The great Kobe Bryant is no longer with us, but his legacy will live on till the end of time. Bryant was an individual who transcended the sport of basketball, and he meant so much to so many individuals from different walks of life. His tragic passing in January of 2020 was a big blow, but he will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone whose lives he touched in some way or another.
It would appear that the people in the U.S. are also honoring Bryant by naming their children after him. The name “Kobe” is growing in popularity for newborns at a remarkable rate in the country after his passing, as revealed by a recent report.
via Yahoo Sports:
The betting site, BetSperts, revealed that between 2020 and 2021 that Kobe — 17,071 — was among the most popular sports-related names for newborns in the United States, according to KTLA News.
BetSperts noted that in 2019, 499 newborns were named after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. The number skyrocketed by 201% following his death in late January of the following year.
Using data from top maternity and parenting resource, BabyCenter, CNN reported that the popularity of the name “Kobe” increased by slightly less, at 175%, while that of “Gianna” saw a 216% increase in 2020.
That is stunning growth as compared to 2019, and we can probably expect it to keep growing at a good rate in the coming years as well. Perhaps one day, we will see one of these kids named Kobe enter the NBA, and that would be incredible.
His daughter Gianna who also tragically passed away on that day is also seeing a significant increase in her name’s popularity for newborns, and Kobe’s former teammate Pau Gasol also honored her by naming his newborn daughter after her in 2020.
