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Bizarre baby names: banned in New Zealand
The spawn of Hollywood celebrities will probably want to avoid giving birth in New Zealand in the future. The annoying trend of bequeathing ridiculous names to one's offspring will no longer be tolerated in the island nation, according to CNN.The country's Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages is banning "weird" baby names: the current list includes Lucifer, Duke, Messiah, and 89 (let's hope that's not his/her birth order). Bishop, Baron, General, Judge, King, Knight, and Mr. were said to be too similar to titles. And letters such as C, D, I, and T and names involving punctuation marks? Nope.
In 2008, New Zealand's names registrar approved non-traditional names (there's a set of twins out there named Benson and Hedges). Apparently, circumstances or places of conception were also cool as namesakes. Hence, Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter. But now there's an end to the madness, and hopefully New Zealand will once again become a nation of Liam's and Chloe's.
Fortunately, Sweden (sorry, Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, pronounced Albin) and the Dominican Republic are getting on board with banning idiotic baby names. In 2007, a Dominican judge banned "Tonton" (Dummy) Ruiz, but only because it was confusing and/or gave no indication of gender.
I'm all for foreign or original baby names (despite to this day being called "Laura/Lauren/Nora/Floral/Coral" on a daily basis). But doesn't it constitute a form of child abuse when you stick your kid with a handle guaranteed to inspire butt-kicking on the playground? You'd better learn taekwando, Bronx Mowgli Wentz.
[Photo credit: Flickr user scherre]
[Via Global Post]
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Sweden, Dominican Republic, United States, New Zealand, News
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
Jimmy Jul 21st 2011 7:30PM
Having been a school teacher for a number of years, I've seen my share of unusual names. Dieqakus may be the worst one I heard, lots of Le and La and apostrophes for no apparent reason. We've all heard the joke about children being named Lemonjello and Orangejello. I've had Quanika, the above name with a q and no u after the letter, Shamir, Laquesia, Tamika,. To top it all off, they expect you to know how to pronounce their name.. Even Bill Cosby thinks that African Americans shouldn't have these names, and I'm not saying this about all black people. I worked with a girl named Davida and she said that a lot of black people have crazy names. She also admitted that most blacks don't understand nick names. For instance: I sign my name James. and a lot of black people said, "I thought your name was Jimmy." Hello! Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy Carter. Also, Bill for William, Bob for Robert, Meg or Megan or Maggie for Margaret. Of course white people have had some strange names, too. Fannie-probably a nick name, but yuck. Just stick with traditional names and family names. I'm named for my two grandfathers, James Wilson.
Hooper Jul 21st 2011 7:57PM
Ever get the feeling the people who are naming their kids weird names (actors for instance) have always been the Cool Kids and are privately making fun of their own kids - HaHa you have a funny name!
Hooper Jul 21st 2011 8:07PM
I agree. There's nothing wrong with exotic or unusual names as long as it's not something that would really be embarassing to the child or unpronouncible, which is also embarassing.
ray Jul 21st 2011 8:20PM
OK, so no Loquita Christchurch or Shawneeka Jones?
Mark Jul 21st 2011 8:24PM
Brilliant! If only we could get laws like this in this country. I really feel sorry for all those kids out there with the awful names. Sometimes I want to become a lawyer just so I can help them legally change their names.
Teresa Jul 21st 2011 11:22PM
My grandmother told me to give my children names that mean something. My son's name is Sean Wesley, it means the first son form the west. He is my first son and we live in California. My daughter's name is Amarra Desare', it means eternally beautiful desired one. I wonder what Apple means?
Dave Jul 22nd 2011 2:03AM
It means the person is a fruit!
SkyBlue Jul 21st 2011 8:38PM
No more Orangelo and LeMongelo (orange jello and lemon jello)?
Sharon Jul 21st 2011 8:43PM
I truly feel sorry for these children first and foremost. As a teacher, it was hard for me to pronounce their names not to mention embarrassing for both of us. Why a parent would do this to a child is beyond me. Some of them (the names) sound like the sounds the mother makes when she is in labor or giving birth. A lot of these children come into this world with handicaps enough without adding the handicap of a weird name so that too can be a source of ridicule.
Tony Jul 21st 2011 9:16PM
What about names that were given before all these crazy names started? Dick Butkis was probably teased so bad as a kid he grew up to be the baddest football player ever. Or Johhny Cash "a boy named Sue" it teaches them to be tough and mean and they can grow up and be prize winning fighters or NFL players. Or they can beat their wife and kids and just be jerks.
lil Jul 21st 2011 8:49PM
Someone told me they were in a dept. store recently and there was a little girl walking around a counter pointing and saying "That's my name, and that's my name, and that's my name, and that's my name.....", etc. etc. She was at the Clinique counter! LOL!!!!
rdrvr1752 Jul 21st 2011 8:56PM
Personally, I like "Shithead" pronounced "Shuhtheed."
Brad Jul 21st 2011 8:58PM
How do they know the baby was conceived at a bus stop? Were they not smart enough to realize conception doesn't generally happen seconds after intercourse? It could easily and more likely be a day or two later.
Kathie Jul 21st 2011 9:09PM
To say nothing of the 6 million killed! Wow you are weird. My friend lived in Germany during the war and you need to talk to her about what it was like. BAD! Friends who disappeared. Her family did not like the Nazis but had to just keep their mouths shut for fear of reprisal. She was in grade school and had to keep her mouth shut to the all Nazi teachers.
Not sure how you got all of this and where you're coming from. All I wrote was about someone naming their poor little boy that terrible name that would have him shamed his whole life.
Kathie Jul 21st 2011 9:11PM
LOL with you. I have a black friend who's cousin named her daughter Vagina! Can you imagine? We don't know if she's so stupid she thought it was Virginia but won't get pronounced that way.
Sue by the Levee Jul 21st 2011 9:22PM
Remember the New Zealand girl who went to court in 2008 to make her parents change her name from 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' to something that would not embarrass her? She won.
Amanda Jul 21st 2011 9:32PM
I think some names people chose are outrageous, but who chooses what names are weird or not weird? Who decides what names to ban? I think it's a stupid idea to put a ban on something like that. Their parents have every right to chose what name to give their child, even if it's one that's going to lead to their kid having years of torment. Plus, I would think this country and others have worse things to worry about than children's names.
Kathie Jul 21st 2011 9:36PM
I don't know what happened to that poor little boy. Such a shame for anyone to be born to such stupid parents.
Jessica Jul 21st 2011 9:47PM
I find it funny that my husband's first name is included on the list because it is a title. His first name is General but he goes by his middle name for the most part. Very few people call him General and the only reason he got that name was because he was named after his father and is a Jr.
NazzTea Jul 21st 2011 10:39PM
Now which culture was it that had the tradition of naming a child after the first thing it's mother saw? Is that why some kids seemed to be named after items on the Home Shopping Channel or on infomercials?
Some people try too hard to name their child something cultural, but often it turns out to be like that Asian calligraphy people get tattooed on themselves thinking it means "love" or "courage" but it really says "beef with broccoli".
Real thought needs to be given to a child's name since they're going to carry it all their lives or at least until they can get away from their parents and change it.
Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do; my father once told me of a kid in his school who was named Ulysses, after the classical Greek king. Some kids at the school called him "Useless", he learned to fight early.