40 baby names inspired by some of Australia’s greatest athletes
Naming your little legend? Check out these baby names inspired by Aussie sports stars.
Australia has produced some of the most badass athletes across fields, tracks, courts and pools, and fortunately for us their parents were great at picking names too!
Check out some of the country’s most inspirational athletes you could honour when naming your baby below …
20 baby names inspired by Australian female athletes
Ariarne Titmus: Looking for a name for a little water baby? Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus, OAM is an Australian swimmer and reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle.
Arisa Trew: At just 14, Australian skateboarder Arisa Trew made history as Australia’s youngest-ever Olympic gold medallist. She took home the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, proving that age is just a number when you’ve got talent like hers. Arisa’s win is a game-changer for Aussie sports and a major moment for young athletes everywhere.
Ash Barty: It would be hard to find someone more inspirational than Aussie sweetheart, Ashleigh Barty AO. She was the second Australian tennis player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association after fellow Aboriginal Australian and another inspirational female athlete, Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
Bree Masters (now Bree Rizzo): Speed‑queen Bree Rizzo’s sensational athletics career has put her among our nation’s top sprinting stars. Originally a dancer and surf lifesaver, Bree was a youth beach sprint champion before discovering her true pace on the athletics track. Since switching focus to track in her mid‑20s, she’s become a mainstay of the Australian sprint scene, winning national medals, representing Australia at World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games, and anchoring record‑setting 4×100 m relay teams.
Cathy Freeman: Looking for a legend? We present Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman OAM, an Aboriginal Australian Australian sprinter who excelled in the 400-metre dash and who in 2000 became the first Australian Aboriginal person to win an individual Olympic gold medal.
Daisy Pearce: Not only does this AFLW star hold a double degree in Nursing and Midwifery, she is a three-time AFL Women’s All-Australian, having been named captain in the 2017 team and vice-captain in the 2018 team, and captained Melbourne to its first AFL Women’s premiership in season seven!
Dawn Fraser: Dawn Fraser AC MBE is recognised as one of Australia’s greatest female swimmers. Over the course of her career she won eight Olympic medals—four gold and four silver—and set 39 world records.
Ellyse Perry: Not only is Ellyse Perry the youngest ever cricketer, male or female, to have represented Australia, she is one of very few Australians to have represented her country in two different sports, and the only person ever to have played for Australia in both cricket and football (soccer) World Cups!
Jessica Hull: Middle‑distance runner Jessica Hull has taken the global stage by storm, setting 23 Australian records from 800 m to 5000 m, claiming Olympic silver in the 1500 m, and making history with her world‑record 2000 m. With medals at World Championships and Cross Country relays, Hull’s pace, endurance, and determination make her one of Australia’s brightest athletic stars.
Kiara Bowers: Got a little fighter on your hands? Considered an icon of the game, this AFLW star did not let injuries get in her way. Kiara Bowers came back from a potential career ending knee injury and plays stronger and better than ever before!
Layne Beachley: Raising a beach babe? Layne Beachley AO is regarded as the most successful female surfer in history. Layne’s dedication to success saw her as the only surfer, male or female, to claim six consecutive world titles between 1998 and 2003. And she didn’t stop there, Layne went on to win a 7th world title in 2006 before retiring from the ASP World Tour in 2008.
Leisel Jones: If there’s one thing Australia produces magnificently, it’s swimmers! Australian Icon, Liesel Jones OAM is regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever female swimmers, winning seven World Championships titles, nine Olympic medals, 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals, 14 individual world records and 23 National titles!
Madison de Rozario: Madison de Rozario OAM is an Australian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer who has competed at four Paralympics, winning two gold medals, three silver and a bronze! Considered one of the most accomplished athletes Australia has ever produced, she has also won 10 medals (three gold, three silver and four bronze) at the World Para Athletics Championships and four gold at the Commonwealth Games. What. A. Legend!
