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Indonesian pop culture love has reached official government records
Civil registry data shows that hundreds of children carry names taken straight from Japanese manga and Western pop music.
According to figures released by Indonesia's civil registration department in August, 347 citizens have the name Uzumaki or Naruto.
Another 181 people answer to Nobita from Doraemon, while 79 carry the name D. Luffy from One Piece. The robotic cat Doraemon has inspired 16 birth names, while eight people share a name with his friend, Suneo.
Indonesia's Population and Civil Registration director-general Teguh Setyabudi enjoyed the findings
He noted that all eight Suneos share a name with anime's most famous crybaby. He also said his own son watched Naruto at every dinner.
Beyond manga, the civil registry holds a long list of pop stars
Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande have inspired 15,281 and 5,533 names, respectively. Other entries include pop stars like Justin Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo.
Teguh explained that naming habits have changed over time. Younger parents no longer feel tied to old traditions. Instead, they pick characters who shaped their youth.
