40 Illegal Baby Names That Have Been Banned Around the World
Don't even think about naming your kid these.
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.
Nutella
According to the Telegraph, a judge in France ruled that this name was not allowed — not because of copyright laws, but because it would “make her the target of derision.” The baby was renamed Ella.
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.
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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Parents in Sweden, which has strict naming laws, submitted this baby name in 1991 to protest a fine they received for failing to register a baby name by the child’s fifth birthday. Supposedly, it was to be pronounced “Albin.”
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!
IKEA
Other Swedish parents were not so lucky. The ones who wanted to name their baby IKEA found out Sweden won't let you name your baby after the company — and that ruling stands.
Saint
The name that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West chose for their second child may fly in the U.S., but, in New Zealand, where you can’t give your kids names that resemble official titles, disappointed parents had this name rejected by the government in 2019.
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.
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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New Zealand’s restrictions on putting punctuation in names didn’t prevent one set of parents from trying to name their child a single period, which they would have pronounced “full stop.”
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.
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.
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?)
Linda
What was once the most popular name in the United States is forbidden in Saudi Arabia. In that country, certain names are “banned because they were not in line with ‘social traditions," The Washington Post reports. Maya, Emir, Yara, and Laureen were also on the list.
Tom
Portugal also has rigid regulations about what it allows in names — and one of those rules is that you can’t use nicknames or alternate spellings. If you want to call your kid Tom, you have to name him Tomás.
Thor
Portugal also forbids non-Portuguese names, and it has an 82-page list of names that have been banned. Thor, Nirvana and Paris are included on the list.
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”).
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.)
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).
Camilla
You know what letter isn’t in the Icelandic alphabet? “C.” So any C-names are a nonstarter in that country. Jón Gnarr, the former mayor of Reykjavík, called it an “unfair, stupid law against creativity” when he wanted to name his daughter Camilla.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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