The Fascinating Origins of All 32 NFL Team Names

From newspaper typography to the New Deal, uncover the intriguing tales behind the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and the rest of the NFL's 32 teams—along with the names they nearly ended up with.

1. Arizona Cardinals

Originally established in Chicago in 1898, the franchise relocated to St. Louis in 1960 and later to Arizona in 1988. In 1901, team owner Chris O’Brien acquired secondhand maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago, describing their faded hue as “cardinal red,” which inspired the team’s name. The cardinal bird became part of the logo in 1947, and the iconic cardinal head first appeared on helmets in 1960.

2. Atlanta Falcons

Soon after Rankin Smith, an insurance executive, introduced professional football to Atlanta, a radio station held a contest to name the new team. Over 1,300 participants proposed more than 500 names, such as Peaches, Vibrants, Lancers, Confederates, Firebirds, and Thrashers. Among the entries, Julia Elliott, a schoolteacher from Griffin, stood out with her suggestion of Falcons. She explained, “The falcon symbolizes pride, dignity, courage, and tenacity. It never lets go of its prey and embodies a rich sporting heritage.” As the winner, Elliott received four season tickets for three years and a football signed by the 1966 inaugural team.

3. Baltimore Ravens

The name Ravens, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic poem, was chosen over Americans and Marauders in a contest organized by the Baltimore Sun. Poe, who passed away and is buried in Baltimore, left a lasting legacy in the city.

In the Sun’s phone-in poll, over 21,000 out of 33,000 participants chose Ravens. Team owner Art Modell remarked, “It provides a distinctive and powerful nickname, unique across all levels of sports, while holding historical significance for our community.” Modell had previously tried to reclaim the Colts name from the franchise that moved to Indianapolis in 1984. The Marauders name paid tribute to the B-26 aircraft produced by the Glenn L. Martin Company, a Baltimore-based precursor to Lockheed Martin. Other contenders included Railers, Bulldogs, Mustangs, and Steamers.

4. Buffalo Bills

The name Bills emerged from a 1947 fan contest to rebrand Buffalo’s All-America Football Conference team, previously called the Bisons. Inspired by frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody, the name was chosen over Bullets, Nickels, and Blue Devils. James Breuil, president of Frontier Oil and the team’s owner, supported the choice. After a hiatus from 1950 to 1959, Ralph Wilson revived the franchise in the AFL, retaining the Bills name as a tribute to Buffalo’s earlier AAFC team.

5. Carolina Panthers

Mark Richardson, team president and son of owner Jerry Richardson, selected Panthers as the name because it embodied qualities the family admired: power, sleekness, and strength. The team’s black, blue, and silver color scheme, chosen for the 1995 expansion team, initially faced criticism from NFL Properties. Concerns were raised during the 1993 NFL meetings that a black-themed Panthers team might appeal to street gangs and harm the league’s image.

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6. Chicago Bears

In 1921, the Decatur Staleys, an original member of the American Professional Football Association, relocated to Chicago and retained their name, honoring their sponsor, the Staley Starch Company. When George Halas, the team’s star player, bought the franchise the next year, he renamed it. Since the team played at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, Halas chose to maintain a bear-themed name.

7. Cincinnati Bengals

Paul Brown, the team owner, general manager, and head coach, named Cincinnati’s AFL expansion team the Bengals in 1968 to honor a former football team that played in the city from 1937 to 1942. Brown believed the name would connect the new franchise to Cincinnati’s football history. Despite fans favoring the name Buckeyes, Brown chose Bengals.

8. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland’s football team was named after its inaugural coach and general manager, Paul Brown. However, as the Baltimore Sun noted in 1995, the team’s media relations office once claimed the name honored boxer Joe Louis, known as the “Brown Bomber.” In 1945, owner Mickey McBride held a fan contest, and Browns emerged as the top choice. Initially, Paul Brown rejected the name, opting for Panthers, but a local businessman held the rights to that name. Brown eventually accepted the use of his name, and the team became the Browns.

