In the United States, naming your child is basically a free competition thanks to the First and Fourteenth Amendments. While some states have some rules, they are generally out of practicality.
For example, “Sorry, Mr. Musk and Mr. Grimes: California would love for you to name your baby X Æ A-12, but our record-keeping system does not allow numbers.”
(This happened: they changed it to X Æ A-Xii.)
Some states have no rules at all. But as one Australian Reddit user recently discovered, that’s not the case around the world.
On the subreddit r/namenerds, u/jmads13/ recounted what they learned while registering a name for their newborn in Victoria, Australia.
“Encountered a name restriction that I didn’t know existed,” they wrote. “We chose a common classic name, so that was okay, but it made me think about how many famous people in my hometown couldn’t name/name their kids.”
In fact, according to Victoria’s Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM), certain names and name categories are banned “if they cannot be reasonably used by the community and/or on legal identity documents”. These names can be broadly divided into three basic categories:
- Obscene or offensive content
- Cannot be established through reputation or usage
- It is against the public interest.
But… what does this mean?
Obscene or offensive names
This feels self-explanatory, but Victoria stresses that this includes swear words; obscene or sexual descriptions; racial, ethnic or cultural slurs (or even implications thereof); and items that may be considered likely to insult, humiliate, offend or intimidate protected The name of the group.
A name that cannot be established through reputation or purpose
Sounds confusing, but this basically covers all technically impractical names. Therefore, the name is too long (maximum 38 characters for all first and last names, including spaces, and no more than 5 names) and contains punctuation or symbols other than hyphens or apostrophes.
It also includes names that are stated as statements (Elizabeth Is The Best McMurray is among them), refer to public agencies (Elizabeth Department-Of-Motor-Vehicles McMurray), or appear as initials (ELIZABETH McMurray).
misleading name
As an American, this category is interesting to me because, as far as I know, there is no such provision in our laws.
Basically, titles are not allowed as names. Therefore, titles like colonel, president, or bishop would be prohibited. I could never fulfill my only half-joking dream of naming a child “Senator” in Victoria. But it also includes names that are not rare Or something unheard of in America, such as Justice, Saint (sorry Kim and Ye), Princess, Prince, and His Majesty.
Other examples of misleading names are those that cause social disharmony (I imagine this would be the rule Australians use to tell people why they can’t name their children Adolf Hitler) or are used for business or corporate interests (aka No name – no matter how much money Frito-Lay pays, you can’t name your kid “Hot Cheeto”).
Other countries have similar restrictive nomenclature
Australia isn’t the only country that’s picky about what you can and can’t name your babies. In Iceland, for example, there are officially 1,853 female names and 1,712 male names listed. To leave the list (or try to give your child a gender-nonconforming name), you must seek permission from the committee. In Germany, one of the (many) baby name rules states that you cannot give your child a surname as a first name. Japanese babies are only allowed to have one first name and one last name, and local officials have the discretion to decide whether a name is appropriate.
What happens if you try to register a baby name that breaks Australian regulations?
You have some options. First, you can offer alternatives to your (perhaps odd) first choice. If you do not do this, the BDM may assign a name so that the birth can be legally registered. You can also challenge the department’s decision within 28 days.
So the next time you hear someone’s name that’s not that common, go ahead and let them know it’s a good thing they weren’t born in Victoria, Australia.
