In Peru, 'Star Wars' fans use Force to name children

LIMA: The Force is strong in Peru, where visitors shouldn't be surprised to run into Obi-wan Kenobi or Darth Vader.

That's because some Peruvian fans of the Star Wars saga have taken their love of the series to a new level by naming their children after characters in the films.

The premiere of the latest Star Wars installment Rogue One in Lima on Thursday prompted the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status to review recent birth records, the agency said on Facebook.

It showed Peruvians have been swept up by the global fever for the science fiction series launched by George Lucas in 1977.

Leia, the heroine princess, is at the top of the list with 533 namesakes entered in the registry. Han, the roguish bounty hunter who steals her heart, comes next with 365. The hero Luke (Skywalker) is listed 198 times and his father Anakin (Skywalker), 104.

Although not his real name, Arturito – as the droid R2D2 is called in several Latin American countries – would surely beep with joy to know 20 Peruvian children have been baptised with his name.

Rogue One characters also appear on the list.

Orson (Krennic) appears 210 times, Andor, eight and Cassian, four – after the pilot Cassian Andor, played by the Mexican actor Diego Luna.

Darth Vader has his Peruvian fans, too. The registry lists two people registered as Vader, one as Darth, one as Obi-Wan Kenobi and another as Skywalker.

It also shows eight Kenobis and four Obis.