Why Did NFL Star Josh Hines-Allen Change His Name? The Answer Is Pretty Sweet

Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars want to know why NFL star Josh Hines-Allen decided to change his name, and the answer may surprise many folks. The defensive end made the name change ahead of the 2024 NFL season, according to Jacksonville Jaguars Football, and his stellar performance in the current football season has fans revisiting his name change.

Josh and the Jacksonville Jaguars won 13 games during the 2025 football season, according to The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and now that the season is nearly over, Josh's name change has folks curious.

Josh decided to change his name to honor his mother's side of the family. Other family members already used the hyphenated last name, and Josh decided to do so as well. Josh's sister, Myisha Hines-Allen, is a player for the WNBA team the Washington Mystics.

His sister Kyra Hines-Allen used to play basketball at Cheyney University, and another sister, LaTorri Hines-Allen, used to play basketball at Virginia Tech.

Another family member, his uncle Gregory Hines, was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1983 NBA draft, and his uncle Keith Hines played basketball at Montclair State.

The name change is a "tribute to Joshua's maternal side of the family and the other relatives who have worn 'Hines' and 'Hines-Allen' on their jerseys."

“Legacy is forever, and I'm proud to carry that tradition on the back of my jersey, following in the footsteps of my family, who have donned the Hines-Allen last name with so much pride and joy," he said. "My last name has been changed, but I’m still that person. And I will continue to play like it, play even better."

"It's not a struggle to finally say that this is what I want to do," said Josh. "This is what we're going to do. I am deciding to change my last name. I'm Joshua Hines-Allen, defensive end, the Jacksonville Jaguars. You know, I've always been a Hines, and legacy is forever."

"Family is important to me because when you come from a rich history of athletic people in your family, and myself being the youngest one to go to all my sisters' games, and know what my uncles did in college and in the NBA, it just means something a little bit more," he added. "It was almost destined for me to follow their footsteps."

Despite Josh and his team losing to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 11 with a final score of 27-24, the NFL star has a positive attitude about the season.

"We fought all year. We battled," he said. "This was the most fun I've had in a very long time, and I've got a lot of guys that can say the same thing. ... This is a growing step for us, a growing moment. ... We're going to attack this offseason, grow from this offseason and come back ready to win the whole thing next year."