Peru sees modest rise in Erling Haaland baby names after Norway’s 2026 World Cup run

Peru's civil registry recorded a rise in babies registered with the name Erling Haaland after Norway advanced in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The increase began after the tournament started and grew further once Norway reached the quarter-finals. Erling Haaland scored seven goals during the competition, including one against Brazil in the knockout stage.

Norway was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Peru's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status documented 468 people with the surname Haaland and 91 children with the full name Erling Haaland. RENIEC spokesman Iván Torres stated that football stars tend to set naming trends for newborns in Peru.

The same registry lists 3,402 Peruvians named Messi, including 292 registered as Lionel Messi. Neymar remains the most common football-related given name with 33,809 entries, followed by 1,185 named Cristiano Ronaldo and 1,241 who use Yamal as a first name. The pattern shows how performances in major tournaments extend beyond the field into family records across distant countries.