A Jalen Rose by any other name: Miami Dolphins boast 4 of NFL's 44 Jalens (or Jaylens)
What are the chances you share a name with three co-workers? What if that name barely existed 30 years ago?
An NFL locker room is a pretty big workspace. At the start of training camp, the Miami Dolphins had 90 players on the roster.
There are the expected assorted of similar names and their derivatives. Cameron Goode and Cam Smith. Michael Turk and Mike White. Robert Hunt, Robert Jones and Robbie Chosen.
But for the most common name on the Dolphins, look to star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. And standout receiver Jaylen Waddle. And stud pass rusher Jaelan Phillips. And practice squad defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman.
Think four players named Jalen (or a similar-sounding tweak in the spelling) on one team is a lot? The Dolphins aren't the only team to boast that number.
The Chicago Bears also have four Jalens: defensive linemen Jalyn Holmes and Jalen Harris, and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Jaylon Jones.
How many Jalens are in the NFL?
In all, there are 44 Jalens/Jaylens/Jaelyns on NFL rosters at the start of training camp. Of the 32 NFL teams, 26 include at least one Jalen. It's easier to list the ones who don't:
The list of Jalens includes some of the best players in football. The Dolphins' Ramsey is a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Waddle and Phillips, both entering their third season, add to that total. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts finished second in the NFL MVP race last season, and his team took defensive tackle Jalen Carter ninth overall in April's NFL Draft. New England Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills started on a Super Bowl winner.
Jalen Ramsey injury: Dolphins get bad news on Jalen Ramsey, who's about as irreplaceable as it gets | Habib
Even without Jalen Ramsey, Dolphins' front seven 'most talented in NFL'
The proliferation of Jalens shouldn't come as much of a surprise to observant sports fans. The name Jalen has been a popular one in football and basketball, especially over the past decade or so.
Where does the name Jalen come from? Meet Jalen Rose
There's a logical reason for this. The name rose to prominence with Jalen Rose, part of Michigan basketball's Fab Five in the early '90s. Rose stood out because of his game, sure — he made the 1992 All-Tournament Team as a freshman and was first-team All-Big Ten his junior year of 1994 — but his legacy will always be his unique and easy-flowing name.
His mother, Jeanne Rose, came up with the name as a combination of his father, James, and his uncle, Leonard.
"If she would've named me James or Jason, that wouldn't have hit the same," Jalen Rose said in 2021. "... Names and words are extremely powerful. If people don't rock with you or they don't like you, you know the last thing they're gonna do is name their kid after you.
Through 1991, the name Jalen did not appear on the U.S. Social Security Administration's registry of popular baby names. Then in 1992, when Rose and the Wolverines reached the first of two consecutive national championship games, Jalen broke into the rankings.
Is Jalen a popular name? It sure was in the 2000s
That began what would become a steady rise until 2000 when, according to the SSA, 3,513 baby boys in the U.S. were christened Jalen, just shy of breaking into the top 100 baby names of the year. That was also the year Rose's Indiana Pacers reached the NBA Finals. The name remained popular throughout the decade, never dipping below the 400th most popular boys name until 2011.
Perhaps the only reason Jalen isn't as popular now as it was in 2000 is because of the variations that have risen in the decades since its initial rise. In 2022, 564 babies were named Jalen, while 1,049 were named Jaylen.
Why are so many athletes named Jalen?
The Jalens from the breakout year of 1992 would be 30 or 31 now, while the 2000 batch would be 22 or 23. That more or less accounts for the prime years of professional athletes, and sports fans are seeing that now in highlight reels and roster pages across the NFL and NBA, in particular.
That tracks with the Dolphins' Jalens. Ramsey (28 years old) was one of the earlier Jalens, born in 1994. Waddle (24) was born in '98, while Phillips and Twyman (24) were born in '99.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Jalen name on the rise in NFL, especially with Miami Dolphins
