New Zealand bans odd baby names: No more Lucifers, Dukes or Kings
Gloria.TV – News Briefs 25/07/2011 07:37:13
19 July 2011New Zealand
In the past two years, the country has banned 102 names deemed to be too out there. The list includes Baron, Bishop, Duke, General, Judge, Justice, King, Knight and Mr. Those names were banned because they were deemed to be too similar to titles.
In the past, the agency has had a liberal policy of letting just about any name get stamped on a birth certificate. In 2008, for instance, it approved the names Benson and Hedges, given to a pair of twins by parents who presumably loved the cigarette brand. That same year it also green lit the names Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter, both for boys.
New Zealand isn’t the only country grappling with parents who want to give their children odd names. In 2007, a judge in the Dominican Republic submitted a proposal to ban names that are either confusing or gave no indication of gender, such as the names Qeurida Pina (Dear Pineapple) and Tonton Ruiz (Dummy Ruiz), both of which appear in the country’s civil registry.
We are pleased to report that the name "Princess" is still permitted.
:o)
