A new generation of soccer-inspired baby names is emerging across Latin America as parents pay tribute to their favorite World Cup stars.
In Peru, hundreds of newborns have been given the name Haaland, after Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. Meanwhile, names tied to longtime legends like Lionel Messi, Brazil’s Neymar, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo have each accumulated roughly 30,000 registrations, according to Ivan Torres, a spokesperson for Peru’s civil registry RENIEC, who spoke to Panamericana TV last week.
“Haaland is now Peruvian too,” Torres said, also noting that one baby was simply registered as “Mundial” — the Spanish word commonly used to refer to the World Cup. Peru itself did not qualify for the tournament.
Many Latin American fans whose teams either failed to qualify or were eliminated have been reluctant to back Argentina — widely viewed as too Eurocentric — and instead rallied around Norway. The Norwegian team’s spirited “Viking row” celebration and Haaland-powered run to the quarterfinals for the first time earned the squad a massive new following throughout the region.
In Mexico, which co-hosted the World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada, a photo of a birth certificate went viral on social media. It showed a baby girl named Quiñona Ysisidra Morita Haaland Guevara — a nod to Mexican players Julián Quiñones and Gilberto Mora, as well as the Norwegian striker. The name Ysisidra is a creative spin on “Y si sí?” — meaning “What if?” — a chant that became a rallying cry for Mexican fans before the team was eliminated by England in the round of 16. Mexico’s governance secretariat has not confirmed whether the birth certificate is authentic.
Across the border in Argentina, the names Enzo, Emiliano, and Lionel climbed to the top of the most popular baby name charts in the northeastern province of Salta during the week leading up to the final. Local officials credited what they called the “World Cup phenomenon.” Argentina’s squad heading into Sunday’s final includes midfielder Enzo Fernandez, goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, and team captain Messi.
Fabiola Molina, host of the Mexico City-based parenting podcast “Sin manual para padres” (“No manual for parents”), told Reuters the naming trend has a long history in Latin America, tracing back to Diego Maradona’s famous 1986 “Hand of God” goal against England.
“A few years ago when the Backstreet Boys were popular, many women were naming their sons Kevin and Brian, and that’s why it’s very common in countries like Bolivia, Chile and Argentina to find someone called Brian Gonzalez, for example,” Molina said.
She added a note of caution: “It’s funny, but it could also be prejudicial to children when they grow up. Just because your name is Messi or Lionel, it doesn’t mean you’ll grow up to be a good soccer player — destiny won’t carve that out for you.”