Michelle Jenneke: Australian sensation Michelle Jenneke has captivated the world not just with her speed over the 100m hurdles, but with her infectious energy and charisma. Bursting onto the international scene as a teenager, Michelle claimed gold at the 2010 World Junior Championships and went on to become a multi-time Commonwealth Games finalist, World Championship competitor, and an iconic figure in athletics. Her signature pre-race dance made her a global phenomenon, proving that Aussie athletes don’t just win, they win with personality!
Moana Hope: Moana Hope is an incredibly talented AFLW player, runs her own business, speaks out against sexism and is an unassuming parenting influencer without even trying! Not only is the mum-of-two a powerhouse of Women’s Football; she is familiar to Australian audiences of Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders (2018) and 3rd place winner on Australian Survivor: All Stars (2020).
Nina Kennedy: Nina Kennedy has soared into the history books as one of our nation’s greatest pole vaulters. Olympic gold medallist at Paris 2024, World Champion, Commonwealth Games champion, and Australian record holder with a personal best of 4.91 m. Her incredible rise from Little Athletics in Busselton to the top of the podium embodies Aussie grit and athletic excellence.
Poppy Starr Olsen: Not one to let age get in her way of greatness, Poppy Starr Olsen is an Olympic skateboarder who was recognised as one of the top 12 most influential female skaters in the world at age 13, before turning professional at 16! Since then she has held multiple world titles and finished 5th in Park as Skateboarding made its debut at 2020’s Tokyo Olympics.
Sam Kerr: Considered a once-in-a-generation talent, Samantha May Kerr OAM is already considered to be one of the best strikers to play the sport. She plays as a forward for Chelsea in the FA Women’s Super League and the Australia women’s national team, which she has captained since 2019. Her backflip has become synonymous with the success of the Matildas and she’s been a shining star in the 2023 World Cup! Speaking of the 2023 World Cup, Sam’s team mates Mackenzie Arnold, Mary Fowler, Cortnee Vine and Hayley Raso are fast coming crowd favourites and some of the nation’s most popular athletes.
Saya Sakakibara: BMX racing is not for the weak! Saya Sakakibara entered the elite women’s tour in 2018, and as the new kid on the block has already amassed a serious haul of trophies, including World Championship titles, and was awarded AusCycling’s Female BMX Racing Rider of the Year in 2020!
Torah Bright: Torah Bright OAM has accomplished feats that no female had ever tried in snowboarding. Her fearless execution of progressive tricks and technical combos redefined what was possible! With her Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Winter Olympics, X Games, and other world-wide competitions, Torah has certainly attained legend status.
20 baby names inspired by Australian male athletes
Andrew Redmayne: Socceroo goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne became an instant sporting hero when he came off the bench and clinched Australia’s spot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar! The moment was so iconic that the dancing goalie officially become the Grey Wiggle, joining the iconic Aussie group to make a cameo appearance!
Ben Simmons: Benjamin David Simmons lived every hoopin’ kid’s dream when he made in America! A professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, he played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers, after which he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year!
Buddy Franklin: Dad-of-two, Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin is is an AFL superstar. The Sydney Swans forward has played 300 AFL games, won two premierships with Hawthorn, is the seventh-greatest goal-kicker in VFL/AFL history, is one of just five men with eight All Australian blazers and is the most recent player to have kicked 100 goals in a season!
Cadel Evans: A legend on wheels, four-time Olympian, Cadel Evans became only the second non-European to win the world’s most prestigious cycle race, Tour De France!
Dane Henry: Dane Henry shone in 2025, earning Surfing Australia Male Surfer of the Year honors. His standout year included clinching the Open Title at the ISA World Surfing Championships and playing a key role in leading Team Australia to overall team gold.
Don Bradman: Keen to make a little cricket star? Who better for inspo than Sir Donald George Bradman, AC, nicknamed “The Don”. He was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time and one of the greatest cricketers of the 20th century. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport!
