While names like Ashley, Jessica, George, and Michael are all exceptionally ordinary and plain names that we hear quite often, some people like to go against that norm and come up with something more creative. And by creative, we mean weird. Nutella? Prince William? Monkey? These are just some of the weird first names that have been banned in different countries around the world. For good reason too.
1. Nutella (France)
We know Nutella is such a decadent, chocolatey, addictive spread, but we don't love it enough to name our kids after it. But apparently, a couple once tried to name their child Nutella in France, but it was quickly shot down in court. Probably saved the child a bunch of teasing growing up!
2. Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii (New Zealand)
Even though we're accustomed to first names being only one word, some parents are...well, a bit more creative than that. Down in New Zealand, apparently the court had to help a young girl out because she was named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii. No, we're not kidding. Thankfully the little girl was able to change it to something a little more standard.
3. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (Sweden)
Nope, we're not even going to attempt pronouncing this one. Looks like the Swedes are an interesting bunch as a couple once tried to name their child Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 as a way of protesting Sweden's strict naming laws. You can probably guess how that went.
4. @ (China)
Things just get weirder and weirder as we've learned a Chinese couple once attempted to name their new child "@". What do you even call that? In Mandarin, its pronunciation supposedly translates to "love him". But either way, the government was quick to stop that from happening as it didn't follow the country's naming rules.
5. Gesher (Norway)
Apparently Norway has a couple of unacceptable baby names and Gesher (which means bridge in Hebrew) is one of those names on the list. And despite knowing this, a mother tried to name her newborn son Gesher, and as you probably guessed, was swiftly denied. It's even said that she was sent to jail for not paying the fine!
Henley Design Studio on Pexels
6. Metallica (Sweden)
While you may be familiar with the name Metallica thanks to the beloved rock band, you've probably never considered it as a first name. But we're revisiting Sweden to meet a different family who tried to name their daughter said name. What's crazy is, after a lengthy legal battle, the parents actually beat the government and got to use the name!
7. Cyanide (United Kingdom)
For obvious reasons, you can probably see why Cyanide isn't exactly a great baby name. But apparently for one woman in the UK, she thought otherwise. Attempting to name her daughter that, she was banned from the court, which is not a surprise in our eyes.
8. Devil (Japan)
We're not sure why anyone would want to name their child this, but in Japan, officials had to quickly shut down a couple's request to name their child Akuma, which roughly translates to devil. Thankfully, these judges had the common sense to see that the child would be negatively impacted from a name like this!
9. Venerdi (Italy)
While nothing sounds wrong with the name Venerdi to those of us who aren't Italian (it even sounds a bit classy, no?), it's a little different if you know what it means. Translating to Friday, a couple was made to switch their child's name after classifying Venerdi as a name that would fall under the "ridiculous" category.
10. Linda (Saudi Arabia)
Now here's a banned name that's a little more interesting - in Saudi Arabia, they have a list of banned names that can't be used, and on that list is the name Linda. For those of us familiar with that name, we may see nothing wrong with it. But for Saudi Arabia, it's banned because it's said to be unfitting of the country's cultural and religious traditions.
11. Elvis (Sweden)
Although the King of Rock, Elvis Presley himself, was an iconic figure that everyone around the world is familiar with, it's not enough to make the name an acceptable one in Sweden supposedly. It's a banned name in the country, which came to light after the court prevented a couple from naming their son that.
12. Robocop (Mexico)
As it turns out, sometimes pop culture impacts people's lives in more ways than one can tell. As for one couple in Sonora, Mexico, it seems the name Robocop felt like an appropriate one to name their child after. The country definitely disagrees though, adding it to their list of banned baby names.
13. Monkey (Denmark)
Sure, monkey might work as a cute pet name for your baby boy or girl, but definitely not as an official first name. Denmark has been known for having strict naming laws, and as a result, Monkey has made its way onto the country's banned names. We wouldn't say we're unhappy about that one though!
14. 1069 (Germany)
Numbers...for a name? Out in Germany, officials were probably shocked to have come across someone trying to name their child 1069. How would that even work? They were rejected immediately though, given that digits aren't exactly a suitable means of identification.
15. Prince William (France)
William, we can understand. But Prince William as an entire first name? Nope, we're not exactly on board with that one. Imagine having to get people call you Prince William everywhere you go. That's why we're not shocked to hear the French court banned this name after a family tried to name their baby this.
16. Facebook (Mexico)
Let's head back to Sonora, Mexico to learn about another name that's been put on the "please don't name your baby this because it's not allowed" list. When you hear that that name is Facebook, you're probably thinking, "Yeah, that makes sense."
17. Islam (China)
Due to religious, cultural, and political reasons, China has a list of banned names that will lead to consequences if you use them. One of those names is apparently "Islam." It's a unique name to begin with, although it's likely due to its religious connotation that it's prohibited in this country.
18. Snake (Malaysia)
It's probably for the better that Snake is a name banned in Malaysia; it's got some pretty negative connotations in pop culture anyway! Your child will definitely be doomed to teasing if they introduce themselves as "Snake".
19. Harriet (Iceland)
Another country with pretty strict naming rules is Iceland. All baby names must be approved by the country's naming committee! You know the rules are pretty strict if a name like Harriet gets rejected. It's said that it doesn't follow the country's grammatical rules and traditional naming conventions.
20. King (New Zealand)
To prevent people from giving their baby names that suggest a title or rank, King is a name that has been banned in New Zealand. This one kind of makes more sense, given that it can be confusing or misleading for people who meet someone with this name.
