738 Peruvian Children Named After Football Icon Pele

Pele

Following the demise of Brazilian football icon, Pele, 738 Peruvian children have reportedly been named after him.

According to the list published by the Peruvian National Civil Registry at the end of 2022, a total of 738 babies were registered as Pelé, Rey Pelé, Edson Arantes or Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the real name of the triple world cup champion.

On Monday January 2, thousands of football fans and dignitaries gathered at the stadium of Brazilian club Santos, where he played from 1956 to 1974, to bid a final farewell to the Brazilian player who died on December 29 at the age of 82.

Among Peruvian girls, 551 were baptized as either Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Second or Elizabeth II, after the British monarch who died in September after 70 years on the throne.

Despite Pele’s passing, the most popular famous name used by Peruvian parents was that of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, with Ronaldo or his full name chosen 31,583 times.