Don't be surprised if in 7 years' time there are a few kids named after soccer stars in Grade 1.
In just 12 months, the name Mateo – Lionel Messi's son's name – climbed from 14th to 9th most popular baby name among Spanish parents. It even climbed to popularity in South Africa through Cape Town City’s 7-year-old “mascot” and social media sensation, Mateo Manousakis.
So if you're feeling the soccer fever, here are some great names of the World Cup stars, and what they named their own children.
- Also see our lists of baby names inspired by royals, nature, struggle heroes, the Kardashian-Jenner klan, local celebs, Zulu names, Basotho names, Tshivenda names, Arabic names, and vintage names making a come-back.
Andrés Iniesta (M)
Meaning: Manly, brave
Origin: Spanish
The Spanish central midfielder who played for Barcelona from 2001 to 2018. He has played over 400 matches for the La Liga team and captained the team for three seasons. On 24 May 2018, he announced that he would be leaving the club to join Japanese club, Vissel Kobe in the coming season on a three-year contract.
Children:
Paolo (M)
Meaning: Small
Origin: Italian
Valeria (F)
Meaning: Strength, health
Origin: Latin
Ángel Di María (M)
Meaning: Angel
Origin: Spanish
Argentine attacking midfielder who currently plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain. He previously played for Real Madrid and Manchester United.
*fun fact: Ángel's full name means Angel of Mary
Children:
Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian; Scandinavian short form of Maria
Pia (F)
Meaning: From Mount Olympus
Origin: Latin
Antoine Griezmann (M)
Meaning: Priceless one
Origin: French variation of Anthony
French forward who plays for La Liga team, Atlético Madrid. He ranks fourth among UEFA European Championship goalscorers by total six goals scored.
Children:
Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian
Also read: "We're not reconciling our youth with sport, we're dividing them"
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (M)
Meaning: follower of Christ
Origin: Italian and Portuguese variation of Christian
Portuguese forward who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He's considered one of the best football players of all time. He holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues with 395 goals.
*Fun fact: his second name was given to him because he was named after Ronald Regan, his parents thought it was a strong name. The name means "ruler's counselor".
Children:
Cristiano Ronaldo Jnr (M)
Mateo (M)
Meaning: Gift of God
Origin: Spanish variation of Matthew
Alana (F)
Meaning: Precious
Origin: Gaelic
Eva (F)
Meaning: Life
Origin: Latin form of Eve
Eden Hazard (M)
Meaning: Place of pleasure, delight
Origin: Hebrew
Belgian attacking midfielder who plays for EPL team, Chelsea. He's the oldest of four brothers, two of which play professional football as well.
Children:
Yannis (M)
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Greek variation of John
Leo (M)
Meaning: Lion
Origin: Latin
Samy (M)
Meaning: Told by God
Origin: French variantion of Samuel
Also read: These are the baby names that are set to be huge in 2018
Francisco Alarcón Suárez
Meaning: Free man
Origin: Spanish and Portuguese variation of Francis
Spanish midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He's commonly known as 'Isco'.
Children:
Franciso Jnr (M)
Harry Kane
Meaning: Estate ruler
Origin: Diminutive of Henry
English striker who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, he currently captains the English National Team.
Children:
Ivy (F)
Meaning: Faithfulness
Origin: English
Jakub Blaszczykowski (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Polish variation of Jacob
Polish midfielder who plays for Bundesliga team, Vlf Wolfsburg. With 97 appearances he is the third-most capped player for Poland.
*Fun fact: Fans and friends refer to him as 'Kuba'.
Children:
Oliwia (F)
Meaning: Olive tree
Origin: Polish variation of Olivia
Lena (F)
Meaning: Light
Origin: Hebrew
Also read: Stormi and 100 other baby names inspired by nature
James Rodríguez (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: English variation of Jacob
Colombian midfielder who is currently on loan from Real Madrid to Bundesliga club, Bayern Munich.
Children:
Salomé (F)
Meaning: Peace, tranquil
Origin: Hebrew
John Obi Mikel (M)
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Hebrew
Nigerian midfielder who currently plays for Chinese club Tianjin Teda FC.
Children:
Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian; Scandinavian short form of Maria
Eva (F)
Meaning: Life
Origin: Latin form of Eve, Hebrew
Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira (Pepe)
Meaning: Cap maker
Origin: German
Portuguese defender who currently plays for Turkish club team, Besiktas. He and the Portuguese who given an Order of Merit (Portuguese equivalent of bing knighted) after winning the 2016 UEFA European Championship.
Children:
Emily (F)
Meaning: Rival
Origin: Feminine variation of Emil, Latin
Angeli (F)
Meaning: Angel
Origin: Latin
Also read: Henry Charles Albert David, Rachel Meghan and more royal baby names!
Kevin de Bruyne
Meaning: Handsome
Origin: Irish
Belgian midfielder who currently plays for Manchester City FC. He was ranked the fourth-best footballer in the world by The Guardian in 2017.
Children:
Mason (M)
Meaning: Worker in stone
Origin: English
Lionel Messi (M)
Meaning: Young lion
Origin: Latin
Argentine forward who plays for La Liga team, Barcelona, where he has spent his entire football career. He is regarded is one of the best players of all time. He has won five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively.
