Kylian and Neymar top football‑inspired baby names in South America

What’s in a name? A victory foretold or a homage to greatness past?

Across South America, a growing number of children named after football stars will follow the fortunes of their namesakes when the World Cup begins on Thursday.

In the coming year, depending on which players perform best, parents may increasingly choose names such as Lamine (Yamal, Spain), Ousmane (Dembele, France), Harry (Kane, England) or Vitinha (Portugal).

In Ecuador, which is participating in its fifth World Cup, the most popular footballer names are not those of local stars like Kendry Paez or Willian Pacho, a two‑time Champions League winner with Paris Saint‑Germain. Instead, Brazil’s all‑time record scorer Neymar tops the list, with 3,847 children named after him, according to the country’s civil registry on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappé, the French player who led France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is second, with more than 2,800 children bearing his name, followed by James (Rodríguez, Colombia’s captain) in third with 2,136.

Argentina and Portugal greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also appear prominently in Ecuadorian family names. The country has 1,549 little Lionels, 38 Messis, 178 Cristianos and 1,006 Ronaldos.

In Colombia, the trend is reversed, with 836 children named Kylian or Mbappé, ahead of 269 Neymars and 220 Cristianos or Ronaldos, according to 2022 figures.

Neymar has also inspired parents in his homeland, with 2,443 children named after him, according to a 2022 census. Brazil, the five‑time world champions, has over 400 children named Kylian or Killian.

In football‑obsessed Argentina, Lionel had a major moment in 2023, the year after Messi led his country to its third title, but the name has since fallen in popularity.

In Chile, a family made national headlines before the 2022 World Cup when it welcomed a newborn named Griezmann Mbappé, after France’s former striker and current star forward respectively. The young Griezmann was joined by siblings named James Modric (a mash‑up of James Rodríguez and Luka Modric) and cousins named Andres Iniesta, Leonel Messi and Neymar Ronaldo.

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