What in the World offers you glimpses of what our journalists are observing around the globe. Let us know what you think:whatintheworld@nytimes.com

The roster of the Cuban national baseball team is weighted curiously toward the end of the alphabet. There are Yordanis, Yurisbel, Yunior, Yeniet and Yorbis: more than one-quarter of the 41 players considered for this spring’s historic game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Havana had first names starting with Y.

It reflects a national trend informally known as Generación Y, in which thousands of people born toward the end of the Cold War have uncommon first names that share that initial. Perhaps the best-known example: Yoenis Cespedes, the power-hitting outfielder for the New York Mets, who was born in Cuba in 1985.

The seeds for this unconventional nomenclature may have been planted by the Cuban revolution, which pulled parents away from biblical names. The influence of the Soviet Union, with its Yevgenis and Yuris, is also seen as a significant factor.