During the 1980s, the boom of ‘Fernandomania’ broke out thanks to the figure of Fernando Valenzuela. Many children were baptized with his name because of the impact he had among fans. Four decades later, the phenomenon is being repeated with ‘Ohtanimania’ and pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Both achieved glory with the Dodgers. Both were idolized and loved by the fans in Los Angeles and in Mexico. Both were the reason why newborns were named after them. While ‘El Toro’ belongs to a bygone era, the Japanese is the present of this peculiar coincidence.
Mexican Dodgers fans who enjoy the team’s current situation and the Japanese pitcher’s pitching were so excited about the World Series title that they did not hesitate to immortalize this moment through their children by naming them after their idol.
Ohtani, a name that is here to stay
The Nameberry site provides data on the increase in minors who bear the identity of Shohei Ohtani after the Dodgers won the MLB championship against the Blue Jays.
During the last week, Nameberry, a website focused on gathering information about first names, registered a 1000% increase in searches for the term ‘Othani’. This translates into thousands of users wanting to check how common or original the name is.
In 10 years, some 250 Mexican children will have to explain why they were named Shohei Rodriguez.
In Los Angeles and Mexico, children with Japanese names
The Los Angeles Hispanic and Mexican community who support the Dodgers have split the pitcher’s name to name their offspring. They do not use the compound term. They either choose Shohei, or they choose Othani, but not both together
Between jokes, fans comment on the new identity of some children. There are cases in which Shohei or Ohtani directly precede the surname as a unique name, for example, Shohei Rodriguez. There are others who use it as a complement to another proper name, such as Jesus Ohtani.
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