Baby Name Rules...

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

I mentioned in my intro post that I currently live in Scandinavia. In Denmark there is an acceptable list of baby names. This means you are not allowed to name your child a name not on the list without approval (I believe this goes for odd spellings, too). The list has been relaxed somewhat because of immigration of non-Scandinavians into Denmark--but your best bet is to prove the name is significant to your religion or culture. So no Moon Units. Actually, my mother-in-law told me her parents were not allowed to name her sister Mia back around 1960.

Do you think this is a good idea so kids don't end up with cruel names?

Comments

[turabiannights.livejournal.com]

It used to be I'd recoil at the thought of the government monitoring what people named their kids... but ever since Precious, Princess, Messiah, Talon, Cannon, Marquis, Essence, Sincere, Karma, Miracle, Armani and Chanel made the top 1000 in the US... yeah, I think I wouldn't mind a little government monitoring. Restrictions would have to be extremely loose. Family names would have to be 100% okay, even if they were doofy. I'd be fine if they just outlawed suggestive names. Sexana? Ryder? Asslyn? Check. And there should be a list of words that are not okay to name a kid, like they have in Japan. Seven? Um, no. Cutter? Nah. Maison? Mm, no.

Wishful thinking, though. Everyone would get all cranky about it here in the U.S., and someone would probably bribe someone to approve Messiah or Precious.

[ladyartemisa.livejournal.com]

yeah thats how I feel.

eventhough the idea kind of doenst go along with my beliefs, if I see one more person naming their kid UR Hiness I am going to explode.

[lostrocket.livejournal.com]

I partially agree because there are some truly horrible names, and I feel bad for those kids. But I think the big flaw is not everyone agrees on everything that is acceptable or not...for example, I have no problem with Ryder and Seven. I think calling "Ryder" suggestive is a bit more of a stretch than Sexana and Asslyn. Seven's not my style but I think it's cool.

If there were limits, I think they would have to be very very loose, but unfortunately that would lead to problems of interpretation. And culturally I don't think it's a good fit with America...people would start suing the government left and right for the right to name their kid whatever they wanted.

[bellisima87.livejournal.com]

I live in Germany and here it is the same.
That's why there are no Pilot Inspectors, Fifi Trixibells or Apples in Germany, I guess.

[solyma.livejournal.com]

as stupid as some names can be, i think parents should be able to name their children what they want.

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, I feel I should name my child whatever I want, but the idea is to protect a child from being named Cherry Bomb Crimefighter or something. I can see it both ways.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I don't honestly think something like that would ever fly in the US. However, I don't think it would be a bad idea as long as it was well regulated. I mean... some of the names parents make their kids grow up with... it's just cruel and unusual punishment.

Personally, before they start to regulate what to NAME children, they should develop a plan for who should be allowed to HAVE them *grin*

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

I know. Do these people actually realize their kids have to live with these names? "Hi, I'm Pilot Inspektor!" (I remember they spelled with a K)

I put this on another post but I don't know where. This is hysterical and supposedly these are real entries at baby name sites:
http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html

[lilfaeriegirl.livejournal.com]

there are some older names i would never name a child.

C'mon? Peabody? Melvin?

That is cruel also.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I'd say that a rule like that would go against some pretty fundamental freedoms we have here in the US, including the freedom to raise our own children. I don't think the government has any place restricting (unharmful) family practices, whether they are religious, naming, traditional or cultural in nature.

Plus, as Shakespeare pointed out a long time ago, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...and we are completely free to create our own nicknames, go by our middle names, or even legally change our names, as some in this community (who I am sure have really normal names they just don't like) have done.

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

In Scandinavia it's not meant to restrict freedom--it's meant to protect children (I lived in Sweden where even spanking a child was considered child abuse). It's not a list where you can't name your daughter Madison (it's not strict like it used to be) but you probably would not be able to name your child Pilot Inspektor or Audio Science.
I mentioned in a reply to someone else that I can see it both ways so I also agree with your points. I suppose if your name is horrible enough you could change it. I won't change my name because I don't want to hear my mother. :)

[tigress-oils.livejournal.com]

It's one of the creepiest things I've ever heard of, and I'm pretty far left-leaning and have considered living in Scandinavia (Norway).

I'm sure my favorite names wouldn't be on the list.

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

You probably would be able to. It would have to be really out there. I'm not sure if Norway has it.

[thunderofsins.livejournal.com]

Thats kinda very scary! Maybe it had good intentions, but no.

If kids end up with "cruel names" they can deal with it till their an adult and then spite their parents by changing their name to the most boring mundane normally spelled name they can think of.

Besides...who is to say what is cruel. I'd hate if it my parents had named me Cherish Grace, but the girl I know with that name loves it. You never know!

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

I think people are seeing this as you wouldn't be able to use Madisyn or something. It's more geared toward outrageous names. Cherish is not cruel. Cherry Bomb America is (yes, I actually saw that!).

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

From an article:

A Danish law, that takes effect on April 1, expands approved lists to include names from the United States, Europe and other countries, and allows parents to apply for unlisted names.

The Swedish parliament has commissioned the government to overhaul its Personal Names Act of 1982.

Spain has several name lists, corresponding to regional languages like Catalan and Basque. Registry offices in Germany have an "International Handbook of Forenames," updated in 2002. Argentina has broadened its lists to accept indigenous names.

Even countries without explicit laws have implicitly acceptable names. U.S. census data shows 757 names cover 75 percent of the nation's 295 million people.

Regulated or not, baby names can hurt, experts say.

"What it does is handicap a kid who has to deal with it," said Albert Mehrabian, a University of California professor emeritus of psychology and author of "Baby Name Report Card: Beneficial and Harmful Baby Names."

