In Peru, the fervor for football has translated into a unique naming trend, with hundreds of babies registered using the names of prominent soccer stars. The national registry reported that more than 500 newborns have been named after Norway's striker Erling Haaland.
Specifically, 468 babies were named Haaland, while an additional 91 were given the name Erling Haaland. Four infants received the full name Erling Braut Haaland. Ivan Torres, a spokesperson for the national registry, noted that "different football stars serve as inspiration for Peruvians to register their children with these names." He added that the frequency of such registrations increased as Norway advanced in recent tournaments.
IMAGE10 Despite the popularity of Haaland's name, other football icons have inspired even more registrations in Peru. Brazil's Neymar was the most popular choice, with 33,812 newborns named after him. Cristiano Ronaldo followed closely, with over 32,000 registrations, including 31,634 named Ronaldo and 1,185 with his full name.
IMAGE3 IMAGE5 Lionel Messi of Argentina was another significant inspiration, with 28,390 Peruvian babies named in his honor. Spain's Lamine Yamal also influenced naming trends, with 1,241 newborns named Yamal, derived from the second part of his first name.
IMAGE1 The phenomenon of football stars influencing baby names is not new in Peru. The 1986 World Cup, dominated by Argentine legend Diego Maradona, saw a notable increase in babies named Diego. Similarly, following the 2014 World Cup, one father in Argentina received permission to name his son Messi Daniel Varela, a surname typically forbidden as a first name.
IMAGE2 Following Argentina's 2022 World Cup victory, names honoring Lionel Messi surged. In his home province of Santa Fe, one in every 70 babies born in December of that year was named Lionel for boys or Lionela for girls. Other Argentine players, such as Julián Alvarez and Emiliano Martínez, also saw their names used for newborns.
IMAGE8 Beyond Peru, other soccer-loving nations exhibit similar naming patterns. In Brazil, a 2022 census revealed 50,538 people named Romário, after the 1994 World Cup-winning striker. The same census recorded 31,684 Brazilians named Riquelme, after Argentine playmaker Juan Román Riquelme.
IMAGE7 In some instances, the inspiration extends beyond major tournaments. A Turkish couple named their son Mauro Icardi after the Argentine striker playing for their favorite team, Galatasaray.
IMAGE9 However, attempts to combine popular player names have faced challenges. In 2019, a French court prevented a couple from naming their son Griezmann Mbappe, a combination of French stars Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé, deeming the name not in the child's best interest.