Sofia - Bulgarian parents are increasingly giving their children unconventional names taken from films, plays and books as the country prepares to join the European Union, according to civil registry data published on Friday.
A Tarzan, a Zorro, a Hamlet and an Ophelia, as well as two Cleopatras (but only one Caesar), were born in 2006 in Bulgaria, a place that until now has been on the conservative side when it came to names.
While 27 Juliets will have to make do with a single Romeo, there was also a Lancelot, after the famous knight of the round table.
Choosing a foreign name "is the fashion, a reaction of the young against the patriarchal tradition of naming babies after their grandparents," sociologist Mira Yanova said.
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"Foreign names also aim to facilitate the kids' integration in a foreign country" since Bulgarian names are sometimes difficult to pronounce, Yanova added, as the country prepares to enter the EU in 2007.
Foreign names such as Angelina, Anthony, Beatrice, Catherine, Deborah, Emily, Jessica, Leonardo, Michael, Nathalie and Stephen have therefore gained in popularity.
But new takes on traditional names are also fashionable. The late Diana, Princess of Wales, inspired 75 young couples to opt for the name's English pronunciation (deye-ana), instead of the traditional Bulgarian (dee-ana).
And while hyphenation was practically unknown to Bulgarians before, several babies now have more than one given name, such as Ivan-Adalbert and Kaloian-Louis-Etienne-Marie.
The list of popular but unconventional baby names this year included Elvis, Madonna and Merilyn, while a football fan named his son Pele, after the legendary Brazilian player.
Biblical names were also common, with 38 boys named after Jesus and four after Christ, with 12 Mary Magdalenes and even one Virgin Mary.
Mythology from neighbouring Greece was also the source of many baby names such as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Apollo, the god of arts, wine god Dionysios, Gaea, the goddess of earth, and Galathea, the sea-nymph who fell in love with a mortal.
In a country that once saw several baby Stalins and Lenins during the communist era, traditional names remain, however, preferred: Alexandar, Dimitar Georgy , Ivan and Martin for boys, and Alexandra, Maria and Victoria for girls.
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