This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3.Originally named "Baby Yoda" by fans, Din Grogu's name continues to break Star Wars conventions. When Grogu first appeared in The Mandalorian season 1's premiere back in 2019, viewers fell in love with the diminutive little alien. Lucasfilm initially wanted to refer to him as "the Child," but the name "Baby Yoda" caught on and soon became a definitive term. It was also one Lucasfilm wouldn't really be able to use for long, though; Star Wars is a generational saga, and Baby Yoda is sure to be a major player in the franchise for years to come, meaning he's going to grow up.

Even The Mandalorian's creators have itted the problem with Grogu's name. "It's not a cute little name," Jon Favreau itted. "[But] you know you don't want to be ‘Sparky’ and be like 600 years old. It was also hard because no matter what we named him, it wasn't going to be — it couldn't be — Baby Yoda." There's a sense, then, in which Lucasfilm faced something of a no-win scenario when it came to naming Grogu. That said, there are real reasons Grogu - and the recent extension of his name, Din Grogu - have raised eyebrows. It's because they actually break Star Wars convention.

3 Grogu's Name Breaks The Pattern Of Yoda & Yaddle

Precious little has been revealed about Yoda's species in Star Wars, and that's largely because George Lucas himself never wanted to tell their story. When questioned about Yoda's species, he once claimed he was really the secret love child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Lucasfilm even pulp the entire print run of a trading card showing a group of Yoda-like beings worshiping at an idol, probably due to Lucas' personal intervention. The rules were only relaxed after Lucas introduced another member of Yoda's race, Yaddle, in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

With only two of Yoda's species named in canon, most viewers assumed a naming convention was shared between them. There are clear patterns to the names of both Yoda and Yaddle; each begins with the letter Y and ends with a vowel. Grogu's does not, and therefore took viewers by surprise when it was revealed in The Mandalorian season 2.

2 Grogu Isn't The Right Sound For A Small Creature

Surprisingly, the name Grogu actually breaks a real-world language rule as well. As noted by linguist David Sidhu in an article for The Conversation, academic research suggests voiced stops like /g/ are associated with larger sizes, as are "vowels pronounced with the tongue toward the back of the mouth" - sounds like /o/ or /u/. It's unclear why this is the case; one theory suggests evolved associations based on the sounds made by animals. Whatever the case, research suggests a 69.85 percent chance someone would associate the name Grogu with something large. This means many people may simply be reacting to a basic sense that the name "Grogu" just doesn't sound right for such a small creature.

This may explain why Star Wars has made its Grogu name problem canon. There's one amusing scene in The Book of Boba Fett episode 7 where Din Djarin's friend Peli Motto had a decidedly unfavorable reaction to the name; "Grogu? Whoa, that's a terrible name," she observed in a comment that seemed appropriately meta. "Sorry about that, pal. No way am I calling you that." She seemed to be speaking for many viewers when she made that comment.

1 Grogu's New Name, Din Grogu, Breaks A Mandalorian Tradition

The Mandalorian season 3 ended with Grogu formally adopted by Din Djarin. This led to a change in Grogu's name, with the Armorer officially naming him "Din Grogu." The problem is, though, this name change breaks Mandalorian tradition; all evidence had previously indicated Mandalorian family names came after their given names, as in the cases of Jango Fett and Bo-Katan Kryze. It's possible the Armorer followed the naming conventions of Din Djarin's homeworld, but this in itself seems odd given the Children of the Watch tend to impose their own traditions on others.

It's worth noting that The Mandalorian has often paid homage to Japanese Samurai traditions. In traditional Japanese culture, the family name comes first. This may, then, simply be a subtle reference - but if so, it's one that has taken many viewers by surprise, and led to yet another confused and unhappy reaction to Grogu's name.

All episodes of The Mandalorian season 3 are streaming now on Disney+.