Best game of thrones character names

Level of whimsy : Buying a pillow with a pun about golfers on it. Level of whimsy : Swallowing a bug for no reason. Walder Frey. Name it almost is : Walter Sounds kind of : German?

Level of whimsy : Cleaning the stove. Stanley, even? Sansa Stark Is Sansa a real name? So why is this so far down here? Level of whimsy : Faking a months-long feud with your sister to gain political clout. Samwell Tarly. Joffrey Baratheon Name it almost is : Jeffrey Why are all the main characters at the bottom? That seems unfair : Because they have the most Game of Thrones —ass names. Daenerys Targaryen. Why is this No. It sounds vaguely Irish, but it is derived from both Hebrew and Greek.

Much like this show, it is unnecessarily complicated and overstuffed. Level of whimsy : Giving birth to dragons and raising them inside a cave. Already a subscriber? Log in or link your magazine subscription. Account Profile. Sign Out. The first of their weird names. Photo: HBO. A person named Quaithe. They were obviously so concerned with making this character change shocking that they completely missed the development that her characterization required, and she went from the show's fan-favorite character to its most controversial character.

Game of Thrones had a very solid track record with creating great villains excluding Daenerys , and Cersei was no exception. Played to perfection by Lena Headey, Cersei managed to be one of the most infuriating and needlessly cruel characters in the series, but she also managed to occasionally be slightly sympathetic and understandable too. Like many other characters though, she lost a lot of dimension in the final seasons, and watching her sit around drinking her woes away was a waste of a great villainess.

It can be difficult to judge the characters who lasted through the entire series, as the quality of the character development dipped considerably over time.

Jon Snow was one of the most obvious victims of this, as he spent years evolving into one of the best GOT characters, a genuine leader and a man who wanted to do good for the world, but who eventually seemed to only appear on screen to say that he didn't want to be king and that Daenerys was his queen. Many fans were immensely displeased by the fact that Jaime returned to Cersei at the end of Game of Thrones , but with that notable exception, he had a wonderful redemption arc.

He began as the most shockingly monstrous character in the very first episode, he went through an enormous amount of trials and tribulations and tried to be a decent man at the very end, even if he couldn't give up Cersei. Sansa Stark seemed to be nobody's favorite character at the beginning of Game of Thrones , but she went from a naive and spoiled little girl to a ferocious politician and leader who wound up winning the game of thrones. And unlike Bran, her ascent to leadership at least felt earned.

There were some huge mistakes in Sansa's storyline for instance, marrying her to Ramsay Bolton , but she had one of the most consistent and developed character arcs in the show.

Unfortunately, due to the erraticness of the plot and story development, there are very few characters who are completely consistent and well-written throughout the entire show. He loves to fight, drink, and sleep with women, and he hates the duties of ruling. Though he was exiled by Ned Stark for selling slaves, he is intelligent, valiant, and a great fighter. He swears allegiance to Viserys as true king of Westeros, but he also feeds information about the Targaryens back to Varys.

Brother of Daenerys and son of the murdered King Aerys Targaryen. Having lived in exile for many years, earning him the nickname of The Beggar King, he wants to return to Westeros and retake the throne. He is arrogant, cruel, easily angered, and foolish. A powerful khal king among the Dothraki people and the husband of Daenerys Targaryen.

Stoic and brave, Drogo is an exceptional warrior who shows his enemies no mercy. He controls a massive nomadic tribe, or khalasar. The repulsive prince of Westeros. The twelve-year-old Joff is the eldest child of Cersei and Robert, and he is spoiled, impulsive, and cruel when using his power as prince and heir to the throne.

Proud that he is not a knight, The Hound appears to have no scruples whatsoever and does what Joffrey orders, however cruel or unjust, without question. His face is scarred on one side by extensive burning inflicted by his brother, Gregor. The eldest Stark son and thus heir to Ned Stark. Though just fourteen, he is mature beyond his age as well as being brave and dutiful like his father.

Counselor to Ned, Catelyn, and Robb. Luwin is old and wise, and his advice proves indispensible to the Starks. Ned Stark took the young Theon, now nineteen, as a ward after putting down a rebellion led by the Greyjoy family, and Theon consequently grew up with the Stark children as something like a brother.

The calculating lord of Casterly Rock and the richest man in the realm. A fierce general, Tywin will go to great ends to protect the honor of the Lannister name. Bronn is smart and skilled, and he knows a good deal when he sees one. Though he is an unscrupulous mercenary, he develops something of a friendship with Tyrion. The inconstant and irrational ruler of the Eyrie and sister of Catelyn Stark.

Game of Thrones would never have become a television-changing sensation if it weren't for the early death of Ned Stark or the transformation of Jaime Lannister or the unforgettable evil of Joffrey Baratheon.

These characters defy categorization, upending our expectations of heroes and villains. Their paths through Westeros are shocking and painful and poetic. As entertaining as The Biggest Battle in TV History might be, it pales in comparison to the emotion these characters are able to capture.

That's the true human experience we connect to as viewers. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the show's groundbreaking first season, these are the 20 best characters ranked.

No one is innocent. And anyone who comes close to the moral heart of the show is killed swiftly and brutally. Yet, somehow, dear sweet Samwell Tarly played lovingly by John Bradley makes it through the end game against all odds, proving that even those of us with no notable physical talents can survive in the cutthroat land of Westeros.

And, who can blame him really? In this land of backstabbing and shifting loyalties and toppled dynasties, the only objective truth can be found in the shining consistency of cold hard currency. Oh Littlefinger you sneaky, creepy little shit. His love of Caitlyn Stark and Sansa Stark is both weird and problematic.

But, sometimes when serving himself and his own obsessions he can briefly do things that help our heroes along the way. Otherwise, Petyr Baelish is only looking out for number one. The coolest kid in Westeros. Bella Ramsey brings an unexpected intensity to the Lady of Bear Island. She fights and dies bravely after bringing her meager house to fight alongside the army of the living: "We are not a large house, but we are a proud one, and every man from Bear Island fights with the strength of ten mainlanders.

Who and what is she exactly, we never really find out. These are the questions that Game of Thrones never really bothers to answer. But no one really watches Game of Thrones for answers exactly. And perhaps she is so memorable because the Red Priestess remains largely a mystery long after the show ended. Both often fall into easy tropes, and, at their worst, use horrible abuse and sexual assault to move her character arc forward.

While much of the character building is unforgivable, there is some genius nuance to Sansa, who learns to weaponize the ways of the court, masters the art of deceit, and finds her rightful place as the Lady of Winterfell.

Now, if only she had been the one to end up on the Iron Throne The Spider, the Master of Whisperers. He serves the realm, and the realm alone.