There are many places to find baby name ideas: classic literature, reliable name books, your favorite movie, What to Expect (of course!) — you name it. But one source of name inspiration you might not have considered? Super Bowl LV.
Whether you’re a parent-to-be or just like to keep a shortlist of names for the future, the Super Bowl provides an array of name options. Think about it: You absorb athletes’ names constantly while watching a football game, whether you’re listening to commentators marveling at big plays or reading stats at the bottom of the screen, not to mention the broadcasters, referees and performers. Who would have thought you could get new baby name ideas in between commercials?
Read on to learn more about the name popularity of some of big names featured in Sunday’s broadcast, according to data from the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Tom Brady
Tampa Bay quarterback
Tom Brady is top-ranked for career touchdowns, and his first name (officially Thomas) is pretty popular, too. As of 2019, Thomas ranked as the 47th most popular name for boys in the U.S. However, the name is less popular than it was in 1967 (the year of the first-ever Super Bowl) when it ranked number 12. Tom, meanwhile, hasn’t been in the top 1,000 names for boys since 1995.
Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City quarterback
While Patrick Mahomes outranks tons of quarterbacks, his name has dropped in popularity in recent years, currently sitting at the 206th most popular name spot for boys. Coincidentally, though, the name Patrick reached its peak popularity in 1968 with a number 30 spot, the year right after the first Super Bowl took place.
Rob Gronkowski
Tampa Bay tight end
Like Patrick, the name Robert (Rob Gronkowski’s full first name) has declined in recent decades. It’s currently the 76th most popular name for boys, but was at its peak in 1976 when it clinched the number one spot. Rob, meanwhile, is currently number 982.
Top 1,000 Baby Names for Boys
Top 1,000 Baby Names for Girls
Unisex Baby Names
Top 1,000 Baby Names for Boys
Top 1,000 Baby Names for Girls
Unisex Baby Names
Travis Kelce
Kansas City tight end
While the name Travis was fairly common in the ’70s, it has since declined in popularity. The name is currently at spot 323 for boys, falling nine spots from its number 314 rank last year and 287 spots from its number 36 rank in 1979, the year it peaked.
Leonard Fournette
Tampa Bay wide receiver
For over 100 years, the name Leonard has remained in the top 1,000 baby names for boys. It hit its peak in 1923 when it was the 37th most popular name. It has declined in the following years, though, holding spot 611 currently.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Kansas City wide receiver
Like Leonard, the name Clyde was popular in the early 20th century, peaking at spot 51 in 1904. Today, it’s the 777th most popular name for boys across the country.
Bruce Arians
Tampa Bay head coach
While the name Bruce is currently the 472nd most popular boy name, it hit its peak in 1952 when it was number 25 — which just so happens to be the year that Bruce Arians was born. (Makes sense!)
Andy Reid
Kansas City head coach
The name Andrew (Andy Reid’s full first name) is more popular today than it was when he was born in 1958. Andrew was the 55th most popular name for boys that year, and it’s currently the 46th top name choice. The name peaked in 2003 when it was the fifth most popular name for boys, and has been mostly declining since.
Amanda Gorman
National Youth Poet Laureate, reciting a poem
Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate who gave a reading at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, continues to make waves as she becomes the first poet to perform at a Super Bowl. The name Amanda peaked in 1980 as the second most popular name for girls. The name dropped out of the top 100 in 2006, and currently holds the number 405 spot.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, aka H.E.R.
Singer, performing “America the Beautiful”
Not only is H.E.R. a renowned singer, her official first name, Gabriella, is also popular: It’s currently the 76th top name for girls, and ranked 33rd in 2010.
Jazmine Sullivan
Singer, performing the national anthem with Eric Church
R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan’s first name is currently the 706th most popular name for girls, but at one point it broke into the top 200 — it was at spot 195 in 1994. the name Jazmine first appeared in the top 1,000 baby girl names in 1985 at spot 908.
Sarah Thomas
First female referee to officiate a Super Bowl
Like the name Amanda, Sarah was especially popular in the ’80s and ’90s, peaking as the third most popular name for girls in 1993. In fact, the name hasn’t left the top 100 choices for girls since at least 1900; it’s currently at spot 81.
Tracy Wolfson
Sportscaster, alongside Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Evan Washburn, Jay Feely and rules analyst Gene Steratore
While the name Tracy was popular in the ’60s and ’70s (it peaked at number 10 in 1970), it currently sits at spot 951 for girl names in the U.S.
Emma
Most popular baby girl name in Florida as of 2019
While you might not officially see any Emmas on screen during the big game, the name is currently the top pick for girls in Florida, home of Tampa Bay and this year’s Super Bowl itself. In 2019, Emma replaced Isabella as the top girl name in the state, and is currently the second most popular name for girls nationwide.
Olivia
Most popular baby girl name in Missouri as of 2019
Olivia is currently the number one baby girl name in Missouri, home of Kansas City. While Olivia holds the number three spot in Florida currently, it has been the top name for girls in Missouri since 2015. It’s also currently the top baby name for girls across the U.S.
Learn what you can do to urge the NFL, Kansas City football team and other sports leagues to ban the use of Native mascots, team names, racist fan behavior and more with resources from IllumiNative here.