大象传媒

鈥淲hat's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.鈥

In the classic Shakespeare play, Juliet makes the point to Romeo that the convention of naming things holds no real relevance.

But the choice of name for a child truly does matter as they鈥檙e likely to be stuck with it for the rest of their lives. And in some countries, there are certain names that are outright banned for being embarrassing, offensive or even unpatriotic.

大象传媒 Bitesize takes a look at some of the forbidden baby names that weren鈥檛 allowed.

France: No embarrassing names

It鈥檚 fairly normal for parents to want to choose a name with meaning 鈥 but less common for that name to be based on a favourite snack.

But a family in France attempted to name their child Nutella.

A French baby girl sleeps on a grey sheet, wrapped in a grey blanket. She has a half smile while sleeping.
Image caption,
Rules in France prevent parents from choosing a name that might cause embarrassment to their child in later life

In 2015, a judge in Valenciennes in northern France refused to allow a child to be named after the spread. They expressed concerns over the use of a trademark, but ultimately decided the child couldn鈥檛 be given that name because of the risk of humiliation.

When the parents refused to attend the court hearing, the judge ordered the child be named Ella instead.

While the choice of a name that is a trademarked brand wasn鈥檛 the main concern in this case, other countries have banned similar attempts 鈥 with names such as Mercedes or Chanel banned in Switzerland.

Sweden: No names which are obviously not names

In Sweden, there are strict guidelines around what you can or can鈥檛 call your child 鈥 again with the aim of preventing any embarrassment for the child.

So, it鈥檚 not surprising to learn that the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 was not approved.

In 1996, a Swedish family chose this unusual, 43-character name for their son 鈥 to be pronounced, Albin 鈥 in protest after they were fined for not registering his name before his fifth birthday. When that was rejected, they then tried to register the name A 鈥 again pronounced Albin 鈥 which was also turned down. In the end, they relented and named him Albin.

The names Metallica, Superman, Veranda and Ikea have also fallen foul of the Swedish naming laws.

New Zealand: No official titles as names

In New Zealand, the embarrassment rule comes into play again, but there are several other considerations when it comes to approving names.

Any name that might include or resemble an official title or rank is forbidden 鈥 and one of the most common of these is Justice.

As a formal title for a judge, that name is banned, alongside Saint, Bishop, Knight and Mr.

A baby crawls on the beach in Hahei, New Zealand on a bright and sunny day, with a few clouds in the sky. The baby is wearing a blue bucket hat, a yellow-green long sleeved top and grey trousers.
Image caption,
In New Zealand, formal titles can't be used as names - meaning Doctor and Princess are among those that parents are unable to choose

The other rule for names is that they mustn鈥檛 be unreasonably long or without justification. So a case in 2008 prompted some surprise that it had slipped through the net.

During a custody case for a then nine-year-old girl, a judge discovered that she had been named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii 鈥 a name that, quite reasonably, she hated so much that she never told anybody what she was really called.

The judge allowed her to change her name 鈥 with a severe admonishing for her parents.

Japan: No names that might humiliate

One name choice in Japan in 1994 was so controversial, it led to a heated debate in a Japanese Cabinet meeting.

A family decided they wanted to call their baby boy Akuma - which literally means devil. The father said he chose the name because he wanted his son to stand out with an unforgettable and completely unique name.

Initially, the name was accepted before officials challenged it, feeling that the name would lead to discrimination.

A Japanese baby lying on their front, smiling at the camera.
Image caption,
While there aren't any names that are banned in Japan, those chosen must not be likely to cause the child any discrimination in the future

The name was considered so controversial that members of the Japanese government commented on it and the morality of whether the state should be allowed to intervene in naming matters became a nationwide debate.

Eventually, the family backed down after a lengthy legal battle.

Portugal: No Toms allowed

The world has undeniably been improved by Toms 鈥 Jones, Holland, Hardy and Hanks to name a few 鈥 but the name is completely forbidden in Portugal.

This is not because of a hatred of Spider-Man or Forrest Gump 鈥 but because names in Portugal are required to take traditional Portuguese spellings.

The government has a list of pre-approved names that all new parents must choose from. So while Tom is out, Tom谩s is allowed.

Exceptions to the naming rules are made for families where one of the parents is not Portuguese, or holds dual citizenship, but still with one caveat 鈥 that the name is permitted in their home country. So if you鈥檙e a French hazelnut spread fan, you still won鈥檛 be able to get away with the name in Lisbon.

This article was published in January 2024

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