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The top 20 baby names most likely to be... sports stars.

If you've been kept up all night from baby kicks to your liver and are having thoughts on what names might be suitable for this athletically inclined spud of yours, perhaps choosing a name of a professional athlete might be up your alley.

Because apparently this is a thing that people do. And there's even a list of baby names that offer the biggest chance of sporting success. Yes, really.

Watch: Brace yourself. Reddit revealed the worst baby names they've ever heard. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia

MyProtein Australia compiled a list of more than 8,500 sporting personalities in Australia to discover the most popular names for the best athletes.

So, if you're hoping to raise a future sports star, maybe you could just do them a solid and give 'em a head start before they can even walk? 

Here are some of the top names inspired by successful sports stars.

The top baby girl names most likely to be sports stars.

According to the stats on the most successful women in sports in history, those named Christine were most likely to be a sporting legend. 

Listen: Zoe Marshall and Sean Szeps chat about everything they thought about before they named their kids. And there’s a lot more to it than you might think. Post continues below.

From Olympic gold medallist runner Christine Ohuruogu to Olympic gymnast Christine Lee, this was the most used name of successful athletes through history.

Other names that made the list include Kim, which came in at second (think rower and Olympic gold medallist Kim Brennan) and popular names like Anna, Mary and Sarah. Here's the top 10:

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1. Christine - 49 sports stars

2. Kim - 45 sports stars

3. Anna - 44 sports stars 

4. Mary - 35 sports stars 

5. Sarah - 32 sports stars 

6. Susan - 29 sports stars 

7. Jennifer - 25 sports stars

8. Laura - 22 sports stars  

9. Emily - 22 sports stars  

10. Julie - 20 sports stars 

The top boy names most likely to be sports stars.

When it comes to baby boy names, research has revealed the name John (hey, John McEnroe) has been given to 256 successful and iconic sports stars over the years, and currently sits as the most popular sporting name for boys.

Names like David (the most obvious inspo being David Beckham), James and Bill are also up there with the most popular name of sports stars.

1. John - 256 sports stars 

2. Bill - 171 sports stars 

3. James - 155 sports stars 

4. David - 142 sports stars 

5. Bob - 136 sports stars 

6. Mike - 134 sports stars

7. Tom - 133 sports stars 

8. Peter - 124 sports stars 

9. Jack - 111 sports stars 

10. George - 94 sports stars

We can almost hear the crowds cheering...

Feature image: Getty

What do you think of these sporting names? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.