Newborns in Peru and Argentina named after World Cup players

Hundreds of newborns in Peru have been registered with names drawn from World Cup players, including multiple instances of the name Haaland. The trend extends to other Latin American countries where parents selected names linked to players from competing teams.

Ivan Torres, a spokesperson for Peru's civil registry RENIEC, told Panamericana TV last week that approximately 30,000 registrations each reference Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Torres also noted one birth record listed only the name "Mundial," the Spanish term for the World Cup.

patterns in Mexico and Argentina

A birth certificate in Mexico listing the name Quiñona Ysisidra Morita Haaland Guevara circulated on social media. The certificate has not been verified by Mexico's governance secretariat. In Argentina's northeastern province of Salta, the names Enzo, Emiliano, and Lionel ranked among the most common for boys in the week before the World Cup final.

Local authorities linked the increase to the tournament.

Molina, host of the Mexico City-based podcast "Sin manual para padres," said the practice follows earlier naming trends tied to music groups and athletes. Molina noted that similar patterns occurred after Diego Maradona's 1986 goal and during the popularity of the Backstreet Boys.

"It's funny, but it could also be prejudicial to children when they grow up," Molina said.