Banned Baby Names
The country that a parent lives in has an influence on the names that parent gives to his or her children. This is especially true if the parents live in a country that prohibits parents from given certain types of names to their children.
Up until 1993, parents in France had to choose from a list of acceptable “prenoms” as a name for their baby. Since then, the rules have become a bit more flexible. However, parents are prohibited from naming their child something that could have a negative effect on the child’s life.
For example, the names “Nutella” and Strawberry (“Fraise”) were names that parents wanted to name their baby girls. Both names were rejected because judges felt the girls would be mocked as they grew up.
Parents who live in New Zealand cannot give their babies a name that fails to comply with the 1995 Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act.
Disallowed names are ones that include: royal titles, religious references, punctuation marks, names of illicit drugs, symbols, and gang related names. Parents cannot name their children something “that would be offensive to the general public”.
Some rejected names that New Zealand parents wanted to give their babies include: King, Prince, Princess, Knight, Queen, Queen V, Queen Victoria, Lord, Lady, Baron, and Duke. Royal (or Royale), and Majesty (or Majesti) were not allowed. Religious names that were not allowed included Messiah, Christ, Bishop, Saint, and Lucifer. The name Justice was also rejected. The name Nevaeh (which is Heaven spelled backwards) was allowed.
The strangest rejected names that parents in New Zealand wanted to name their baby include: “Violence”, “Midnight Chardonnay”, “Number 16 Bus Shelter”, and the names “Benson” and “Hedges” (which were given to a set of twins). In 2008, a girl named “Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii” was taken into Family Court custody so she could change her name.
There are no legal regulations regarding first names in Germany. But, there are certain rules that must be followed. Parents must choose a name that makes it possible to determine the gender of the child by its first name. The name must not be absurd or degrading in any way. Surnames, product names, and names of objects as first names are not permitted.
Germany has rejected some names in order to prevent the child from being humiliated. A Turkish couple, who lived in Germany, wanted to name their baby “Osama Bin Laden”, but were prohibited from doing so. Germany also disallows parents from naming their babies “Hitler”.
Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:
* What Would Your Name Be If You Were Born Today?
* The Most Popular Names of the 1930s
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