Dak Prescott real name, explained: Why Cowboys QB goes by a nickname of his middle name

Billy Heyen

Dak Prescott real name, explained: Why Cowboys QB goes by a nickname of his middle name image

Dak Prescott has grown into one of the NFL's best quarterbacks.

The spotlight is always on him, too. That's what happens when you play QB for the Dallas Cowboys.

But there might be something you wonder each time you watch Prescott play: What kind of a name is Dak?

Well, it's a nickname. And not even for his first name.

What is Dak Prescott's full name?

Dak Prescott's full name is Rayne Dakota Prescott.

How did Dak Prescott get his nickname?

Dak Prescott's nickname stems from his middle name, Dakota.

It's just the first three letters. Pretty simple, really.

Prescott told The Dallas Morning News early in his career that he went by Rayne growing up but was teased for it, being told it was a girl's name.

He went with the shortened version of his middle name from then on out, although he doesn't mind his name now.

"I love Rayne now. I’ve grown into it. I’ve grown to like it,” Prescott told The Dallas Morning News. “I might go just by Rayne Dakota one day, skip the last name.”

For now, he still goes by Dak Prescott.

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Dak Prescott's mother

Dak Prescott was raised by his mother, Peggy, after she and his father (Nathaniel) divorced early in his life.

The QB grew up in a trailer park. He has a tattoo of the Pine Creek Estates mobile home community on his leg.

In a past interview, Prescott shared how important his mother was in his life.

“My mom did whatever it took for us to survive," Prescott said. "Sometimes, my mom didn’t have the money for the electric bill, but she could get $40 or so to get a motel room... Most people would be upset, most people would be mad, but we saw it as a vacation. We saw it as a time to go swimming and to get out of the house, and we’ll figure it out because we have Mom and we’re behind her no matter what."

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle