Messi leads baby name trend in Chile, surpassing Ronaldo and Kane

Football fever has spilled into Chilean birth registries, where Lionel Messi is the most popular source of inspiration: 4,085 newborns have been named Lionel since January 2025 Source: hoydo, clarin, infobae. Even his surname Messi was chosen for 45 babies.

The rankings

• Cristiano Ronaldo comes second: 2,208 babies named Ronaldo and 341 named Cristiano Source: emolcl.
• Harry Kane inspired 1,923 Harrys and 85 Kanes Source: clarin.
• Kylian Mbappé appears with 972 Kylian babies and 2 named Mbappé Source: hoydo.
• Jude Bellingham gave 199 Judes and 2 Bellinghams Source: clarin.
• Lamine Yamal accounts for 177 Lamine and 2 Yamal Source: emolcl.
• Erling Haaland has 83 Erlings and 14 Haalands Source: infobae.

Legal context

Omar Morales, Director of the Civil Registry, noted that Chilean law allows parents broad freedom in naming, barring only names that are "extravagant, ridiculous, or could cause moral or material harm" to the child Source: clarin, emolcl.

The trend underscores how the 2026 World Cup continues to influence Chilean families, with Messi dominating even as other stars like Mbappé and Haaland gain ground.