Daenerys is a name **invented by George R. R. Martin for his fantasy series *A Song of Ice and Fire***, possibly drawing on Greek roots and the Welsh Daenerys variant — though Martin has not confirmed a specific etymology. **Daenerys Targaryen — the Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and rightful heir to the Iron Throne** — appears across all five published novels (1996-2011) and the eight-season HBO television adaptation *Game of Thrones* (2011-2019). **Portrayed by Emilia Clarke**. **Approximately 3,500 American girls were named Daenerys (or the alternative "Khaleesi") between 2011 and 2018** — a name explosion unmatched by any fantasy series character.
Subject of Martin's *A Game of Thrones* (1996) and David Benioff and D.B. Weiss's HBO series.
Daenerys reduces to five — the number of Mother of Dragons.