Parents naming children after football players and their children

Despite the woeful performance of the English football team this World Cup, parents are still looking towards footballers for inspiration when it comes to choosing a name for their baby.

Findings from parenting club Bounty, discovered in the past twelve months there have been 256 baby Rios, 105 Keegans, 4 Ferdinands, a Rooney and a Beckham.

But parents are not just naming their children after the sportsmen, they are setting a trend for copying the names famous football players choose for their own children.

Last year, a staggering 977 babies were named Kai, the same as Wayne Rooney’s son, 240 Brooklyns, 66 Cruz and 64 Romeos proving Beckham is still as popular as ever.

“Parents are increasingly influenced by celebrities when naming their children and it certainly looks like parents are taking a lot of inspiration from footballers – even if their playing has been less than inspiring lately,” says Faye Mingo of parenting club Bounty.