List of North American professional sports teams by type of name

In North America, the big five major league sporting franchises (MLB, NFL, NBA, MLS, and the NHL) have names that vary ranging from names of animals, names of groups of people, names of occupations, names of colors, and names of objects.
Animals
Aquatic Animals
* Miami Dolphins
* Miami Marlins
* San Jose Sharks
* Tampa Bay Rays
Birds
* New Orleans Pelicans
* Pittsburgh Penguins
* Anaheim Ducks
Birds of Prey
* Atlanta Falcons
* Atlanta Hawks
* Philadelphia Eagles
* Seattle Seahawks
Small Birds
* Arizona Cardinals
* Baltimore Orioles
* Baltimore Ravens
* St. Louis Cardinals
* Toronto Blue Jays
Insects
* Charlotte Hornets
Land Animals
* Milwaukee Bucks
* St. Louis Rams
Bears
* Boston Bruins
* Chicago Bears
* Chicago Cubs
* Memphis Grizzlies
Cats
* Carolina Panthers
* Cincinnati Bengals
* Detroit Lions
* Detroit Tigers
* Florida Panthers
* Jacksonville Jaguars
* Nashville Predators (Although 'predator' could be one of a variety of animals, the team uses the sabercat, a land animal, as their logo.)
Dogs
* Arizona Coyotes
* Minnesota Timberwolves
Livestock
* Chicago Bulls
* Denver Broncos
* Indiana Pacers
* Indianapolis Colts
Reptiles
* Arizona Diamondbacks
* Toronto Raptors (Although 'raptor' can refer to a bird, the team uses the velociraptor, a land animal, as its logo.)
Clothing
* Boston Red Sox
* Chicago White Sox
* Cincinnati Reds (Reds is shortened from 'Red Stockings'.)
* Columbus Blue Jackets
* New York Knicks
* San Antonio Spurs
Engineering
* Buffalo Sabres
* Detroit Pistons
* Detroit Red Wings
* Houston Dynamo (A dynamo is an electrical generator.)
* Houston Rockets
* LA Clippers
* New York Jets
* Winnipeg Jets
Mythological/Supernatural
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* New Jersey Devils
* New York Giants
* Orlando Magic
* San Francisco Giants
* Tennessee Titans
* Washington Wizards
Nature
* Denver Nuggets
* Minnesota Wild
Disasters
* Calgary Flames
* Chicago Fire
* Colorado Avalanche
* San Jose Earthquakes
Natural Formations
* Colorado Rapids
* Colorado Rockies
* LA Lakers
* Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Plants
* Portland Timbers
* Toronto Maple Leafs
Space
* Dallas Stars
* Houston Astros
* LA Galaxy
* Phoenix Suns
Weather
* Carolina Hurricanes
* Miami Heat
* Oklahoma City Thunder
* Tampa Bay Lightning
People
* Columbus Crew
* Golden State Warriors
* Los Angeles Dodgers
* Minnesota Twins
Ancestral Group
* Atlanta Braves
* Boston Celtics
* Cleveland Indians
* Kansas City Chiefs
* Minnesota Vikings
* Washington Redskins
Character Trait
* Dallas Mavericks
* New Orleans Saints
* Portland Trail Blazers
Famous Person
* Buffalo Bills
* Chicago Blackhawks
* Cleveland Browns
Geographical Group
* Houston Texans
* Montreal Canadiens
* New York Islanders
* Seattle Sounders FC
* Vancouver Canucks
Monarchy
* Kansas City Royals
* Los Angeles Kings
* Sacramento Kings
* Real Salt Lake
Occupation
* Dallas Cowboys
* Edmonton Oilers
* Green Bay Packers
* Milwaukee Brewers
* New York Rangers
* Oakland Raiders
* Ottawa Senators
* Pittsburgh Pirates
* Pittsburgh Steelers
* San Diego Padres
* Seattle Mariners
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Texas Rangers
Political Group
* Cleveland Cavaliers
* New England Patriots
* New York Yankees
Events
* New England Revolution
* Philadelphia 76ers
* San Francisco 49ers
Local Terminology
* New York Mets (Mets is shortened from 'Metropolitans', a general term for New York-area landmarks.)
* Philadelphia Phillies (Phillies' was shortened from 'Philadelphias'.)
* Washington Capitals
* Washington Nationals
Music
* St Louis Blues
* Utah Jazz
Product Placement
* New York Red Bulls

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