Names banned in the world, the most striking
Choosing a child's name, carefully selecting its meaning, is often a commitment that parents take very seriously because it is that name that will represent it for life. However, some take this too seriously. And they indulge themselves with whimsical names that do not emerge from a dictionary of those el paeseni and foreigners but from an ideology or from the inspiration of a moment. For this reason, in the country and in the world there are very specific rules to follow when choosing a name that cannot be ignored. Indeed, in some countries some too extreme are considered illegal and therefore unusable. We have collected the most curious banned names in the world, some of which have even ended up in court.
Read also: The choice of the name: rules to be respected
Forbidden and illegal names, from Nutella to Strawberry
- Nutella: Can worshiping strawberries be reason enough to call a child this name? For a French couple who opted for the fraise version, yes. And again in France, as reported by the Telegraph, two parents opted for the name Nutella: in court, the judge banned the use of this name not so much because it used the label of a registered trademark, but above all because that name could have made the little girl (who was ultimately called Ella the center of derision and mockery) .
- Nouns with only consonants: and what about nouns that are a set of often illegible consonants? The tycoon Elon Musk, who initially named his first child, knows something about it X Æ A-12, and then he had to change in the running because the Californian registry does not accept Arabic or Roman numerals in names. So now the baby is called X A-Xii: with a simple syntactic quibble Musk took home exactly the weird name he wanted for his son. She did not fare so well to a couple of Swedish parents that she would have liked to call their son Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (which, as reported by GoodHouseKeeping, was then transformed into the only "A" of Albin, also rejected). Since 1991 a legal battle has started which ended only when the child was 5 years old and which in any case was won by the registry office.
- Name with punctuation mark. Also in New Zealand, a family had opted for a simple "."once their baby is born. But obviously this option is considered illegal as well as the snail symbol: @ was the name chosen by a Chinese couple, where no symbols are allowed in the names of children.
- Names accepted only in some countries. Then there are some extravagant names that would be accepted in some countries and not in others. In Malaysia, for example, names Violet e Apple would not be allowed: actresses Jennifer Garner and Gwyneth Paltrow who have two daughters with these names are advised. And the same goes for Chanel, daughter of Ilary Blasi and Francesco Totti: a name allowed in the country but which is considered illegal in many countries, including Switzerland.
Names inspired by the classics of literature
Ten baby names inspired by the protagonists of literary classics
- Company names. There are those who have done better, using the names of the most famous technology companies. In Sweden there is a child who has a second name Google; while in Mexico, a list of strange names that some parents would have liked to give their children was published with much bewilderment. Because among the proposals they appeared Facebook, Scrotum e Robocop.
Names inspired by famous people, when the registry says no
- Names of famous people. This passion often prompts some people to renew that adoration by pouring it on their child and especially on the name. As reported by the Telegraph, in Sweden a couple won a lawsuit with the registry office and took home the hipster and decidedly original names of their three children: Metallica, Lego ed Elvis.
- Ikea name: but it didn't go so well with two Swedish parents who instead wanted to call their son Ikea: request rejected.
- Names of English royalty. It is also one thing to give a child a classic name coming from the ranking of the most used names in the country or a name inspired by colors but it is quite difficult to think that a child can be called Prince William, intended as the first name, referring to the son of Lady Diana. And she too hasn't been forgotten: a family from Sonora, Mexico, tried to call a daughter Lady Di in honor of the Princess of Wales, as reported by the Daily Mail. Real names, however, are very popular, especially in New Zealand: in 2022 Prince, King e Royal were the most popular (and rejected) names in the registry.
- Original names with negative meanings. Among the ideas of female names originals perhaps Akuma it might even sound romantic. But in Japan, where this word means "devil", the judge disagreed. In general, the names that refer to the devil are not very popular: in fact in Germany Lucifer was rejected without thinking twice.
- Superhero names. Are the names coming from the superhero universe as valid as those of famous people? A list of names banned by law in Portugal highlighted a request from a couple who wanted to name their child Thor. In that same list of impossible names they also stand out Nirvana e Paris, which, however, is a permitted and widely used name in America.
Weird names, from days of the week to complete sentences
- In the country, the request of a family who wanted to call their son caused a scandal Friday, like a day of the week. Eventually, after a fierce fight in court, they opted for a softer Gregorio.
- But the prize for the strangest, most illegal and forbidden name ever wins it Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii: yes, it is a unique name. Two New Zealand parents fought to get this female name for their daughter but, for obvious reasons, they couldn't.
- Covid-inspired names: special mention to parents who have chosen and have been approved by names inspired by the pandemic such as Covid, Lockdown and Corona. It happened in India and the registry did not consider that they were names to be banned.
