Is This Rumor True?

StrawberryAlarmClock · March 2011

I heard that, in Germany, it's illegal to give kids ridiculous names. Urban legend? Real law??

schnappycat · March 2011

It's true in several countries. You have to have the name approved by the government.

ames71 · March 2011

Many countries require names to be submitted for approval if they are not on an official list of acceptable names. Germany may be one such country.

StrawberryAlarmClock · March 2011

Wow. How do you guys feel about that? 7,000 names. What if you were an ex-pat of another country and wanted to give your child, say, a Hawaiian or Thai name? No dice. Would you be upset? I agree that kids should not take on the role of conversation piece for their parents, but do you think these laws are justified? Necessary?

ames71 · March 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
Wow. How do you guys feel about that? 7,000 names. What if you were an ex-pat of another country and wanted to give your child, say, a Hawaiian or Thai name? No dice. Would you be upset? I agree that kids should not take on the role of conversation piece for their parents, but do you think these laws are justified? Necessary?

I'm a "less is more" type of gal when it comes to the involvement of government in the personal lives of its citizens. And while the thought of a world free of misspelled, ridiculous names is quite nice, the trade-off makes it a no go for me.

Political differences aside, I've always liked this quote: "Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives." ?Ronald Reagan

juniper19 · March 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
Wow. How do you guys feel about that? 7,000 names. What if you were an ex-pat of another country and wanted to give your child, say, a Hawaiian or Thai name? No dice. Would you be upset? I agree that kids should not take on the role of conversation piece for their parents, but do you think these laws are justified? Necessary?

7000 names seems awfully limited. And frankly most limits seem unreasonable. But if a parent wanted to name her child Adolf Hilter (which happened in New Jersey) I would hope there would be some intervention.

Swede25 · March 2011

It's like that in Sweden too. Officials flipped their lid when a couple wanted to name their daughter Metallica (granted, I think they are nuts myself).

angelynn8411 · March 2011

yes, it's true. I have friends from Germany that told me that

StrawberryAlarmClock · March 2011

Swede25:
It's like that in Sweden too. Officials flipped their lid when a couple wanted to name their daughter Metallica (granted, I think they are nuts myself).

Yeah and someone somewhere (Australia?) wanted to name their baby @ or & or something. Didn't someone also want to name their baby 7?

zaramarie81 · March 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
I heard that, in Germany, it's illegal to give kids ridiculous names. Urban legend? Real law??

Germany can be pretty strict regarding certain aspects of family life, so yeah, I can believe it (and as other PP's said, this wouldn't be the only country requiring this).

NellaJ · March 2011

My MIL had a really hard time with naming my DH because she chose to give him an english name (Mike, not Michael, just Mike). She had to have it approved and they fought her tooth and nail on it. We know a few people still in Germany named Mike, but all spelled Maik.

changingnames · March 2011

Swede25:
It's like that in Sweden too. Officials flipped their lid when a couple wanted to name their daughter Metallica (granted, I think they are nuts myself).

a distant relative of mine gave her twin girls the middle names Megadeath and Metallica. WTF?

cmeinla · March 2011

I remember hearing on Public Radio once that, a couple in Italy were forced to choose a new name for their daughter. They originally named her Friday. I thought it was an interesting name, at the time.

KangarooMom · March 2011

changingnames:
Swede25:
It's like that in Sweden too. Officials flipped their lid when a couple wanted to name their daughter Metallica (granted, I think they are nuts myself).

a distant relative of mine gave her twin girls the middle names Megadeath and Metallica. WTF?

Totally true about Sweden, my parents were a little TOOO into Sylvester Stallone when my brother was born in Sweden and had to get denial from the state before they decided on another name than "Rocky".....

Unknown · March 2011

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plunderb · March 2011

Music America, America, God shed His grace on thee!

And bless each little Jayedynn, Raynne, Nevaeh, and Rhyleeee! Music

Seriously, I am glad that we can choose the names that we want for our children. And that we can mock other people's choices. God Bless America.

crystal959 · March 2011

My uncle lives in Germany and they have a book/list of names. The name has to be approved. My uncle is crazy so he wanted to see what all was in there, so any name he asked about he attached on to my cousins name.

Cecil Icarus Boo is his name so I wouldn't go as far as saying Germans don't have ridiculous names, just less of a selection. haha

honkytonk_kid · March 2011

plunderb:
America, America, God shed His grace on thee!
And bless each little Jayedynn, Raynne, Nevaeh, and Rhyleeee!
Seriously, I am glad that we can choose the names that we want for our children. And that we can mock other people's choices. God Bless America.

Yes

i wish people would not name their kids stupid things, but of their own volition. Laws and committees take it too far for me.

msmerymac · March 2011

I feel like a list of 7000 names would make the decision easy. Just read through the list.

Their popularity charts would be interesting. Like a microcosm of other societies - I'm sure within that 7000 there are "80s names" or "old people names" or "trendy names" or whatever, just like we have.

anna7602 · March 2011

StrawberryAlarmClock:
Wow. How do you guys feel about that? 7,000 names. What if you were an ex-pat of another country and wanted to give your child, say, a Hawaiian or Thai name? No dice. Would you be upset? I agree that kids should not take on the role of conversation piece for their parents, but do you think these laws are justified? Necessary?

There are ways around this if you're committed enough. In Spain under Franco names had to be recognized saints' names. One family I know of die-hard communists gave all their daughters hard-core Russian names, but put Spanish saints' names on the birth certificates. The daughters never went by the names on their birth certificates and when the dictator died, the family eventually got all the birth certificates legally changed.

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