Soccer (aka football) is the hottest sport right now because of the World Cup. Even though the U.S. has been eliminated, that doesn’t mean you can’t consider these international monikers when choosing your baby’s name. Or maybe you call yourself by one of these!
An analysis of 92 years of World Cup players – almost 8,000 names! – was done by Gamblingngo.com. The names of every player, including those who were benched, in every World Cup tournament from 1930 to 2018 were calculated to determine the most popular player names in World Cup history.
The rankings are:
- Jose
- Carlos
- Luis
- Mario
- Roberto
- John
- David
- Peter
- Juan
- Jorge
Data was gathered from a public World Cup database. Formulas counted the names to determine the most popular World Cup names in history.
José is the most popular name in World Cup history. There are 89 players named José, which is 1 in 100 players.
Carlos is the second most popular name, with 79 players. It is a variant of Charles, meaning “free man.” Carlos Verri, aka “Dunga,” led the Brazilian national team to a World Cup victory against Italy in 1994, lifting the World Cup trophy.
Luis is the third most popular name, with 56 World Cup players. Meaning “renowned warrior,” it was once in the top 50 U.S. names. The current manager of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique, represented Spain in World Cups in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
There are 48 Marios throughout World Cup history, the fourth most popular name. As the fifth most popular name, there have been 46 Robertos in the World Cup. Originally a biblical name, John has stood the test of time. There have been 44 players with this name in the World Cup. The World Cup has seen 43 players named David in its history. Next up are 42 World Cup players named Peter. Meaning “rock,” it might be no surprise that two famous goalkeepers carry this name.
Juan is a popular Spanish name and the ninth most common, with 41 appearances. Rounding off the most popular names at No .10 is Jorge, with 39 World Cup players. It is the Spanish and Portuguese version of George meaning “farmer.” Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia represented his national team in World Cup 2010 and 2014.
New year, new baby? Check out these baby names inspired by Christmas, travel and current trends.