A woman in Missouri named her daughter Kelce Taylor—no points for guessing how she came about that name. The name ‘Tiger’ saw a 225% jump after the Masters’ comeback of Tiger Woods in 2010. Following Derek Jeter’s retirement in 2014, there was a 95% spike in the usage of the name ‘Jeter.’ The same phenomenon occurred with Jordan, Serena, and Beckham. A similar craze also exists in one of the most passionate fan groups in college football: The Tide.
Alabama football’s most iconic elements become namesakes for these young kids. Nick Saban, who is the embodiment of Alabama glory, also serves as one of the inspirations for baby names in the state. Since 2007, many names associated with Alabama football have had babies named after them. State records accessed by AL.com revealed that since the former Bama coach arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007, 37 babies have been named Saban.
Except for 2008, 2015, and 2021, there’s a Saban who was born in all the other years. That’s how deep Saban’s impact runs in the state’s culture. Bama fans found all sorts of ways to pay homage to their legendary head coach, and naming newborns wasn’t limited to the surname of their head coach.
The Tide fans also named their newborns ‘Nicholas.’ 1330 babies have carried that name since 2007. However, the name ‘Nicholas’ has always been there in the Southern state because of its biblical linkage. Its usage peaked in 2000 (320 newborns carried the name). When Coach Saban began his tenure at Tuscaloosa, the name was used 158 times. That decreased to 27 in the last year of his tenure (2023).
The shorter version of Nicholas, or the first name of Coach Saban, ‘Nick,’ has been used 27 times since 2007. That’s one part of the phenomenon. Another interesting thing is how certain names associated with Bama football saw a hike when the team started peaking under Saban.
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Texas at Alabama Sep 9, 2023 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban cheers on his players before their game against the Texas Longhorns at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tuscaloosa Bryant-Denny Stadium Alabama USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJohnxDavidxMercerx 20230909_jdm_sx1_017
Paul “Bear” Bryant was the Nick Saban of the last century for Bama fans. Some older Tide faithful may even argue the opposite. The Bear coached the Crimson Tide from 1958 to 1982. Six national titles. 13 conference champions. And a phenomenon similar to what we are discussing in relation to Nick Saban here. The usage of “Bear” and “Bryant” saw a surge after 1958. The name ‘Bryant’ saw its biggest spike (45) in 1989.
Paul Bryant passed away in 1983. 26 years after his death, the name spiked again. A bigger number than in 1989. Why? Because Nick Saban won his first national championship for Alabama. 48 Bryants were born that year. There have been 438 Bryants in Alabama since Nick Saban’s arrival. The name ‘Crimson’ also saw a similar high in 2012, when Saban won his third National title. For the parents of one such baby, an Alabama-inspired name didn’t quite sit right with the internet.
Love for Nick Saban-led Alabama helped name Krimson Tyde
Only a true Alabama fan will see the logic and the inspiration behind seeing some introduce themselves as ‘Alleigh Bama’ – kudos to the parents for the wordplay. But when it came to Summer and Kevin Steele—what a coincidence! – It wasn’t so much of a smooth ride. The Steeles welcomed a baby boy in 2013 and decided to name him out of their die-hard love for Alabama. This was after Nick Saban gave the Tide a Natty, and baby boy Steele was named Krimson Tyde.
Turns out, the internet did not like this Alabama-inspired name. The couple instantly received backlash for choosing such a moniker for their son. Krimson has two older brothers named Trenton and Dawson. Krimson Tyde made it to the news as a newborn, simply because of the uniqueness of his name. “I’m very shocked, I didn’t think people would make a very big deal about it,” Summer told Alabama Media Group. In fact, some had mistakenly reported that Krimson was a girl. And, he was in no way the first child to be named Krimson in Alabama. They found support from another couple who welcomed a Crimson Tide, who is an elder brother to Alleigh Bama.
“The reason we named him Krimson is that we are big Alabama fans and it is a very unique name and we loved it,” Summer added. That’s always the main reason for so many Sabans, Nicks, Nicholases, and many more kids named after Alabama-inspired entities. The numbers have hit a low post Nick Saban’s retirement. But this out-of-the-box achievement is just another addition to the heaps he has already accomplished while leading the Tyde. This one sure does stand out most among them! Amidst growing rumors of Saban coming out of retirement, we won’t be surprised if babies named Saban start springing up elsewhere.
The post Nick Saban Sets Unusual Off-Field Record With Many Newborns in Alabama appeared first on EssentiallySports.