Rhaenyra was invented by George R. R. Martin for Rhaenyra Targaryen, the princess known in his books as the "Realm's Delight", whose claim to the Iron Throne drives the HBO series House of the Dragon. Like all Targaryen names it has no meaning outside the story, but its Rhae- opening ties it to a whole dynasty of dragon riders. The name first appeared in the US data in 2022, when the show premiered, jumped to number 1644 in 2023 and stands at number 1853 in 2025.