Defining moments in these athletes’ careers caused a surge in baby names
Major sporting events have been inspiring and motivating young athletes for decades, but which of these events have inspired baby names?
New research carried out by Betsperts has analysed the latest ONS data to reveal which popular athletes and sporting moments are inspiring the most baby names in the UK.
See the full list of names here:
https://www.betsperts.com/news/sports-inspired-baby-names-uk/
Top 10 UK sporting moments which inspired baby names
| Athlete | Baby Name | Moment | Baby Names Year Before | Year | Baby Names Year After | Peaked in | Percentage Increase |
| Steven Gerrard | Gerrard | Champions League Final comeback - Istanbul 2005 | 8 | 2004 | 34 | 2006 | 325.00% |
| Thierry Henry | Thierry | "Arsenal Invincibles" season - 2003/04 | 26 | 2002 | 51 | 2004 | 96.15% |
| Mohamed Salah | Salah | Record-breaking Premier League season - Golden Boot win | 17 | 2017 | 30 | 2018 | 76.47% |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Trent | Champions League comeback - a record number of assists | 12 | 2018 | 21 | 2019 | 75.00% |
| Andy Murray | Murray | Won Wimbledon 2013 | 15 | 2012 | 23 | 2013 | 53.33% |
| Riyad Mahrez | Riyad | Premier League player of the season in 2016 | 18 | 2015 | 27 | 2016 | 50.00% |
The research also revealed:
Between 2000-2021, Andy Murray was the sports star who inspired the most baby names, with the name Murray being given to 492 babies.
The most influential sport for inspiring baby names is football, with 15 out of the overall 20 names being inspired by football stars.
Tyson Fury is the only boxer on the list to have inspired baby names, with 440 babies being named Tyson between 2000-2021.
You can view the full research here
