In football, there are some names that are very common. Many footballers have the same names on the back of their jerseys and are only separated or identified by their first name.
In most cases, players who have the same surnames are not even related.
Let’s highlight 8 of the most common last names in football.
Traoré
Literally, Traoré means “the chosen one”. Traoré is a name common among French-speaking Footballers who have African roots.
Popular footballers bearing Traoré
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Adama Traoré | RW | Spain |
| Bertrand Traoré | RW | Burkina Faso |
| Hamed Junior Traorè | AM | Ivory Coast |
| Djimi Traoré | CB | France |
| Lacina Traore | CF | Ivory Coast |
| Lassina Traoré | CF | Burkina Faso |
| Hamari Traoré | RB | Mali |
| Ibrahima Traoré | RW | Guinea |
| Abdou Traoré | AM | Mali |
| Armand Traoré | LB | France |
| Bakaye Traoré | CM | Mali |
| Charles Traoré | LB | Mali |
| Ibrahim Traoré | CM | Ivory Coast |
| Sammy Traoré | CB | France |
Diarra
Diarra is a name that originates from French-speaking West Africans. Literally, Diarra means “gift“ but also means “Lion” in the native Bambara language of Mali.
Typically, footballers named Diarra have ancient ancestry of the “Diarra kingdom”.
Popular footballers bearing Diarra
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Mahamadou Diarra | DM | Mali |
| Lassana Diarra | DM | France |
| Alou Diarra | DM | France |
| Lamine Diarra | CF | Senegal |
| Sigamary Diarra | LM | Mali |
| Stéphane Diarra | RW | Ivory Coast |
| Boubacar Diarra | CB | Mali |
| Souleymane Diarra | CM | Mali |
| Mamadou Diarra | CB | Mali |
| Cheick Fantamady Diarra | CF | Mali |
| Youba Diarra | CM | Mali |
| Drissa Diarra | DM | Mali |
| Abdoulaye Diarra | LM | Mali |
| Bahnou Seydina Diarra | CM | Belgium |
Touré
Touré means “Elephant” and typically, elephants depict power or royalty. The name has its origin from French-speaking West African countries.
Indeed, Touré is one of the most common last names in Football.
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Popular footballers bearing Touré
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Yaya Touré | CM | Ivory Coast |
| Kolo Touré | CB | Ivory Coast |
| Fodé Ballo-Touré | LB | Senegal |
| El Bilal Touré | CF | Mali |
| Abdoulaye Touré | DM | France |
| Almamy Touré | RB | Mali |
| Ibrahima Touré | CF | Senegal |
| Alioune Touré | RW | France |
| Zargo Touré | CB | Senegal |
| Birama Touré | DM | Mali |
| Demba Touré | SS | Senegal |
| Thomas Touré | LW | Ivory Coast |
| Idrissa Touré | CM | Germany |
| Larsen Touré | RW | Guinea |
| José Touré | AM | France |
| Alassane Touré | RB | France |
| Assimiou Touré | CB | Togo |
Camara
The name Camara is another common last name among footballers. In most cases French-speaking West Africans bear Camara.
Camara means “Teacher”.
Popular footballers bearing Camara
| Name | Postion | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Camara | DM | Mali |
| Mady Camara | CM | Guinea |
| Zoumana Camara | CB | France |
| Henri Camara | CF | Senegal |
| Mahdi Camara | CM | France |
| Souleymane Camara | RW | Senegal |
| Aguibou Camara | AM | Guinea |
| Ibrahima Camara | LB | Guinea |
| Ousmane N’Gom Camara | RM | Guinea |
| Samba Camara | CB | Mali |
| Abdoul Camara | LW | Guinea |
| Pape Camara | DM | Senegal |
| Demba Camara | CF | Guinea |
| Abel Camará | CF | Guinea-Bissau |
| Raúl Cámara | RB | Spain |
| Ousmane Camara | CB | Guinea |
Sakho
The name Sakho has a Senegalese origin. However, many other French Footballers also bear the name.
Sahko means “ruler” or “king”.
