You won’t believe these NFL players’ birth names: No wonder they use initials

If you think football players have some of the craziest names, you’re not imagining it. Even Key and Peele have done skits about it. Some players in the NFL, however, choose to go by nicknames or initials to make everyone’s life a little easier, but especially the announcers’ lives. Because for every Tom Brady, there’s a Tua Tagovailoa, whose last name is hard enough. Now imagine if they had to say his full first name too.

Here are seven NFL players who’ve opted out of going by their birth names, and you’ll understand why.

You won’t believe these NFL players’ birth names

CeeDee Lamb: Cedarian DeLeon Lamb

Born Cedarian DeLeon Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver started going by the name “CeeDee” when he was just nine years old. According to Lamb, when he told his peewee football coach that his name was Cedarian, the coach told him he would come up with a nickname, and that he did, calling him CeeDee by the end of practice that same day. Now, his mother is pretty much the only one who still refers to him as Cedarian - usually when she’s angry.

DK Metcalf: DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf

Former Seattle Seahawks and current Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf’s real name is DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf. His nickname was pretty easy to come up with since it’s just the initials of his first name. To be fair, DeKaylin isn’t that difficult to say, but DK does have a nice ring to it.

C.J. Stroud: Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV

The Houston Texans quarterback has been called C.J. since he was born, but his full given name is Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV. The name was passed down from his great grandfather, so although his jersey only says Stroud, C.J. is the fourth of his generation to be given the name Coleridge Bernard. And if you’re wondering why it’s C.J. and not C.B. - the “J” often stands for junior, which C.J. most definitely is.

Tua Tagovailoa: Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins quarterback has graciously decided to go by the nickname Tua, because if you’re not Samoan, you may struggle to pronounce his full first name, Tuanigamanuolepola. Or at the very least, you may need a few practice rounds. I, for one, still struggle to spell and pronounce his last name, so I won’t be attempting the first. I feel like they threw the “Donny” in there just to be funny.

Deebo Samuel: Tyshun Raequan Samuel

The origin of the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver’s nickname is actually hilarious. While Tyshun Raequan is a unique name, it’s not particularly difficult to pronounce, but his father gave him a nickname that he thought suited him better at a young age. As a child, Samuel was mischievous, and his father started to notice he was quite similar to the character “Deebo” from the 1995 movie “Friday”. And so, the nickname came and stuck.

“I really don’t remember when the nickname started,” Samuel said. “But I remember his first time telling me the story about when I was nine or ten years old. He’s like, ‘You know, you’re named after a bully in a movie.'“

Dak Prescott: Rayne Dakota Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback uses a shortened version of his middle name. His full name is Rayne Dakota Prescott. He said he was made fun of in school for his real first name, with kids calling him rainy or rye-nee and telling him he had a girl’s name. He said he went by Dakota, but that his family always called him Dak. He said he is no longer embarrassed by his name though and would consider one day going by Rayne Dakota.

Eli Manning: Elisha Nelson Manning

Quarterback legend Eli Manning was born as Elisha Nelson Manning. He was actually named after his father. Though he’s famously known as Archie Manning, his full name is Elisha Archibald Manning. Eli’s real name, Elisha, has Hebrew origins meaning “God is my salvation”, and is commonly shortened to Eli.

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