9. Dallas Cowboys

When the Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960, they were initially set to be called the Steers. However, general manager Texas E. Schramm worried that a castrated bovine mascot might invite mockery, so he opted for Rangers. Concerned about confusion with the local minor league baseball team of the same name, Schramm ultimately settled on Cowboys just before the season started.

10. Denver Broncos

Denver became a founding member of the AFL in 1960, and the name Broncos, submitted by Ward M. Vining along with a 25-word essay, won a fan contest with 162 entries. The name had previously been used by a Denver team in the Midwest Baseball League in 1921.

11. Detroit Lions

In 1934, radio executive George A. Richards bought the Portsmouth Spartans and relocated them to Detroit, renaming the team the Lions. The name was inspired by Detroit’s baseball team, the Tigers, who had a successful season that year. As the team stated, “The lion, king of the jungle, symbolizes our ambition to dominate the league.”

12. Green Bay Packers

The team was founded by Earl “Curly” Lambeau, whose employer, the Indian Packing Company, sponsored the football team by providing equipment and field access. After the company became Acme Packing Company and eventually closed, the Packers name remained.

13. Houston Texans

Houston’s 2002 expansion team marked the sixth professional football team to bear the name Texans. The Dallas Texans, an Arena Football League team from 1990 to 1993, were revived by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in 2000. Initially planning to retain the name, Jones later changed it to the Desperados. Houston owner Bob McNair selected Texans over alternatives like Apollos and Stallions.

14. Indianapolis Colts

The Baltimore Colts, part of the All-America Football Conference from 1947 to 1950, took their name from the area’s rich tradition of horse breeding. The name was retained when a new franchise launched in 1953 and continued after the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars’ name was chosen through a fan contest in 1991, two years before Jacksonville secured an expansion team and four years before their first game. Other options like Sharks and Stingrays were considered. Although jaguars aren’t native to Jacksonville, the oldest living jaguar in North America resided at the Jacksonville Zoo.

16. Kansas City Chiefs

Originally the Dallas Texans in the AFL, the team moved to Kansas City in 1963. Owner Lamar Hunt renamed them the Chiefs, choosing it over Mules, Royals, and Stars. The name honored Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle, nicknamed The Chief, who helped attract the team by guaranteeing attendance targets.

17. Los Angeles Chargers

In 1960, team owner Barron Hilton held a contest to name the team, offering a trip to Mexico City as the prize. Gerald Courtney submitted Chargers, and Hilton was so impressed that he didn’t consider any other entries.

The reason behind Hilton’s choice of Chargers has multiple explanations. The team, which initially played in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego (and later returning to Los Angeles in 2017), may have been named in part due to Hilton’s connection to his Carte Blanche credit card. Additionally, Hilton appreciated the “Charge!” bugle call heard at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

18. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams, founded in Cleveland in 1936, relocated to Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994 before moving to St. Louis and returning to Los Angeles in 2016. The name Rams was inspired by the college football team Fordham Rams, a favorite of general manager Damon “Buzz” Wetzel. Fordham, Vince Lombardi’s alma mater, was a dominant team at the time.

19. Miami Dolphins

When Miami joined the AFL as an expansion team in 1966, a naming contest attracted nearly 20,000 submissions. Over 600 entries suggested Dolphins, but Marjorie Swanson won by correctly predicting a tie in the 1965 Miami vs. Notre Dame college football game. Swanson, who earned a lifetime season pass, revealed she used a Magic 8-Ball for her prediction. Owner Joe Robbie favored the name, stating, “The dolphin is among the swiftest and most intelligent sea creatures.”

20. Minnesota Vikings

As the Vikings’ website explains, Bert Rose, the team’s general manager during their 1961 NFL entry, proposed the name to the Board of Directors. He believed it symbolized both a fierce competitive spirit and the Nordic heritage of the northern Midwest. The team also made history as the first professional sports franchise to use its home state instead of a city in its name.

21. New England Patriots

In 1960, 74 fans proposed Patriots during a naming contest for Boston’s AFL franchise. The team soon adopted “Pat Patriot,” a cartoon of a Minuteman ready to snap a football, created by Boston Globe artist Phil Bissell. While the team transitioned from Boston to New England in 1971, the name Patriots stayed unchanged.