Popular footballers bearing Sakho
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Mamadou Sakho | CB | France |
| Diafra Sakho | CF | Senegal |
| Lamine Sakho | LW | Senegal |
| El Hadj Sakho | GK | Senegal |
| Aboubacar Sakho | CF | Guinea |
| Mathurin Sakho | CB | France |
| Mohamed Sakho | DM | Guinea |
| Abdoulaye Sakho | DM | Guinea |
| Bakharé Sakho | CF | France |
| Morlaye Sakho | CM | Guinea |
Dembélé
Just like most of the common names in football, Dembélé also has its origin from West Africa – Mali to precise.
Dembélé actually means “freedom”.
Although many French footballers bear the name, the actual origin of Dembélé is traced to Mali.
Popular footballers bearing Dembélé
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Ousmane Dembélé | RW | France |
| Moussa Dembélé | CF | France |
| Mousa Dembélé | CM | Belgium |
| Garra Dembélé | CF | Mali |
| Siriki Dembélé | LW | Ivory Coast |
| Mana Dembélé | CF | Mali |
| Bira Dembélé | CB | France |
| Siramana Dembélé | DM | France |
| Boubakar Dembélé | CM | France |
| Bassirou Dembélé | DM | Mali |
| Mahamadou Dembélé | CB | France |
| Karamoko Dembélé | RW | England |
| Boubacar Dembele | LB | France |
| Makan Dembélé | RW | Mali |
| Yaqoub Al-Hassan Dembele | LM | Mali |
| Souleymane Dembélé | CM | Mali |
| Malaly Dembélé | CF | France |
| Ibrahima Dembélé | CB | Mali |
| John Dembele | CF | France |
Diop
Diop is also one of the most common last names in football.
The name Diop has its origin in Senegal. Actually, the name Diop is given to those who originate from the Diop Clan in Senegal.
Literally, Diop means “descendant of the peacock clan”.
In addition, Diop also has an Islamic origin. The name is more associated with Muslims and it could also mean “ruler”.
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Popular footballers bearing Diop
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Issa Diop | CB | France |
| Sofiane Diop | LW | France |
| Papa Bouba Diop | DM | Senegal |
| Pape Diop | DM | Senegal |
| Makhete Diop | CF | Senegal |
| Pape Malick Diop | CB | Senegal |
| Babacar Diop | CF | Senegal |
| Pape Seydou Diop | CM | Senegal |
| Dame Diop | FW | Senegal |
| Amidou Diop | CM | Senegal |
| Abou Diop | CF | Senegal |
| Mbaye Diop | CF | Senegal |
| Mamadou Diop | CF | Senegal |
Sissoko
Although Sissoko is very common among French Footballers, the name originates from Mali.
The exact meaning of Sissoko is not well spelt out but the closest meaning is “good person”.
Popular footballers bearing Sissoko
| Name | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Moussa Sissoko | CM | France |
| Mohamed Sissoko | DM | France |
| Ibrahima Sissoko | DM | France |
| Ibrahim Sissoko | CF | Ivory Coast |
| Abdoul Wahid Sissoko | DM | Mali |
| Mohamadou Sissoko | CB | France |
| Sambou Sissoko | DM | France |
| Oumar Sissoko | GK | Mali |
| Slimane Sissoko | CF | France |
| Oumar Sissoko | LM | Mali |
| Sambou Sissoko | RB | France |
| Alpha Sissoko | RB | France |
| Dramane Sissoko | CF | France |
Conclusion
The most common last names in football have African origin. To be precise, French-speaking African countries.
Although not all Footballers who bear these common names play for African teams, they all have African roots. It does not matter if they play for France or any other country.
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Further Reading:
- Explained: Why Dutch Footballers Have “van” in Their Surnames
- Top Players Who Never Won the Champions League Trophy
- Marcelo Bielsa’s Influence On Guardiola, Zidane & Pochettino
- Ten Football Slangs That Are Nearing Extinction
- Seniorman Kelz, El Nino, and Other Footballers Nicknames
