What Are the Most Common High School Mascots?
According to USA Today, the most common high school mascot is Eagles, followed by Bulldogs, Tigers, Vikings and Lions. Others listed by USA Today in its 2014 “Top 10 Most Common High School Mascots” are Wildcats, Cougars, Panthers and Warriors, while Knights and Falcons tied for 10th place. Results are based on a survey of schools in Washington state.
Other common high school mascots are Mustangs, Indians, Hornets, Pirates and Bobcats. Also common are Trojans, Rams, Cardinals, Raiders and Spartans. Often schools add a modifier to a common mascot name. Adding an adjective results in names such as Flying Eagles, Golden Eagles or Fighting Eagles, while adding a proper noun (often a location) gives names like the Springfield Tigers or Hilltop Tigers.
While the terms “nickname” and “mascot” are often used interchangeably, a nickname is the title given to a team, while a mascot is a symbol used by the team.
Eagles and Tigers teams aren’t exclusive to high schools. MascotDB.com reports they are the two most common team names in sports overall.
Some of the least common mascots are Spudders, Jackrabbits, Vandals, Fishermen and Mountain Goats. Names that might be objectionable to some, such as Redskins or Savages, have been phased out by some schools.
