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A woman holds a baby and prays during a Holy Thursday blessing Mass led by then-Archbishop Michel Aupetit in front of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica atop Montmartre in Paris on April 9, 2020. The photo is unrelated to the article. / EPA-Yonhap

Popular culture is having a significant influence on baby names in France.

French broadcaster BFM reported on Sept. 8 local time that French parents are increasingly drawing inspiration not only from celebrities such as actors, singers and athletes, but also from characters in films, television dramas and video games when naming their children.

Writer Stéphanie Rapoport, who has analyzed naming trends, examines the latest patterns and predicts the most popular names for next year in her book “The Official Guide to Names 2027,” due to be published on Sept. 10, based on data from France’s national statistics agency INSEE.

According to the book, Leon, a name that was popular in the early 1900s, has returned to the upper ranks at No. 6, helped by the popularity of swimmer Leon Marchand.

Born in 2002, Marchand gained global attention by winning four gold medals and one bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His popularity remains strong two years after the Games, and he holds world records in the men’s 400-meter and 200-meter individual medley.

The name of a character from Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed” video game series, launched by the French developer in 2007, has also entered the rankings.

Ezio, the Italian nobleman-turned-assassin featured in the game, has entered the top 20 as Italian-style names gain popularity in France. Other fashionable Italian names include Nino, Elio and Mattia.

Liam, the first name of Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher, whose British band made headlines with its reunion last year, ranked 16th among names expected to be popular in 2027. Liam, an Irish shortened form of William, also fits the growing preference for short baby names of two syllables or fewer.

Alba, which ranked fifth among girls’ names in France last year, has also risen rapidly amid the growing popularity of Spanish dramas and films.

Alba is the main character in the Spanish drama “Cable Girls,” while Alba Flores is the actress who played Nairobi in “Money Heist,” one of Netflix’s most successful series.

“Interest has surged in names that were previously barely used in France,” Rapoport said. “Names ending in vowels and Italian-style names are particularly popular.”

In her book, Rapoport predicts Louise and Jade will be among the most popular girls’ names next year, while Gabriel is expected to lead among boys’ names.

                                                                                                             Lim Yu-jeong