Sports stars baby names
Handpicked for families who want names with roots: the beloved classics, what parents in the culture choose today, and the cool discoveries most US name sites never surface.
Allyson noble (form of Alison, from Alice); famously borne by Allyson Felix
Althea healer, wholesome (Greek althos, 'healing'); famously borne by trailblazing champion Althea Gibson
Andre manly, brave (French form of Andrew); famously borne by Andre Agassi
Annika grace (Scandinavian pet form of Anna); famously borne by golf great Annika Sörenstam
Arthur bear, noble; famously borne by tennis pioneer Arthur Ashe
Ayrton farm on the River Aire (English surname and place name); famously borne by F1 legend Ayrton Senna
Bethany house of figs (biblical village near Jerusalem); famously borne by surfer Bethany Hamilton
Billie resolute protector (pet form of Wilhelmina and William); famously borne by Billie Jean King
Candace queen mother (ancient royal title of Kush, borne in the Bible); famously borne by Candace Parker
Carl free man; famously borne by Carl Lewis
Chloe blooming, verdant; famously borne by snowboarder Chloe Kim
Coco affectionate French pet name, as in Coco Chanel; famously borne by Coco Gauff
Danica morning star (Slavic); famously borne by racing driver Danica Patrick
Derek ruler of the people; famously borne by Derek Jeter
Eileen shining, light (Irish form of Eibhlín); famously borne by Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu, known in China as Gu Ailing
Florence flourishing; famously borne by sprint legend Florence Griffith Joyner
Gabby God is my strength (pet form of Gabrielle); famously borne by Gabby Douglas
Hank estate ruler (American pet form of Henry); famously borne by Hank Aaron
Ichiro first son (Japanese 一朗); famously borne by baseball great Ichiro Suzuki
Jackie pet form of Jack and Jacqueline, from John, 'God is gracious'; famously borne by Jackie Robinson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jesse gift; God exists; famously borne by Jesse Owens
Kareem generous, noble (Arabic); famously borne by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Katie pure (pet form of Katherine); famously borne by swimmer Katie Ledecky
Kelly descendant of Ceallach (Irish, traditionally 'bright-headed'); famously borne by surfing great Kelly Slater
Kobe from the Japanese port city of Kobe; famously borne by Kobe Bryant
Laila night (Arabic); famously borne by boxing champion Laila Ali
Laird lord of the land, landowner (Scottish); famously borne by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton
Larry laurel (pet form of Lawrence); famously borne by Larry Bird
LeBron modern American coinage; famously borne by LeBron James
Lewis renowned warrior (English form of Louis); famously borne by F1 champion Lewis Hamilton
Lisa consecrated to God (short form of Elisabeth); famously borne by Lisa Leslie
Lou renowned warrior (short form of Louis); famously borne by Lou Gehrig
Mario of Mars, warlike (Italian form of Marius); famously borne by Mario Andretti
Martina of Mars, warlike (feminine of Martin); famously borne by Martina Navratilova
Michael who is like God; famously borne by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps
Mickey who is like God (pet form of Michael); famously borne by Mickey Mantle
Muhammad praiseworthy (Arabic); famously borne by Muhammad Ali
Nadia hope (from Russian Nadya); famously borne by Nadia Comăneci
Naomi pleasantness; famously borne by Naomi Osaka
Novak new, newcomer (South Slavic); famously borne by Novak Djokovic
Peyton from an English place name, 'Paega's town'; famously borne by Peyton Manning
Rafael God has healed; famously borne by Rafael Nadal
Roberto bright fame (Spanish and Italian form of Robert); famously borne by Roberto Clemente
Roger famous spearman; famously borne by Roger Federer
Ronda from the Rhondda Valley of Wales; also a Spanish city name; famously borne by Ronda Rousey
Serena serene, tranquil; famously borne by Serena Williams
Shaquille handsome, well-formed (from Arabic Shakil); famously borne by Shaquille O'Neal
Shaun God is gracious (form of Seán, the Irish John); famously borne by snowboarder Shaun White
Shohei soaring peace (Japanese 翔平); famously borne by Shohei Ohtani
Sidney wide meadow (English surname); famously borne by Sidney Crosby
Simone she has heard (French feminine of Simon); famously borne by Simone Biles
Sue lily (short form of Susan); famously borne by Sue Bird
Tara hill of the kings, seat of Ireland's ancient high kings; famously borne by figure skater Tara Lipinski
Tiger English word name for the big cat; famously the lifelong nickname-turned-name of golfer Tiger Woods, born Eldrick
Tom twin (short form of Thomas); famously borne by Tom Brady
Tony from Anthony, a Roman family name of uncertain meaning; famously borne by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk
Usain of uncertain origin, likely a form of Arabic Husayn, 'handsome'; famously borne by Usain Bolt
Venus the Roman goddess of love and the morning star; famously borne by Venus Williams
Wayne wagon maker; famously borne by Wayne Gretzky
Wilma resolute protection (short form of Wilhelmina); famously borne by Wilma Rudolph
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