50 unusual baby names parents tried giving their kids

Parents spend days, weeks, and sometimes years coming up with names for babies on the way or still in the distant future.

Most of us aren’t strangers to the weirder names a few unfortunate children get. Perhaps you went to school with someone with a, ahem—unique—name. Perhaps you follow the celebrity news and see some of the crimes against humanity names some of them foist upon their children.

But there is a different side to this story, too. For some in the world, they live in countries with severe restrictions when it comes to naming children. The name Linda, as an example, is an illegal name in some countries.

So I give to you a list of weird and not so weird baby names that are illegal around the world.

1. Nutella

A judge in France denied a couple’s request to name their daughter this. Not because of trademark, but because it would “make her the target of derision.” Good call!

2. Fraise

For those not in the know, this is strawberry in French. This name was ruled against since it seems fraise is also slang for ass.

3. Prince William

Yes, yes. That name is already taken. Yet again in France, this name was ruled against since it would set the poor kid up for mockery.

4. Minnie Cooper

So, the same parents who wanted to name their kid Prince William also tried for their second-choice name. Alas, it too was rejected on the mockery reason.

5. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116

I kid you not. Parents in Sweden submitted this name in 1991. Granted, it was in protest to Sweden’s strict naming laws, but still! And in case you’re wondering? The pronunciation of that is Albin. Uh-huh. Of course, it is.

6. Metallica

Because every little girl wants to be named after a heavy metal band, right? This name was initially rejected in Sweden and then allowed. However, when the couple went to get a passport for their daughter the tax authority turned them down. So they got the name, but she can’t leave the country.

7. IKEA

I guess some Swedes are very proud of the company founded there. To the point where they want to honor it by naming their children after it. However, this is a big no no, and the name was rejected.

8. Saint

While you can get away with calling your child Saint in the U.S. the same isn’t true everywhere. This name was rejected in New Zealand since they deem it unlawful to give your kids names the are, or are close to, official titles.

9. lll

That is the roman numeral for 3. While the law in New Zealand would have allowed the name Three, is was a big no for the roman characters.

10. King

Frankly, I’m not sure you can name your child King, anyway. Wouldn’t the parent be the King and the kid a prince or princess? Either way, if you live in New Zealand, you cannot name your child King.

11. .

That’s not a spot on your monitor. That’s someone’s name. Well, the parents wanted it to be a name, pronounced full stop. Fortunately, the courts put a stop to it.

12. Akuma

That doesn’t seem so bad, right? Except it means Devil in Japanese. A member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet issued a statement rejecting the name.

13. 水子

A couple in Japan wanted to use these characters meaning water and child to name their baby. It was rejected with the reason that older generations would understand this to mean “a baby that died in the womb.”

14. Scrotum

First of all, who in the world would do this to their child? Why not just paint a giant target on their back and the words “bully me” on their forehead? Fortunately, the Mexican government rejected the name.

15. Linda

Yes, Linda. If you live in Saudi Arabia the name is banned because it isn’t in line with their social traditions.

16. Tom

Since Tom is the diminutive form of Thomas it isn’t allowed in Portugal. They have a rule that forbids parents from using alternative spellings or nicknames as a name. If you want to call you kid Tom, you need to legally name him Thomas.

17. Thor

No old Norse name allowed in Portugal, even if it is the god of thunder’s name. If you live in Portugal, you can only name your child with Portuguese names.

18. Snake

Sorry, if you live in Malaysia you can’t give your kid a motorcycle gang member sounding name. Snake is one of many names not allowed there.

19. Apple

So you want to name your child after one of the most common fruits in the world. Yawn. Well, you can’t do it in Malaysia, where naming your child after a fruit is not allowed.

20. Harriet

Is suppose it’s better than Metallica, but still. Anyway, some poor souls from the U.K. and living in Iceland wanted to name they daughter this. Iceland is very strict on names and this isn’t allowed.

21. Camilla

If you live in Iceland and you want to call your daughter—or son for that matter—Camilla, you are out of luck. Their alphabet doesn’t have a C, so you can’t do it.

22. Friday

If Wednesday Addams could have the middle name Friday, everyone should be able to use the name, right? Wrong. Parents in Italy tried to name their son Venerdi—which is Friday in Italian—but the courts said it was a “shameful” name and rejected it. There is nothing shameful about Friday!

23. Molli

Parents in Denmark wanted to use some creative spelling and were initially denied the name. The local church, where parents need to seek permission for a name, rejected it. Parents had to appeal to the government before the name was approved.

24. Mecca

Not surprisingly, China has some rules around names. If you live there and want to name your child anything Muslim sounding, it’s just not going to happen.

25. @

If you live in China and want to name your child by the at symbol, that would be a no. It’s been tried and denied. Parents there wanted to use it because in Chinese is pronounced ‘ai-ta’ which closely resembles a phrase that means ‘love him.’

