Forenames such as Ian and Alan in sharp decline in PL; Kevins most reliable for goals
Wednesday 4 October 2017 18:40, UK
What is the most common first name for players in the Premier League era? We've worked it out...
We can reveal that 87 Davids have graced the top flight over the last 25 years - making it the most common forename in Premier League history.
The next most common names are Paul (79), Steve (62), John (57, excluding John-Arne Riise), Andy, Mark (both 53), Chris (51), Kevin (45), Michael (44) and Lee (43).
The name David also holds the record for winning league titles, with 11 different players featuring in a title-winning squad - four of those on more than one occasion.
But Davids are on the decline in the Premier League - only three Davids have made an appearance so far this season compared with 32 in 1992/93.
David Silva will be looking to win his third title with Manchester City and David Luiz will be chasing his second at Chelsea, as will David de Gea at Manchester United. We've excluded Davide Zappacosta and former Newcastle midfielder Davide Santon from the 'David' category.
Other names which have seen a sharp fall through the Premier League era include Ian, Alan, Neil and Richard. There hasn't been one appearance by players with that name so far this term - despite them being among the top 20 most common names in the top flight since 1992/93.
In fact, there hasn't been an Ian since Ian Harte appeared for Reading five years ago, despite there being 16 Ians in 1992/93 and 17 two seasons later (excluding Iains).
In contrast, not a single James made an appearance until 1996/97 - James Beattie at Blackburn - but it's the most common name this season with eight players called James taking to the pitch.
Ben has also become increasingly common over the last five years, as has Christian and Tom - with five of each already making a Premier League appearance this season. Other names in ascent include Kyle, Harry, Sam, Tom, Ashley, Aaron and Chris.
Gareth Barry may have set an all-time record for Premier League appearances with 634 to date, but all 12 Premier League Gareths have only mustered 1,604 combined.
In terms of cumulative totals, players with the forename David have made a league-high 6,936 appearances between them - of which David James amassed 572 - followed by Paul (5,687), Steve (5,240), John (4,847), Andy (4,111), Mark (4,055), Gary (4,032), Kevin (3,687), Michael (3,505) and Chris (3,499).
When it comes to goals, Kevins reign supreme with 539 goals over the last 25 years scored by players with that forename. Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips was responsible for 92 of them.
This season has also marked debuts for 24 names: Davy (Propper and Klaassen), Abdelhamid, Charly, Collin, Danilo, Davinson, Ederson, Elias, Ezequiel, Gaetan, Jairo, Jese, Kiko, Levi, Molla, Rajiv, Rekeem, Renato, Richarlison, Sead, Solly, Tiemoue, Tomer and Vicente.
The most common surname is Johnson (19), but there's only ever been one David Johnson - he made 14 Premier League appearances for Ipswich Town in 2000/01.
