flowers on it. This name was popular in the 1800s and then became obsolete afterward. Then, it became a Top 200 popular name in the 1990s. It is also the second most popular girl’s name that begins with D.

Ken

ken from street fighter
Images: Capcom / Street Fighter

If you call your baby boy Ken, it does not have to be short for Kenneth. Ken is a Japanese name that stands on its own that means ”born of fire, handsome, healthy, and strong”. However, the name does not have to be reserved for Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken. Your baby boy, Ken, will not just be a pretty boy. Like the Street Fighter character and Ryu’s best friend, Ken, he will be not only handsome, but also strong, loyal, and friendly. The name Ken was at its peak in the 1960s when it was the #177 most popular baby boy name. It came off the Top 1000 after 1995, which makes it a unique baby boy name.

Lara

lara croft tomb raider
Images: Eidos Interactive / Tomb Raider

Lara is a classic but powerful name. It is the more British version of the name Laura, with less of a prairie feel. Your little girl is bound to be smart, pretty and athletic like the protagonist of the 1996 girl-power game, Tomb Raider. Lara Croft is undeniably one of the most popular video game characters. She even won six Guinness World Records, has a large fan following and has been portrayed by beauties like Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander in films. Even the meaning of the name matches the impact of the video game sex symbol. Lara means ”protection” in Russian.

Lucas

lucas super smash bros.
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

Lucas is a great Hebrew name that is associated with the Book of Luke from the Bible. It also means ”light” in Latin. If you name your son Lucas, he also shares a name with the character from the video game EarthBound. Lucas is a shy young boy who is very powerful. Along with being a supporting character in EarthBound, he also fought in Super Smash Bros. If you name your baby boy Lucas, they may not be the only Lucas in their class. Lucas started to surge in popularity in the 1970s and it is the fifth most popular baby boy name in 2019. Lucas is also the name of the Pokemon trainer in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

Lucina

lucina fire emblem super smash bros.
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

Lucina is an alternative to the name Lucy, with a less girly, frilly feel. It is also the name of the bad-ass female character in the video game, Fire Emblem. If you name your baby girl Lucina, she will be strong, loyal, and determined. Video game critics praised Lucina because she is not a damsel-in-distress, oversexualized, or a female version of a popular male character. Lucina is a Latin name that means ”illumination”. Lucina is also the Roman goddess who represented childbirth and ”the giver of light” to newborn babies. It was always a rare beautiful name, but it has declined in popularity since the late 1800s. It has tripled in popularity from 2012 to 2016 since the release of Fire Emblem Awakening in 2012.

Luma

rosalina and luma super mario galaxy
Images: Nintendo / Super Mario Galaxy

Do you remember when the name Luna used to be a unique name? Yeah, me too. After Chrissy Teigen and John Legend named their baby girl Luna in 2016, the name quickly flew from #110 in 2015 to #37 in 2017. Now in 2019, the name is the tenth most popular baby girl name in the United States. Luma is an Indian name that means ”sunset”. Luma is also the name of the star- like companions that appear in the video game, Super Mario Galaxy. They accompany Princess Rosalina throughout the game and refer to her as their ”mama”. You can see a Luma accompanying Rosalina in Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros. Will Luma become popular like the name Luna? From 2016 to 2017, the name doubled in popularity.

Miles

tails the fox sonic the hedgehog
Images: Fox/ The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

You probably know about Tails the Fox from Sonic the Hedgehog. Tails was Sonic’s sidekick and was like a little brother to him. But did you know that Tails’ real name is Miles? Bet you didn’t! Miles means ”soldier” in Latin, which matches Tails’ loyalty to his friends, Sonic and Knuckles. If your child is named Miles, he will be very intelligent but also sweet and humble like the cartoon fox. Even though Miles is ranked #115 in 2019, just shy of the Top 100, the name will become more popular very quickly. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend named their son Miles in 2018. Miles Morales is also the leading protagonist in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that came out in December 2018.

Nathan

nathan drake uncharted
Images: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Uncharted

You may know Nathan as a name from the Bible. A prophet named Nathan served King David in Biblical times. Nathan is a Hebrew name that means ”he gave”. Nathan Drake from Uncharted may not be a Biblical character, but he is very smart, witty, and strong. He believes that he is a descendant of the explorer, Sir Francis Drake. Nathan is among the Top 50 most popular baby boy names. It ranked #45 in 2017. If you name your baby boy Nathan, he will also share his name with Nathan Summer, who is Cable in the comic book and movie X- Men.

Peach

princess peach super smash bros.
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

This name pays homage to Princess Peach from the Super Mario Series. Also known as Princess Toadstool, she is the original damsel-in-distress and Mario’s significant other. However, Princess Peach is not just a damsel-in-distress. Peach and Mario reverse roles in the video game, Super Princess Peach. She also kicks butt in Super Smash Bros, Mario Strikers Charged, and Mario Kart. We can definitely see the name Peach becoming a more popular baby name. Princess Peach shares her name with one of the twin sisters from ”What A Girl Wants”. Peach is also the name of the antagonist from the Netflix series, ”You”.

Rosalina

rosalina super smash bros.
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

Rosalina is a beautiful adaption of the names Rosa, Rosalie, and Lena. People would not know that you stole your baby name from the outer space princess from Super Mario Galaxy. Like Princess Rosalina, your little girl is bound to be beautiful, generous, and compassionate. She has a striking appearance, with light blonde long hair, a bang covering her eyes, light blue eyes, and a long, lean figure. She appeared in Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Party. The name unsurprisingly means ”rose” in Latin. The Nintendo character definitely had an impact on the popularity of this name. The name flew from 19 babies born per million in 2006 to 128 babies born per million in 2018.

Rouge

rouge the bat sonic adventure 2
Images: Sega / Sonic Adventure 2

If you want an edgy name for your baby girl, you can name your baby girl after the mysterious Rouge the Bat. Rouge is controversial in appearance for a children’s video game since she wears heavy makeup, thigh high boots, and a heart-shaped corset. However, she is very intelligent and cunning, and she is always able to get others to do what she wants. If your child is named Rouge, you will never have to worry about her following others. She will march to the beat of her own drum and will always speak her mind. Rouge means ”red” in French and is a very unique name. Only 2 babies per one million were named Rouge in 2016.

Sam

samus metroid
Images: Nintendo / Metroid

If you choose to name your baby girl Sam, it does not have to be short for Samantha. It can be a shout out to one of the most powerful video game heroines of all time, Samus Aran. Since 1986, when the first Metroid game came out, Samus was applauded as the first dominant female protagonist in video game history. She is also one of the top characters in the Super Smash Bros. Series ever since she joined the original Super Smash Bros in 1999. Sam is a Hebrew name meaning ”God has heard”. Even though Sam is a common female nickname, it is still a relatively rare name first name. Only seven babies for every million people were named Sam as a first name.

Sora

sora kingdom hearts
Images: Square Enix & Disney / Kingdom Hearts

If you are a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, you would know this name from the Final Fantasy/ Disney mashup. The Kingdom Hearts protagonist teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy to help King Mickey and fight several Disney villains. Even though it is mainly a girl’s name in America, it is unisex in Japan. Sora means ”sky” in Japanese. Therefore, it can be a more unique alternative to the name, Skye. The protagonist of Kingdom Hearts is not the only well-known Sora. If you were a 90’s kid, you would remember Sora as Tai’s female best friend in the TV series, Digimon.

Yoshi

yoshi super smash bros.
Images: Nintendo / Super Smash Bros.

If you loved the sidekick of the Super Mario Brothers series, you are not alone. The trusty dinosaur was listed as ”20 Top Video Game Sidekicks of All Time” according to WhatCulture. However, Yoshi was not just a sidekick. He is well-known for his role is ”Yoshi’s Island” where he saves Baby Mario and Baby Luigi from a villainous witch named Kamek. He is a playable character in Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and Mario Party. Yoshi is a unisex but more often boy’s name that means ”respectful” in Japanese. If you want a feminine name for your baby girl, you can also name your girl Yoshiko, which means ”good child”.

Zelda

the legend of zelda
Images: Nintendo / The Legend of Zelda

If you name your little girl Zelda, you would not be naming her after a damsel in distress. Even though Link saves her from Ganondorf in the series, she has a couple of bad-ass alter egos. She becomes a ninja named Sheik in Ocarina of Time. She also becomes a pirate captain named Tetra in The Wind Waker. Zelda means ”strong woman” in German, which matches the Legend of Zelda protagonist. Princess Zelda is not the only powerful woman with this name. She shares her name with 1920’s writer, Zelda Fitzgerald, who was the wife of the Great Gatsby writer. Marilyn Monroe also went by an alter ego named Zelda Zonk.

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