Error "invalid name" using a loop

[Diego Malo]

I have a dataset with some variables (var1, var2, var3) which contains numbers but they are recorded as strings. I want to destring them using real().

I am preparing this code, in which I transform the variable with real, generating a new one, I drop the original one, and I save the new one with the name of the original. However, the following error is produced: "2var1 invalid name". I guess the problem is something related with quotation marks but I am not able to see it.

local varlist var1 var2 var3

foreach v of local varlist {
    gen 2`v' = real(`v')
    drop `v'
    rename 2`v' `v'
}

[Andrew Musau]

gen 2`v' = real(`v')

Stata variable names cannot start with numbers. See

help [M-1] naming

[Ken Chui]

Variables name cannot start with a number, try `v'2 instead.

[Diego Malo]

You are right. Thank you both, it was that!