Every year, the Social Security Administration releases the most popular baby names.
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Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns
You won't find the different sports names like Dwyane (as in Wade), LeBron (as in James) and Kobe (as in Bryant), near the top of the list, but each year there is a name that we feel we can attribute to the rise of a sports star alone.
The greatest rise seen in a baby name attributed to a sports figure is Colt, as in former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
McCoy might have slipped to a third round pick in last month's NFL Draft, but, all of a sudden, his name has become top of mind with parents naming their offspring.
In fact, the rise of the name mirrors McCoy's career.
In 2006, the year McCoy was a redshirt freshman starter at Texas, Colt — which is of Old English origin meaning young male horse — was the 909th most popular baby name in the United States, up 37 spots from the year before.
By McCoy's sophomore year, the popularity of the name jumped to the 593rd most popular name in the US. A year later, Colt was at No. 534 on the Social Security Administration's list of baby names.
And thanks in part to a huge season an a trip to the National Championship Game, where McCoy was hurt and his team lost to Alabama, the name Colt finished 2009 as the 370th most popular baby name in America in 2009.
Not bad considering the name was barely cracking the top 1000 when McCoy arrived on national scene four years ago.
Not to spoil any of the fun, but McCoy's real name is actual Daniel.
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