22. New Orleans Saints

New Orleans secured an NFL franchise on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1966. The New Orleans States-Item sponsored a naming contest, and Saints emerged as a favorite. Owner John Mecom chose the name, inspired by the city’s jazz culture and the iconic song, “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The newspaper celebrated the announcement with the headline, “N.O. goes pro!”

23. New York Giants

Tim Mara, the owner of the New York football team, adopted the Giants name from John McGraw’s National League baseball team. This was a common trend among football teams at a time when baseball dominated as America’s favorite sport.

24. New York Jets

Originally named the Titans, the team became the Jets in 1963 after Sonny Werblin’s investment group bought the bankrupt franchise for $1 million.

As reported by the New York Times, the team considered names like Dodgers, but Major League Baseball opposed it. Gothams was another option, but the team feared it would be shortened to Goths, referencing a less favorable historical group. The New York Borros, a play on the city’s boroughs, was also rejected over concerns fans would mockingly call them jackasses.

The team ultimately chose Jets, inspired by its proximity to LaGuardia Airport and Shea Stadium. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the name reflected the team’s modern and forward-thinking identity.

25. Las Vegas Raiders

In 1960, Oakland’s first general manager, Chet Soda, held a contest to name the team. Helen A. Davis, an Oakland police officer, won with the name Señors, earning a trip to the Bahamas. However, the name, referencing California’s Spanish settlers, faced ridicule, and accusations of contest rigging surfaced. Scotty Stirling, a sportswriter for the Oakland Tribune and future GM, noted the impracticality of the name due to the lack of an accent mark for the ñ in headlines. Amid the backlash, Soda and investors switched to Raiders, another contest finalist alongside Lakers. The team has moved between Oakland and Los Angeles, finally settling in Las Vegas in 2020.

26. Philadelphia Eagles

In 1933, Bert Bell and Lud Wray acquired the bankrupt Frankford Yellowjackets and renamed the team the Eagles. The name paid tribute to the emblem of the National Recovery Act, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers

From 1933 to 1940, Pittsburgh’s football team bore the same name as the city’s baseball team, the Pirates. Ahead of the 1940 season, owner Art Rooney organized a contest to rename the team, hoping to turn around their fortunes after seven losing seasons. Joe Santoni, a Pittsburgh Steel mill worker, was among those who proposed Steelers. Santoni won season tickets, which he renewed annually until his passing in 2003.

28. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers, established in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, were named in honor of the gold rush settlers who arrived in San Francisco during 1849.

29. Seattle Seahawks

In 1975, a naming contest drew over 20,000 entries, including Skippers, Pioneers, Lumberjacks, and Seagulls. Around 150 participants suggested Seahawks, a name previously used by a Seattle minor league hockey team and Miami’s All-America Football Conference team in the 1950s. General manager John Thompson stated, “The name reflects our region’s heritage, conveys aggressiveness, and is unique among major league teams.” The team’s helmet features a stylized osprey, a fish-hunting hawk.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 1975, a panel of local sportswriters and team representatives, including owner Hugh F. Culverhouse, selected Buccaneers from over 400 potential names. The name, favored by fans in a naming contest, pays homage to the pirates who once terrorized Florida’s coastline in the 1600s.

31. Tennessee Titans

After moving from Houston to Tennessee in 1995, the team retained the Oilers name for two seasons before owner Bud Adams launched a statewide renaming contest. Titans was selected over options like Tornadoes, Copperheads, South Stars, and Wranglers. Adams explained, “We sought a name that embodies strength, leadership, and heroic traits.”

32. Washington Commanders

After purchasing an NFL franchise in Boston, George Preston Marshall renamed the team from Braves to Redskins, reportedly to honor head coach William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz, who was believed to be Native American. The name remained when the team moved to Washington, D.C., in 1937. Following a temporary name change to the Washington Football Team, they adopted the Washington Commanders in 2022.