The details vary by state, but in most parts of the United States there are few rules about what you can and cannot name your child. They could have named their son Tyrion Lannister and their daughter Discoball Boogiedown and would have been well within their rights. Sure, some people want their baby’s name to be unique. I’m sure many of you know someone who was a little confused by the spelling (for example, Caleb became Kaelyb) or someone who tested the limits of a name (for example, Rumble Honey).
But this is not the case everywhere, including New Zealand. Last year, out of around 60,000 births, the country’s Home Office Registration Office effectively vetoed 71 baby names applications.
The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act 2021 sets out the criteria that the Registrar-General must take into account when registering a child’s name. Names must not be offensive, resemble titles or ranks, be “unreasonably long,” or contain numerous symbols. Community awareness, spelling and pronunciation, and parents’ inferences about the name are also taken into account.
“Before a name is rejected, the Registrar General will contact the parents and provide them with an opportunity to further justify why their child should have that name,” the ministry’s official statement reads. “The Registrar-General will then consider the reasons provided, balancing them with legal criteria.”
There’s certainly room for change, but apparently all of the names below were beyond the pale…
- King (This was the most commonly contested name on the list and inspired other names that were not registered, such as Kingi, Kingz, and King.)
- Prince (also Prinz and Prince)
- princess/princess
- rogue
- Sativa (this name refers to a type of cannabis; another type, indica, is also included in the list).
- caesar
- Japan
- Allah (and Allah)
- bishop
- crown
- crowns
- duke
- emperor
- Fanny (New Zealand slang for female genitalia)
- common
- ice
- juke
- justice
- K.C.
- lady
- majesty
- Selection subject
- Messiah (this name was also unsuccessfully challenged in the United States).
- Mighty
- queen
- Royal (also Roil and Royalty)
- Saint (don’t tell Kim and Ye)
- Solbrin
Names were also rejected if the child was not given a last name or if the name contained an apostrophe (for example, a name like D’Angelo was rejected).
Most of the rejected names appear to violate the rule that “names that double as titles are prohibited.” Also note that these are not have In a letter outlining the names that the Registrar-General was unable to register as originally listed, John Crawford-Smith said: “The names listed in this schedule may be any part of a person’s entire name.”
Personally, I don’t understand how a middle name, no matter how funny, can be harmful to a person. Who knows your middle name unless you say it? Naming your child William Astrolabe Smith doesn’t require anyone to know, and it can be a fun little piece of personal trivia. But I guess that shows I’m not a Kiwi at heart…
Interestingly, the names Caesar (spelled Cesar), Duke, Justice, King, Major, Prince, Princess, and Royal/Royalty were all among the top 1,000 U.S. baby names in 2023 (the last year for which we have data), according to the Social Security Administration. 1,276 babies were born in King alone.
Whether you agree with the ministry’s reasoning or not, it seems clear that their hearts are in the right place when it comes to approving and denying birth registrations.
“We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names,” the notice reads. “A name is a gift. A registered name usually stays with a person for a lifetime.”
Sorry, baby, formerly known as Prince.