Some parents are capable of labours of lunacy. Portugal's reject list includes Ovnis. OVNI is Portuguese for UFO.

Danish authorities nixed Monkey and Lucifer. Mehrabian knows of an American named Latrina.

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

Your userpic makes me laugh everytime I see it.

I honestly don't care about Denmark's name list because we're moving country anyway. I just found it to be an interesting topic to bring up--I'm intrigued by the reactions. :)

[anapology.livejournal.com]

No! I think that's a silly old fashioned rule.. lists of names, i'd move!
Although i hate stupid spellings/crazy names- i do pity future Kloie's & Ehlerr's- they should be banned! It's just, where do you draw the line between something a little out of the ordinary like Stefani compared to the above names. You can't really.. so i guess you shouldnt have a ban in place.

[x-lostinyou.livejournal.com]

Icky, Stefani. I'd resent my parents for the rest of my life had they spelled my name that way. Even as it is, my name is spelled the most common way (Stephanie) and people still insist on spelling it wrong half the time. Sigh.

[morphinae.livejournal.com]

I think we should be required to take an IQ test in the hospital and make a certain score before they hand over the birth certificate papers :P

[calixbat.livejournal.com]

I think its messed up. My moms from Greenland, and lots of my family lives in Denmark, including my sister (for the next year or two) who is visiting me now ( I live in Canada.). I think its very boring. How many Lar's does there need to be? My sisters name is Rosa and to them thats all weird and foreign. THen again, they aren't very open minded in many ways, so I guess its to be expected?

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

My husband has some relatives in Greenland.
Denmark is not the only country that has something like this.
Denmark can be xenophobic yes--but so is every country I've been to.

[ghost-dance.livejournal.com]

I think it's awful. I thought Denmark was supposed to be really liberal? This is stomping on freedom, imo. My favorite girls name is Rhiannon, would they let me use it?

Oh, is the list of approved names online???

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

Unless you plan on moving to Denmark or another country with this rule, I don't think you need to worry. :) But for curiosity--I'm not sure if it available.

[heure-actuelle.livejournal.com]

hm...i'm kind of on the fence about it. i do agree that it imposes on freedom. on the other hand, i do think there have been studies that people with less normal names have a harder time finding jobs. so from that aspect, i can see how it could be a good thing.

but the fact that there is a list to choose from is sucky. rather i think there should be a list of names/spellings, etc. that aren't allowed.

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

I think it's awful. I've heard of this before and it just angers me. People should be able to name their kids whatever the hell they want.

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way (I never said I supported Europe's naming policies) but I can also see the point of protecting children. June15 a few posts above mentioned she knew someone in school called ShitHead and she swears that was his given name. That's child abuse. Naming your kid an insult of that level is demented and cruel. I don't believe people have the right to name their child ShitHead just as I don't believe someone has a right to beat their child. This is what they are trying to prevent.

They allow names if they are important to your culture and religion.

[missamerican.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely a horrible idea.
1.) Who decides what's a BAD name and what's a GOOD name? If you let seperate hospitals decide then the same name could be acceptable at one and not at another. That's not fair. If you let the government decide (especially here in the states) that's ruining freedom.
2.) Religion, culture, everything that people stand for. If I want to name a baby "Baby Mary" then whatever you know... maybe it'd be accepted. But what if "Dshthyjfw" was a name in my religion or whatever? It may have a deep meaning for a mother/father yet not for people that doesn't hold the same beliefs. I thought we were supposed to to embrace difference.. not discourage it. No Moon Units? Well, what if someones religion has to do with the Moon.. and...
3.) People will always have different styles. My name is Jamie. I used to HATE it and want to change it. I would rather have been named "Apple." I'm sure there are Roberts and Elizabeths that hate their name. You're not going to keep a child from not liking their name just by this silly protection. So what's really the point?
4.) If there is a list of names that you CAN use that list has to be smaller than it should be. I mean it. Try making a list of every acceptable name to you. Let us all try to put some more in it. I'm sure we'll keep thinking of more and more that we forgot that would be just fine.
5.) If you don't like your name you can A. change it. B. not change it and go by something different anyway.

[aymen.livejournal.com]

Right on! :)

[aymen.livejournal.com]

I did a paper on when Jewish families moved into Mexico in the 1920s, and they completely twisted the immigrant's first and last names around. One lady named Chaya became Rosario because Chaya resembled the nn Chayo. I'm hispanic and Chaya sounds so much more unique then Rosario. I think it's a bad idea to have the government decide what names are 'acceptable.' With names such as Moxie Crimefighter, I can kinda see why they're doing this though LOL

[krosp.livejournal.com]

What an interesting topic. Especially because a lot of people reacted so strongly against it. That just sort of reminded me that Americans tend to be very obsessed with "freedom", more so than a lot of other countries. In Australia we are lucky to have peace and freedom in our lifestyle but we don't have the same kind of "Freedom of speech" as in USA but that makes no difference.

Our naming rules, from the state of QLD are this:

"Parents can decide their own spelling when naming their new baby, but there are regulations governing this. For example the name can not be obscene, include symbols which can cannot be pronounced, include an official title or rank or be a statement."

I think this is protective enough of the child, without restricting the freedom of the parents. Why should someone have the freedom to name their child a swear word?

[bunnsidhe.livejournal.com]

Hello. :)

Thank you for illustrating my point. I think some people don't read it all the way through. I did mention your religion and ethnicity is taken into account. They are trying to prevent things like CrapHead or LaPimp or something. Their natural response is: "I can raise my child any way I want to!" No, you can't. You cannot beat your child, for example. Naming guidelines are an extentsion of child welfare rules and laws. Naming a kid a swear word is child abuse.