The most unique names in high school sports

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

                - Juliet, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Not to argue with the Bard on this one, but in America names have become so much more than just words. They have become a part of one's identity — a way to distinguish oneself from his or her peers.

In the 33 years from 1914-1947, a total of only seven names were listed in the top five most popular male first names: Robert, James, John, William, Richard, Charles and Joseph.

Names like Michael, Christopher, Matthew and David crept in slowly over the following decades, but the top five list largely remained the same.

But since 1990 there has been a significant increase in the number of unique names on the list: Tyler, Ethan, Alexander, Jayden, etc. In 2013, the top boys names, in order of popularity, were Noah, Liam, Jacob, Mason and William. Only good old William is a holdover from earlier decades.

While girls names have varied a bit more over the years, their trajectory is similar to the boys. Names like Mary, Betty, Helen, Dorothy and Margaret have given way to names like the 2014 top five: Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Ava.

Sports have been right in step with the national trends, with more and more unique names. In the 90s, the world's best basketball player was Michael. Now it's LeBron.

First names like Jadeveon, Peyton and D'Brickashaw have become part of our daily sports parlance in football.

All this says that names have taken on much more of a significant role in the lives of American athletes over the years, and here at MaxPreps we get to see that firsthand. We combed through our extensive database of high school athletes to find the most unique names in the country. These names have all been entered by MaxPreps users so they're real, actual people ... probably.

We've broken them down into categories to make them a little more digestible. Take a look at the list below, and let us know if we missed any in the comments section or on Twitter @ColinMaxPreps.

Enjoy.



Intimidation is Half the Battle
Players you would not like to line up opposite of.

Bo Studley, Central Montcalm (Stanton, Mich.)

Trevor Tank, South Lyon (Mich.)

Tuf Borland, Bolingbrook (Ill.)

LaPriest Blocker, Sexton (Lansing, Mich.)

Nicole Tough, Mountain View (Loveland, Colo.)

Logan Monster, Zimmerman (Minn.)

Jake Van Beast, Westview (Portland, Ore.)

Dominik Fear, Nampa (Idaho)

Confidence Akaoma, Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.)

Goodluck Okonoboh, Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.)

Rusty Nail (coach), Mart (Texas)


I'll Have What They're Having
Players who make you suddenly crave a trip to the fridge.

Breakfast
McKenna Waffle, Treynor (Iowa)

Jace Pancake, Florence-Carlton (Florence, Mont.)

Brock Bacon, Trinity Christian (Addison, Texas)

Lunch
Taco Anderson, Aledo (Texas)

Sam Hamburger, Masconomet Regional (Topsfield, Mass.)

Chaz Burger, West Middlesex (Pa.)

Dinner
Johnathan Chicken, Waukee (Iowa)

Al-DaQuan Veal, Weequahic (Newark, N.J.)

Liam Pizza, Carle Place (N.Y.)

Dessert
Autumn Cake, Tipton-Rosemark Academy (Millington, Tenn.)

Evan Pie, Notre Dame (Lawrenceville, N.J.)

Charles "Fudge" Gaskins, Godby (Tallahassee, Fla.)

Beverage
Colt Water, Selinsgrove (Pa.)

Seth Beer, Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.)

Olivia Soda, Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.)

Snacks
Cranberry Gato, Antioch (Calif.)

Peanut Herrada, West Hills (Santee, Calif.)

Zach Chips, Regents (Austin, Texas)


It's a Bird, It's a Plane ...
Players who may or may not be undercover superheroes.

Miraculous Powers, Warren Central (Vicksburg, Miss.)

Nicole Batman, Shasta (Redding, Calif.)

Hailey Hulk, Nicollet (Minn.)

Clark Kent (Superman), Jenks (Okla.)

Bruce Wayne (Batman), Braxton County (Sutton, W. Va.)

Matt Murdock (Daredevil), Morgan (Utah)











Wait, Do I Know You?
Players whose names probably look somewhat familiar.

Historical

George Washington, Tara (Baton Rouge, La.)

Thomas Jefferson, Passaic County Tech (Wayne, N.J.)

Ben Franklin, S & S Consolidated (Sadler, Texas)

Bill Clinton, North Quincy (Mass.)

Sports

Dwayne Wade, Evanston (Ill.)

Alonzo Morning, Chapin (El Paso, Texas)

Mike Trout, North Hardin (Radcliff, Ky.)

Peyton Manning, Newtown (Conn.)

Stage and Screen

Justin Bieber, Fairview (Mont.)

Jennifer Lawrence, Hampton Roads Academy (Newport News, Va.)

Tyler Perry, Pilgrim (Warwick, R.I.)

Julia Roberts, Fountain-Fort Carson (Fountain, Colo.)


Patriot Games
These athletes bleed red, white and blue.

Arizona Pilgrim, Taft (Calif.)

Jasmine America, Doddridge County (West Union, W. Va.)

Noble Star, Mescalero Apache (N.M.) and Brent Stripe, Schuylkill Haven (Pa.) (package deal)

Rob Usa, Middletown South (N.J.)

David Freedom, Thornwood (South Holland, Ill.)








It's a Jungle Out There
These athletes really tap into their animal instincts. Oh my!

Christopher Lion, North Haven (Conn.)

Tiger Guerrero, Grossmont (El Cajon, Calif.)

Bear Hope, Claremore (Okla.)

Tal'on Black Eagle, Wolf Point (Wolf Point, Mont.)

Ronnie Dolphin, Grand County (Moab, Utah)

Bull Barge, Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.)

Baby Hippo, Conecuh Springs Christian (Union Springs, Ala.)





All-Around Awesome
The best of the best. Give these young athletes a round of applause.

Tekle Yousef, Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, Calif.)

Brenton Goldtooth, Tuba City (Ariz.)

Chris Famous, Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Honesty Grayson, Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.)

Jay One Feather, Omaha North (Neb.)

Frankie Ferrari, Burlingame (Burlingame, Calif.)

Amanda Sports, Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.)

Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian (Coral Springs, Fla.)

Brian Barefoot, Neville (Monroe, La.)

Nick Mailman, Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

Pooby Jackson, Baker County (Glen St. Mary, Fla.)

Nick Awkward, Urbana (Ijamsville, Md.)

Jake Shake, McCutcheon (Lafayette, Ind.)

Handsome Smith, Gladstone (Ore.)