Answer: The Baltimore Ravens

While you might be inclined to think that the Baltimore Ravens are named such because of a robust local raven population, that’s not the case. Ravens are found in some regions of Maryland, but they aren’t particularly common and their population isn’t very large.

The Ravens instead draw their name from a famous figure in Baltimore’s history and one of his best known literary works: Edgar Allen Poe and his poem The Raven. The name selection, in addition to serving as an homage to Poe’s work, also mirrored the avian naming convention of Baltimore’s Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles.

The football team and the literary figure that inspired their name have more than just a shared city in common. Neither the Ravens nor Edgar Allen Poe were Baltimore natives and both migrated there later in life, as it were. Poe was born in Boston but called Baltimore his home before and after his military service at West Point, and despite leaving the city for years, he eventually returned and died there in 1849.

Likewise, the Ravens were transplants. In 1996 when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell wished to relocate the Browns franchise to Baltimore, the city of Cleveland agreed to let him take the actual team as long as he left the name, colors, and heritage in Cleveland.