´óÏó´«Ã½

Parents are naming their children after Pokemon Go characters

  • Published
Baby "catching" Pokemon Go monster EeveeImage source, AP

Parents in the US are naming their children after characters from Pokemon Go.

According to Baby Center, an increasing number of newborns are going to grow up with first names like Roselia, Ash, Eevee and Onyx.

The US pregnancy and parenting website says around half of its users are playing the game regularly right now.

But it's unclear exactly how many new mothers and fathers will call their children Bulbasaur or Venonat.

"Parents are always looking to pop culture for baby name inspiration and, right now, it doesn't get hotter than Pokemon Go," said global editor in chief of Baby Center, Linda Murray.

"It's possible that parents' enthusiasm for the game will reignite their love for the brand and spark a full-fledged naming trend."

The website finds out what new parents are naming their babies while they're registering.

Mankey and Muk are said to be less popular - which is probably a good thing.

But we really hope there are some human Pidgeys throwing little red balls at each other in the not too distant future.

In other Pokemon Go-related naming news, a woman who found a stray cat in Florida two weeks ago has named it Mewtwo.

Carey Burns says she was in a car park near her flat when she heard the kitten crying and had to name her after a character from the game.

How names connected to Pokemon Go have grown in popularity compared to this time last year

1. Roselia - it's risen 5,859 spots

2. Onyx - up 2,184 spots

3. Star - 2,040

4. Eevee - 1,377 places

5. Ivy - 1,287 spots

6. Ash - 248 spots

7. Shay - 64 spots

Find us on Instagram at and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat