Author: Nancy Man

The unusual name Griezmann debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2016:

• 2018: 11 baby boys named Griezmann
• 2017: 11 baby boys named Griezmann
• 2016: 6 baby boys named Griezmann [debut]
• 2015: unlisted
• 2014: unlisted

Where did it come from?

French soccer player Antoine Griezmann (pronounced an-twahn gree-ez-man).

Though he was born and raised in France, he has strong affiliations with several European countries: his father’s family came from Germany, his mother’s family from Portugal, and he “was brought up as a footballer in Spain” (from the age of 13 onward).

He has been playing professionally since 2009, but garnered a lot of attention in 2016 specifically while playing for Atlético Madrid. That year, he won two La Liga awards — for best player and fan favorite — and was nominated for both the Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Men’s Player.

He was also chosen to play for France in the UEFA Euro 2016. Though France was defeated by Portugal in the final, Griezmann was named Player of the Tournament and won the Golden Boot (for most goals scored). He was later declared French Player of the Year.

Griezmann’s Germanic surname, originally spelled Griesmann, could be related to the Middle High German word griez, meaning “sand” (in reference to a person who lived in a sandy location), or the Middle Low German word gris, meaning “gray” (in reference to a gray-haired person).

What are your thoughts on Griezmann as a first name?

P.S. I don’t usually publish data-based posts on Fridays, but I felt compelled to publish this one today because all three of Griezmann’s children — Mia, Amaro, and Alba — were born on April 8th (in 2016, 2019, and 2021, respectively). His son was named after his maternal grandfather, Amaro Lopes, who played professional soccer in Portugal before immigrating to France in the 1950s.

Sources:

• Antoine Griezmann – Wikipedia
• Griezmann: France gave birth to me, but Spain adopted me
• Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Wilson, Jonathan. “After unorthodox path, Griezmann has France on cusp of Euro 2016 title.” Sport Illustrated 8 Jul. 2016.

Image: Adapted from Antoine Griezmann – CdR – RM v ATL by DSanchez17 under CC BY 2.0.