More than 500 babies in Peru have reportedly been registered with the name Haaland since the World Cup began, according to the country’s civil registry. It’s a striking sign of how far a Norwegian striker’s impact has reached, turning him into an unlikely presence on South American birth certificates.
Peru’s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) recorded 468 children with the surname Haaland and another 91 registered as Erling Haaland, showing how widely the trend has spread.
The naming surge tracks with his World Cup form, as he scored seven goals for Norway, finished one behind Kylian Mbappe, and helped carry his country to the quarter-finals before they lost to England.
How Haaland Inspired Peru's Baby Naming Trend
Registry spokesperson Ivan Torres confirmed the figures publicly, telling local broadcaster Panamericana Television that "different football stars serve as inspiration for Peruvians to register their children with these names."
Haaland's tournament run gave parents plenty to work with. He scored seven goals for Norway, including two late strikes against Brazil in the knockout stage, and that haul was part of the form that carried his country to the quarter-finals.
Haaland's size became part of the fascination. At six-foot-five, Haaland became something of an online sensation for the contrast between his size and his personality, with one widely shared post joking that he "radiates the energy of a golden retriever" despite his frame.
Norway's run ended in the quarterfinals against England, but by then the naming trend inside Peru's registry offices had already taken hold well beyond the result on the pitch.
Peru's Long Tradition Of Naming Children After Football Stars
Peru already has 33,809 people with Neymar in their name, far more than Haaland’s total. Messi accounts for 3,402 namesake registrations, Cristiano Ronaldo has 1,185, and Lamine Yamal has already reached 1,241 registrations.
So Haaland’s surge is impressive but still smaller than the established football-name favorites. Rather than a new phenomenon, Haaland’s total is just the latest addition to a long Peruvian tradition that has stretched across several World Cup generations.
This tournament’s biggest stars are extending that habit, not creating it.
Why The Trend Is Spreading Across Latin America
Peru was not the only country to record a World Cup-inspired baby-naming trend. Similar patterns were reported in civil registries elsewhere in Latin America.
Mexico produced the most unusual example, with one newly registered baby given a full name that combines Haaland’s surname with Mexican stars Julian Quinones and Gilberto Mora, plus a nod to “¿Y Si Si?”.
Whatever comes next in Haaland's career, his name is now written permanently into thousands of birth certificates thousands of miles from Norway, a legacy few players collect regardless of how many trophies they eventually win.
