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In the United States, almost anything goes when it come to baby names. While parents have to deal with the joy and drama of choosing a baby name, taking into account the most popular baby names along with whether or not the rest of the family will hate it, very few names are actually forbidden. Naming laws are actually set by the state, and some states have more requirements than others. There are some commonalities: In most states, you can't put a numeral in your name, for example, and there are often character limits to how long you can make a name. (In Minnesota, you're limited to "only" 150 characters.) But if you want to name your kid something that'll get them teased for the rest of their life, it's your American right.

In other countries, though, that isn't always the case, and there are much stricter naming laws. Some require parents to choose from a pre-approved list of names, or petition the government to add a name to the list. Others have laws protecting kids from the ridicule that would result from parents who choose terrible names for them. Here are more than 50 "illegal" names that have been banned or almost-banned — see if you think the governing bodies were right to strike them down, or if you think they were overstepping.

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Fraise

Also in France, a court ruled that a baby girl could not be named Fraise, which means "strawberry." (Strawberries go well with Nutella – is this a conspiracy?) They said it could be construed as the slang word for a**. The parents went with Fraisine instead.

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Prince William

Uh, that one was taken already. Another set of French parents tried to pass Prince William off as a first name, but were rejected because it would "lead to a childhood of mockery," The Local reports. The parents' second choice — Minnie Cooper — was also rejected on the same grounds.

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Metallica, Lego and Elvis

Also in Sweden, parents had to go to court for the rights to use the names Metallica, Lego and Elvis. They all won!

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III

Also in new Zealand, this roman-numeral name didn't fly. "There's no problem if you want to give your child a spelled-out number or even silly name, but remember your child has to live with it!" says Jeff Montgomery, Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.

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Prince, King and Royal

But, by far, the most disappointed parents in New Zealand are the ones who tried to give their children regal-sounding names: Prince, King, and Royal were the most commonly rejected names in 2018.

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Akuma

Parents in Japan wanted to name their child Akuma, which means "Devil," and the case received so much attention that a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet issued a statement guiding parents against the name.

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水子

Also in Japan, a couple tried to using the kanji for "water" and "child" together for their child's name. A government employee pointed out that previous generations used this combination (chishi/mizuko) to mean "a baby that has died in the womb either through abortion or miscarriage," Japan Today reports. The parents changed the name voluntarily.

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Robocop, Scrotum and Facebook

Officials in Sonora, Mexico released a list of names that were rejected by the government because they could lead to bullying, and these three were on it. (But who would have the guts to bully Robocop?)

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Snake

In 2006, Malaysia tightened restrictions on what names would be allowed in that country, and Hokkien Chinese Ah Chwar, which means "Snake," made the list. So did 007, Chow Tow ("Smelly Head") and Sor Chai ("Insane").

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Apple and Violet

Also in Malaysia, in addition to animal names, they frown upon other natural names, like names that come from fruits or flowers — something that's actually a huge trend in the United States. (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Garner would've had to think up some new monikers for their kids if they lived there.)

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Harriet

Iceland's Naming Committee requires names to be spelled and conjugated in Icelandic, so when a girl named Harriet Cardew (whose father was from the U.K.) applied for a passport, she was told she couldn't get one because her name didn't work with the language. She's officially registered as Stúlka Cardew ("Girl" Cardew).

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Friday

Who doesn't love Friday? Italians, in fact. When parents in the country named their son Venerdi, the Italian word for "Friday," the courts ruled that it fell into the "ridiculous or shameful" category of names and ordered it changed. According to NBC news, "they ordered the boy to be named Gregorio after the saint on whose day he was born."

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Molli and Monkey

In Denmark, parents get a choice from a list of about 7,000 pre-approved names, or else they have to request permission. Molli was initially rejected because of its unusual spelling, Monkey because I was an animal and not a name. The country also rejected Anus, for obvious reasons.

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Islam, Quran and Mecca

Officials in Western China cracked down on Muslim names in a move that was widely criticized as a restriction on religious freedom.

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@

According to Mental Floss, this name was also rejected in China because symbols are not allowed in names. The parents initially chose it because "@ in Chinese is pronounced 'ai-ta' which is very similar to a phrase that means 'love him,'" Mental Floss notes.

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Lucifer

Similarly, parents in Germany tried this one, arguing that the word was Latin for "light-bringing," but the Association for the German Language called it in appropriate.

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Schmitz

Germany also rejects last names as first names, especially if they're as popular as Schmitz. That runs counter to the trend in the United States, where names that were once traditionally only last names (Cooper, Jackson) are popular.

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Peppermint and Stone

Germany vetoes names on a few other grounds, too. Pfefferminze ("Peppermint") was rejected because it might cause ridicule, and Stone because "a child cannot identify with it, because it is an object and not a first name."

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J

The current trend in baby names here is to have fewer and fewer letters, but how short is too short? In Switzerland, one letter is not enough. When parents tried to honor two grandparents, Johanna and Josef, with the name J, a Swiss court suggested Jo instead.

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Source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/g28035638/50-illegal-names-around-the-world/

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