Since the World Cup began on June 11, 486 babies in Peru have been registered with the surname "Haaland," and 91 with the full name "Erling Haaland," according to multiple sources [1, 2, 3, 4]. The surge in registrations closely followed Norway's progress to the quarter-finals, propelled by Haaland's seven goals, including a crucial strike against Brazil [3, 4].
The trend mirrors Peru's tradition of naming babies after football stars. Iván Torres, a spokesperson for Peru's identity registry, said football icons frequently inspire baby names and joked, "哈蘭德現在也是秘魯人了" ("Haaland is now also Peruvian.") [3].
Other footballers with many namesakes in Peru include Neymar, with 33,809 babies named after him, Lionel Messi with approximately 3,000 to 3,402, Lamine Yamal around 1,200 to 1,241, and Cristiano Ronaldo at 1,185 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The exact figures for Messi and Yamal differ slightly between sources but remain close [1, 2, 3, 4].
The surge in babies given the Haaland name mainly occurred in the weeks after the World Cup started and intensified as Norway advanced in the tournament [1, 2, 3, 4].
On July 14, after the World Cup, Haaland posted on Instagram to his 67.5 million followers asking them to help name his new stuffed raccoon souvenir. The option "R.O.W (Raccoon on Wheels)" led the poll with 37% of votes [1, 2]. Haaland captioned the post, "Help me name my new buddy" [1].
The rise in Haaland-inspired names reflects the influence of the World Cup on perceptions and admiration for players beyond their home countries. The surname registrations continue to be tracked by Peru's registry office.