Dylan Alcott: Dylan Martin Alcott AO won a gold medal with the Australian wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers, at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and a silver medal in 2012. He has six consecutive Australian Open titles now under his belt and Dylan Alcott has been named Australian of the Year and awarded an Officer of the Order (AO) in the Australia Day Honours List for distinguished service to Paralympic sport, particularly to tennis, and as a role model for people with a disability, and to the community through a range of organisations. Did someone say legend?
Harry Kewell: Harry Kewell is a Socceroos legend! If you’re looking for a name for a little kicker, it’s worth considering Harry, one of the greatest talents Australia has produced.
Jack Robinson: An established force on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour and an Olympic medalist, Jack Robinson continues to be one of Australia’s most high-profile surfers. In 2025, he reached a major career milestone by winning the iconic Bells Beach event, cementing his status as a top contender in competitive surfing.
Jeff Horn: From school teacher to world champ! In 2017 little-known Aussie boxer and former school teacher, Jeff Horn shocked the world when he defeated the legendary Manny Pacquiao to claim the World Boxing Organisation’s welterweight title! Since then he has proven himself again and again, becoming one of Australia’s favourite success stories.
Johnathan Thurston: Looking for sporting inspiration, many would say here is the place to land. Johnathan Dean Thurston AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer known for his colourful headgear and incredible kicking game. Touted as one of the game’s greatest ever halves, whether wearing the No.7 for his club or the No.6 for Queensland and Australia, Thurston led the Cowboys to their only premiership in 2015 and was a key part of Queensland’s incredible run of 11 from 12 series victories.
Lleyton Hewitt: “Come onnnn!” Lleyton Glynn Hewitt AM is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. Hewitt still holds the record for the youngest male to become world No.1 – reaching the peak in 2001, aged just 20!
Michael Diamond: Ready, aim, FIRE! Michael Constantine Diamond, OAM is a professional target shooter from Australia who won the nation’s hearts when he claimed two Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000!
Nathan Cleary: It be difficult to find a more highly regarded NRL player in 2022. Nathan Cleary has been the leader of the Panthers side that has made the last three Grand Finals and has been awarded the Dally M halfback of the year twice in that time period! No mean feat.
Nic Naitanui: New dad, Nicholas Mark Naitanui is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. This AFL star stands out from the crowd with a prodigious jump and superior athleticism that sees him named one of AFL’s most promising players.
Oscar Piastri: Oscar Piastri is Australia’s brightest star in Formula 1, blazing his way from karting prodigy to multiple Grand Prix winner with McLaren and a key force behind back‑to‑back constructors’ championships. Born in Melbourne, he’s already collected race victories, pole positions and podiums, won the FIA Rookie of the Year and been honoured with Australia’s prestigious The Don Award for his achievements on the global stage, all before his mid‑20s.
Pat Cummins: Pat Cummins is one of the greatest cricketers of his generation, captaining the Australian Test team and feared worldwide for his express pace and lethal accuracy. Since making his debut as a teenager, Pat has claimed over 400 Test wickets, been ranked the world’s No.1 Test bowler, and led Australia to victories in series across the globe.
Reece Walsh: Born on the Gold Coast, Reece Walsh burst into first grade with the New Zealand Warriors before returning home to the Brisbane Broncos, where he helped lead them to a premiership and earned the Clive Churchill Medal as best on ground in the 2025 Grand Final. Walsh has also proudly represented Queensland in State of Origin and Australia on the international stage, making him one of the brightest stars in Australian rugby league today.
Tayleb Willis: Tayleb Willis is one of our most exciting young stars, rising through the ranks to become the third‑fastest Australian ever in the 110 m hurdles, Oceania champion, and a 2024 Olympian with a personal best of 13.44 seconds. Combining raw athleticism with electrifying personality both on and off the track, Tayleb represents the next generation of Aussie track talent.
Tim Tszyu: Tim Tszyu is an Australian light middleweight professional boxer and current national champion! And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – he is the son of legendary former light middleweight world champion Kostya Tszyu and equally as beloved by the nation!