26. Mercedes

Before the car this was a Latin word often used as a name in Spanish. But since it’s also a brand name it is against the law to use it in Switzerland as a name for your child.

27. Judas

27. Judas
No names that have a religious background are allowed in Switzerland. It’s felt that it could cause “undue harm” for kids there.

28. Lucifer

First of all, why? Can you imagine the trouble this would cause your child? Regardless, German officials rule a big, fat no for this one.

29. Schmitz

If you live in Germany, you can’t give your child a name that’s typically a last name. Clearly, that isn’t the case in the U.S. where surnames like Morgan and Parker are allowed as first names.

30. Stone

It’s a nice strong, solid name, right? But if you’re German, forget it. Since it is an object it’s something a child might be able to identity with—at least in the opinion of German officials. So? How many of you identify with your name?

31. J

A couple in Switzerland tried to name their child J in honor of two grandparents whose names began with the letter. And because really short names are cool. However, according to the Swiss, names consisting of only one letter aren’t allowed.

32. Wolf

This one started a bit of a war in Spain. A couple wanted to name their son Lobo, the Spanish word for Wolf. Spain deemed it offensive and said no, but after the couple launched an online petition that raised 25,000 signatures, they retracted that decision.

33. Gesher

This one earned a Norwegian mother two days in jail. The name means Bridge in Hebrew, and she wanted this to be her son’s name since it came to her in a dream. It was rejected and she was given an option. Change the name, pay a fine of $210, or do the time. She did the time.

34. Sarah

If you live in Morocco, you can name your child Sara but not Sarah. Seems silly, right? The reason is that Sarah is “too Hebrew,” so you have to use Sara with is more Arabic.

35. Cyanide

Ah, okay. A Welsh mother thought this name had “positive vibes,” since it was the poison used to kill Hitler. Uh-huh. Fortunately for the girl—whose twin was named Preacher—the court said nope, no way.

36. Duke

It’s a great name for a dog, and there is a famous person or two with the name. But for parents in Australia the name is banned since it sounds too much like a title—probably because it is a title!

37. Jinx

Hungary keeps a list of approved names but if you want something not on the list you are able to request it be accepted. Out of the 30 to 40 names requested every month, there are maybe 15 that are. Jinx was rejected.

38. Ivory

Ivory soap used to be popular and maybe that’s why the name Ivory was initially rejected. Parents in Quebec where asked to change their baby’s name since it was too similar to the soap. Maybe for trademark reasons? Regardless, the parents appealed and won.

39. José

This one is actually a bit of a shocker. If you live in California it’s actually against the law to name your child anything that contains an accent or diacritical mark. So the official name would end up being Jose instead.

40. 1069

Most U.S. states don’t allow numerals in names. A man in North Dakota found this out when he tried to legally change his name to 1069. But nope, names can’t be numbers.

41. Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii

As previously mentioned, you can’t name your kid Saint or King if you live in New Zealand. But apparently this abomination of a name was allowed. When the poor girl was nine, she complained about it to a family court judge who then took custody of her away from her parents because he was so “profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment” they used. The girl then changed her name.

42. Robocop

Someone in Mexico thought this would be a cool name for their child. Perhaps the kid was part robot and the name would be fitting? Doesn’t matter, the name was rejected.

43. Violet

In Malaysia, fruit names like Apple are forbidden—and so are flower names. Actually, any names that come from natural things are frowned upon and therefore rejected.

44. Monkey

Did your parents ever say, “You little monkey,” to you? I guess these parents in Denmark wanted that to be literal. However, it was rejected because it was an animal not a name.

45. Anus

If you ever wanted proof that there are people that should never be allowed to have children, here’s yet another reason. Permission was denied for parents in Denmark to use this as a name. Can you imagine the horror of growing up with the name Anus?

46. Peppermint

German parents wanted to use the name Peppermint bit it was rejected. The reason? It might cause ridicule. I guess, but it’s nowhere near as bad as some other choices parents are making.

47. Diamond

Even if you think your child is a precious gem, you don’t get to call them Diamond if you live in Hungary. No reason was given why the name was rejected, but it was.

48. Sex Fruit

I’m trying to wrap my head around this. Does it mean your sex bore fruitage in the form of a baby? So you decided to name it that? Fortunately, the name was rejected in New Zealand.

49. Viagra

Apparently, a couple in Russia had been trying to have a baby for a long time. Maybe a little get and go from the little blue pill finally helped? We don’t know, but that’s what they wanted to name their child. It was rejected by authorities.

50. Smelly Head

If you live in Malaysia and want to gift your child with this delightful name you are out of luck. The name has made it onto their list of banned baby names. Sometimes justice does prevail!

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Article Sources:

MSN

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