The Coolest Recent Athlete Baby Names

Chosen Sebastian Newton. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and girlfriend Kia Proctor definitely chose a special name for their newborn son.  

Athletes and celebrities are in the spotlight, so when they give offspring unique and interesting names, people usually hear about it.  

Here are 13 recent monikers bestowed upon the children of athletes. They are original, intriguing and definitely not on the year's list of most popular baby names.

Paityn Antonique Peterson

In September, reports surfaced that Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and his wife, Antonique, planned to name their daughter after Antonique's favorite quarterback, Peyton Manning.

Whether that reasoning is true, the couple did name their daughter, born in November, Paityn Antonique Peterson, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.

Manning-inspired or not, Paityn is a sweet name for a little girl.

Capri Fabregas Semaan

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Spanish footballer Cesc Fabregas has two children with longtime girlfriend Daniella Semaan, per Sean Gallacher of Mail Online.

Daughter Lia is two years old, and son Capri Fabregas Semaan was born in July. In addition to being the word of choice to describe short pants, Capri is also the name of an Italian island.

The proud dad wrote on his Facebook page, "Father once again … couldnt be prouder and happier … thank u baby @daniellasemaan7 for bringing another angel to the family and being so brave [sic]."

Laila Jones

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Green Bay Packers defensive end Datone Jones idolized Muhammad Ali growing up, according to Ryan Wood of Packersnews.com.

That admiration led Jones and his wife, Lauren, to name their daughter Laila, after Ali's own daughter (a former boxer, like her dad). 

Jones told Wood, "If I didn't play football, I'd probably be a professional fighter right now. Muhammad Ali is very inspirational for me. Laila Ali has a great track record herself, so I decided to name my daughter after her."

While not the most unique name on the list, Laila's certainly comes with an inspiring story. 

Rayden Sherman

Seattle Seahawks cornerback and girlfriend Ashley Moss welcomed son Rayden in February, just days after dad played in Super Bowl XLIX.

Shortly after, Sherman tweeted, "My son sure does know how to make an entrance!  2/5/15... Is it a coincidence or is he just that clever?! Either way I'm ecstatic." (Sherman wears No. 25 for the Seahawks.)

Rayden, which sounds a bit like an update on the popular "Aidan," is certainly original and, in itself, clever.

Tatum Gretzky Johnson

Wayne Gretzky became a grandpa in 2015. The Great One's daughter, Paulina Gretzky, and her fiance, golfer Dustin Johnson, welcomed their son in January.

Named Tatum Gretzky Johnson, the young boy has already been compared to Riley Curry by the New York Post for his baby jet-setting ways.  

Tatum has big shoes to fill if he wants to get to Curry-level cuteness, but his name is definitely not boring.

Callen Grey

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward honored his father with "Iron Head" eye black in October. In November, he became a father himself.

Heyward's wife, Allie, announced their son's birth and name by tweeting, "Callen Grey, you've officially stolen our hearts."

According to The Everything Baby Names Book by Lisa Shaw, Callen is a Gaelic name meaning "powerful in battle."

Sounds right.

Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr.

Iman is a unique name as it is, but the story of Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr.'s arrival makes her name even more meaningful. 

Iman Jr. is the baby daughter of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor. Her father delivered Iman Jr. at home when Taylor went into labor unexpectedly. 

Taylor described the incident on Instagram:

"

Not knowing I was in labor until I felt her head … it took two 10 count pushes with my fiance playing doctor and she entered this world into his bare hands! Eyes full of tears and barely able to speak to the emergency operator, [Iman] tied a pair of red headphones around the umbilical cord and the ambulance made their grand entrance five minutes later.

"

Bowden Sainte-Claire Ponder

It might seem a bit odd to name a baby girl after a college football coach, but in the case of Bowden Sainte-Claire Ponder, it worked out well.

Bowden, born in 2014, is the daughter of free-agent NFL quarterback Christian Ponder and ESPN personality Samantha Ponder. She was named after Ponder's college football coach, former Florida State boss Bobby Bowden.

The coach told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, "I've never had a girl named after me. I've had everything else I can think of. I've had horses, I've had dogs, I've even had pigs. I've had a lot of things named after me but this is the first time I've had a girl, a daughter."

Bo Vera Scott

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In February, golfer Adam Scott's wife, Marie Kojzar, gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Bo Vera.

Bo is, of course, generally thought to be a male's name, while Vera is more closely associated with a female. Together, they make one adorable moniker.

Scott told Jim McCabe of Golfweek (via FoxSports.com) fatherhood is "just fantastic," and added, "I'm pretty stoked by the whole experience."

Brexton Locke Busch

It was a big year for NASCAR driver Kyle Busch. He recovered from a brutal injury to become the Sprint Cup champion, and even bigger, he became a father.

Busch and his wife, Samantha, welcomed their son, Brexton Locke Busch, in May. Brexton is an unusual name, but Busch explained to George Winkler of NASCAR.com how he and his wife settled on it: 

"

Samantha and I, we were back-and-forth a lot on names. We kind of tried to figure out whether we wanted to keep the initials K.B. or not, and we decided not to. I kind of liked her maiden name (Samantha Sarcinella), the S.S., so we decided we'd go with the B.B. So then we just started looking up some B names and put the pieces together and kind of made it up. It's pretty cool that we both agreed on it.

"

Chosen Sebastian Newton

John Bazemore/Associated Press

On Christmas Eve, Cam Newton's girlfriend, Kia Proctor, gave birth to a son. The couple named him Chosen Sebastian Newton, according to Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer.

The name is certainly unique, and, odds are, people will either love or hate it. It is a name that perhaps packs high expectations, but hey, he can always become friends with Saint West.

Newton told Fowler of fatherhood, "It's pretty cool. ... When you see life coming into existence, it's a wonderful thing. These past couple of days have been so monumental for me."

Saylor James Cutler

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Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and wife Kristin Cavallari have three children—two boys, Camden and Jaxon, and a daughter, Saylor.

Saylor was born in November. In September, Cavallari told Cricket's Circle (via Nick Schwartz of For the Win) she and Cutler planned to name the upcoming child after a dog.

She said, "We picked out this baby girl's name when I was pregnant with our first. I met a woman and her dog, and I loved her dog's name."

Dog or no dog, Saylor is a sweet name you don't hear often, if ever.

Azurie Elizabeth Irving

Azurie Elizabeth Irving, daughter of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, was born in November. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, she was named after Irving's mother, who died when he was four years old.

In an Instagram post announcing her birth, Irving wrote, "I love you so much, and my heart grew the first time I felt your heart against mine. Mommy, I gave her your name because I know you will bless her and our family the same way you blessed me."

Not only is the sentiment moving and sweet, but Azurie is an incredibly unique and beautiful name.