41 football-inspired baby names

It's every football-mad parent's dream to name their child after a favourite player or club, right? From Alessia to Zlatan, who will you name your little kicker after?

Alessia Russo is an England player and Man Utd ace who has made headlines for her amazing backheel over Sweden in the Euro 2022 semis. Could this be the perfect name for your little kicker?

Alex, traditionally short for Alexander or Alexandra, is a great unisex choice for your new arrival.

They could follow in the footsteps of Alex Scott MBE, former Arsenal player and Strictly Come Dancing contestant, or American female footie star Alex Morgan.

Manchester United fan? How about getting inspo from former manager of the club, Alex Ferguson? Or even Alex after Oxlade-Chamberlain if you're a fan of rivals Liverpool!

Andrés Luján is a Spanish footballer who plays for Japanese football club Vissel Kobe, as a central midfielder. Go for this name if you like the sound of Andrew, but want to give it a footie twist.

The perfect name for when you have your own little angel ... well, they can be angels sometimes. Ángel Di María Hernández is an Argentine footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and his national team.

Shake up the classic name Anton by sticking an i and e in there too. Antoine Griezmann is a French footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the French national team.

Arjen Robben is a Dutch footballer for Bayern Munich, who's known for his dribbling skills, speed and crossing ability. We're sure your baby will be just as good at dribbling!

Beth Mead is an England and Arsenal player who has won a legion of fans for her Euros performances.

In 2016, the player was also awarded the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year award. Wow!

Everyone's heard this name.

Retired football legend David Beckham now spends his days running his own football team. Show some appreciation for England's much loved midfielder by giving your son the same name.

Like David Beckham, another footballer turned underwear model we're familiar with is Cristiano Ronaldo. The dad of four, who plays for Juventus and the Portugal national team, liked his name so much he gave it to his eldest son.

After Dele Alli who plays for England and Spurs. Dele is actually a Nigerian name, short for Bamidele, which means 'follow me home'. How lovely!

Although the strong name Dimitri is of Russian origin, the footballer Dimitri Payet is French. He plays for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille and his home country.

Chelsea FC player Eden Hazard is one of the lucky footballers to have a chant song about them. With biblical inspiration, Eden is a very cute gender-neutral name for football fans.

Footballers come from all over the world, which means there is a huge variety of names. This time, get inspired by Edinson Cavani Gómez from Uruguay. The footballer plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and his home country.

Ellen means 'bright, shining light', just like footballer Ellen White who shines on the Manchester City and Lionesses teams.

This is a great pick if you're looking for something a bit more subtle.

Fran Kirby is an England forward who has a key role in the Euros 2022 squad.

The name 'Fran' is of Latin origin and means 'from France.'

Lover of all things Italian? Giorgio could be your go-to choice of name. Giorgio Chiellini is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Juventus, and the Italian national football team.

Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chelsea FC, as well as his home country. Your baby could be just as speedy when they start crawling!

Our saving grace from the 2018 World Cup, England captain Harry Kane. When he's not carrying the weight of the nation's pride on his shoulders, the striker plays for Tottenham Hotspur. Will your baby Harry give the country something to be proud of?

It's not quite what you think ... This version of the traditional name is actually pronounced Ha-mez, after the Colombian footballer James David Rodríguez Rubio.

A versatile name for a baby boy or girl, inspired by England and Manchester United player, Jesse Lingard.

Hendrik Johannes Cruijff, known as Johan Cruyff, is a former Dutch footballer who won the Ballon d'Or – a French football award – three times! A baby Johan could be just as talented ...

Whether you have a baby boy or girl on the way, there are plenty of footie stars named Jordan.

For the England men's team, there's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford or midfielder Jordan Henderson. For the women's team, there's midfielder Jordan Nobbs.

Want to honour the Tottenham striker even more obviously? Use Harry Kane's surname instead, which actually means 'warrior'.

Lionel Messi has the second-most goals scored of all time in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League – so he's a pretty big deal. The Argentine footballer plays for FC Barcelona and his national team. He shortens his name to Lio, if you wanted to copy that too.

Luka Modric plays for Real Madrid and his home country, Croatia. This cute name is more common with the unisex spelling, Luca.

Luis Suárez is a striker who plays for FC Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. Different forms of this name have become popular over the past few years, especially after the arrival of little Prince Louis in 2018.

Mary Earps is an England goalkeeper who has been a crucial part of the Lionesses Euros 2022 success.

The name 'Mary' is or Hebrew origin and means the sea/bitter/beloved.

The meaning of Marcus stems from Latin and the Roman God of War, Mars.

Marcus Rashford MBE, who plays for Manchester United and England, has been a saviour for parents and kids by actively campaigning for an improvement to free school meals and vouchers during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as raising awareness about child poverty.

What an inspiration!

Megan, meaning 'pearl' is inspired by the pink-haired American player Megan Rapinoe.

She was named the best FIFA women's player in 2019 ... what will your baby girl be best at?

Mia is a pretty girls' name, but it has a lot of history behind it in the football world.

Retired American player Mia Hamm is considered as one of the first major female football stars. She was captain of the American national women's team for THREE Olympic games and held the record for most international goals scored – by a woman or man – until 2013.

Nikita is the Russian variation of the name Nicole, which means 'people of victory'.

Nikita Parris is an English professional footballer who plays for Olympique Lyonnais and the England national team.

It seems the sporty gene is strong in her family, as her sister is pro boxer Natasha Jonas. Will it be strong in yours, too?

Pelé is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a forward. He's regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time, so this name could set a precedent for your little one!

Inspired by Philippe Coutinho, who plays for FC Barcelona and Brazil as a midfielder. Philippe is a classic French name, which has been adapted to Philip in the UK.

Raheem Sterling plays as a midfielder for Manchester City and the England national team. The young player increased in popularity when he called out the media for portraying black players in a bad light.

English treasure Rio Ferdinand is retired from playing the game professionally, but now he's a television pundit for BT Sport. A great name to make you think of a hot holiday in Brazil, too.

Rubén González Rocha is originally from Spain, but now plays for the Indian football club Delhi Dynamos. Ruben couldn't be more appropriate as a baby boy name, translating to 'behold, a son'.

The name Sergio comes from Spain, just like Sergio Ramos García, the captain of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. Why not give your baby a Mediterranean moniker?

Thierry Henry is an infamous retired French footballer, who used to play for Arsenal. He still holds the title of most goals scored for the French national team. What will your baby be the best at?

Jamie Vardy plays for Leicester City and England. Jamie still works as a nice name if you want something a bit more popular than Vardy, and it can be girls' name too. Win-win.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane, known as Zizou, is a former French footballer and current manager of Real Madrid Castilla. Xavier Hernández Creus, known as Xavi, is a player for Qatari club Al Sadd. Either pair of these unique names would be brilliant for twin boys.

Want your baby to stand out in the school register? This Swedish name belongs to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who plays for LA Galaxy. Zlatan translates to 'gold'.