Children:
Thiago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish
Mateo (M)
Meaning: Gift of God
Origin: Spanish variation of Matthew
Ciro (M)
Meaning: Sun or throne
Origin: Italian variation of Cyrus
Luka Modric (M)
Meaning: Man from Lucania
Origin: Italian variation of Luke and Lucas
Croatian midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid.
Children:
Ivana (F)
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Feminine variation of Ivan, Russian
Ema (F)
Meaning: Beloved
Origin: Romanian
Sofia (F)
Meaning: Wisdom
Origin: Greek
Lukasz Piszczek
Meaning: Man from Lucania
Origin: Polish variation of Luke and Lucas
Polish defender who plays for Bundesliga team, Borussia Dortmund.
Children:
Sara (F)
Meaning: Princess
Origin: Hebrew
Also read: From Nelson to Oprah: Iconic heroes to inspire your next baby's name
Marcelo Vieira (M)
Meaning: Young warrior
Origin: Latin
Brazilian defender who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He is the Brazilian national team's current captain.
Children:
Enzo (M)
Meaning: Estate ruler
Origin: Italian variation of Henry, German
Liam (M)
Meaning: Resolute protection
Origin: Irish short form of William
Neymar Júnior
Meaning: unknown
Origin: Brazilian
Brazilian forward who plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain. He's the most expensive Association Football transfer; PSG paid Barcelona £198 million for him to join their team in 2017.
Children:
David (M)
Meaning: Beloved
Origin: Hebrew
Olivier Giroud (M)
Meaning: Olive tree
Origin: French
French forward who plays for English club team, Chelsea FC. He previously played for Arsenal FC where he won the FA Cup with the team in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and totaled 105 goals in 253 games for the club.
Children:
Jade (F)
Meaning: Stone of the side
Origin: Spanish
Evan (M)
Meaning: The Lord is gracious
Origin: Welsh variation of John
Radamel Falcao
Meaning: Unknown
Origin: Spanish
Colombian striker who plays for Ligue 1 team, AS Monaco FC. Colombian national teams’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Children:
Dominique (F)
Meaning: Belonging to a lord
Origin: French
Desirée (F)
Meaning: Desired, wished
Origin: French
Annette (F)
Meaning: The Lord has favoured me
Origin: French
Raheem Sterling (M)
Meaning: Empathetic, merciful
Origin: Arabic
English attacking midfielder who plays for Premier League team, Manchester City FC. His 2015 transfer to Manchester City was worth £49 million, this is the highest transfer fee ever paid for an English player.
Children:
Melody (F)
Meaning: Song
Origin: Greek
Thiago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish
Also read: From Aisha to Khalid and Walid: 200 Arabic baby names and meanings
Robert Lewandowski (M)
Meaning: Bright, fame
Origin: German
Polish captain and forward, he plays for Bundesliga team, Bayern Munich.
Children:
Klara (F)
Meaning: Bright, clear
Origin: Slavic variation of Clara, Latin
Sergio Agüero (M)
Meaning: Servant, vassal, soldier
Origin: From the Roman clan name Sergius
Argentine striker who plays for Manchester City FC. He was previously married to football legend, Diego Maradona's daughter. The two separated in 2012. Agüero shares a close friendship with Lionel Messi, who even wrote the forward to his autobiography, Born to Rise.
Children:
Benjamin (M)
Meaning: Son of the right hand
Origin: Hebrew
Sergio Ramos (M)
Meaning: Servant, vassal, soldier
Origin: From the Roman clan name Sergius
Spanish defender who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. He has been named La Liga's Best Defender a record four times, he also holds the record for the most red cards shown to a Real Madrid player, 24.
Children:
Sergio Ramos Jnr (M)
Marco (M)
Meaning: Warlike
Origin: Spanish
Alejandro (M)
Meaning: Defending man
Origin: Spanish
Also read: Before you name your baby, consider this…
Thiago Silva (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish
Brazilian defender, he currently plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain.
Children:
Isago (M)
Meaning: Unknown
Origin: Brazilian
Iago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Welsh variation of James and Jacob
Toni Kroos (U)
Meaning: Priceless one
Origin: Diminutive of Anthony
German midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. Prior to join the 13 time UEFA Champions League team, Kroos was the youngest player to represent German club team, Bayern Munich.
Children:
Leon (M)
Meaning: Lion
Origin: Greek
Amelie (F)
Meaning: Work
Origin: French
Also read: Eric and 29 other strong baby names for boys
Vincent Kompany (M)
Meaning: Conquering
Oriigin: Latin
Belgian footballer and captain to Premier League team, Manchester City FC. In December 2017, he graduated from Alliance Manchester Business School with a Master's in Business Administration.
Children:
Kai (U)
Meaning: Sea
Origin: Hawaiian
Sienna (F)
Meaning: Reddish brown
Origin: Italian
Caleb (M)
Meaning: Devotion to God
Origin: Hebrew
Which teams are you cheering on this World Cup? Who is your favourite soccer star? Email us at chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.
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