Women’s World Cup: The most popular football inspired baby names, data reveals

Football fans have shown their dedication to the beautiful game in some incredible ways. Ahead of the 2023 Carabao Cup final, one Newcastle fan was so sure the Magpies would take home the trophy at Wembley they had a tattoo done three days before the final.

With this level of dedication in mind, the experts at Livefootballtickets.com were curious to discover which football players had inspired new parents and fans to name their child after them, and which player’s name is the most popular. 

To do this, Livefootballtickets.com compiled a seed list of 100 of the most popular footballers from the past and present. From this, the surnames of each player were inputted into the name database tool Forebears.io to identify which footballers last name is the most popular choice among parents to be. 

The top ten most popular footballer inspired baby names

Please find the full dataset used in the study here.

Salah is the most popular football inspired baby name

Salah is in first place with an estimated 1.2 million (1,253,800) people bearing this first name across the world. This is a staggering 162 times more popular than Gerrard, which has approximately 7,639 people bearing the name of retired Liverpool captain and legend Steven Gerrard. Mo Salah is a fellow Liverpool legend, as proved in a 2021 fan survey voting him as the best male player, so it’s no surprise that his name is such a popular choice among new parents. Although the popularity of Mo Salah could influence parents’ choice in the name, Salah also has an important meaning of “prayer” or “worship”. This carries a positive and spiritually resonant connotation, making it an appealing choice for families seeking names with a deeper significance. 

The name Ronaldo, carried by iconic players Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo ranks second with almost half a million (463,228) people bearing this as a first name across the world. The name Ronaldo is most prevalent in Brazil, the birthplace of legendary striker Ronaldo Nazario who, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, are both widely regarded as some of the greatest players of all time (G.O.A.T’s), making them strong contenders for a baby name. Cristiano Ronaldo, along with Messi are both current players who have achieved the coveted G.O.A.T status however, the name Messi has just 8,084 people bearing the name globally, 57 times less popular than Ronaldo. 

Dias places third with an estimated 59,962 people bearing the name across the globe. Legendary Brazilian player, Roberto Dias, was considered by Pele to be the best defender of the 60’s and 70’s. His achievements and skills have earned attention and admiration from football enthusiasts, which may influence parents to choose the name “Dias” for their children as a tribute or to associate them with positive qualities. Fellow Brazilian player Neymar, is also regarded as one of the best Brazilian players of all time, however the name has just 2,799 people bearing the name worldwide. This makes the name Dias 21 times more popular than the name Neymar. 

Kane places as the tenth most popular name

Kane takes the tenth spot with an estimated 26,688 people bearing the name worldwide. Harry Kane is a Tottenham Hotspur star and three lions captain. His skills, strong leadership qualities and achievements, such as leading England to a Euro’s final in 2021 have had a positive impact on his fans and it is no surprise that Kane is becoming an increasingly popular name choice. 

The most popular female footballer inspired baby name

Kelly takes top spot as the most popular football inspired baby name, with approximately 1.5 million people (1,403,234) bearing it worldwide. Although Kelly has been a popular name worldwide for some time, specifically peaking in popularity in the 60s and 70s, Man City forward Chloe Kelly’s winning goal at the Euro’s last year could have been a strong influence for many soon-to-be parents.