Should the government restrict what we can call our children?

[Sarahkka]

But isn't this all hugely subjective?
Is this really something that requires legislation?
Do we actually need a law for the .00001% of parents who would choose a profanity for a name?
I grew up in a very "flower-child" area and had all sorts of friends named things like Rainbow, Sunshine, Cosmos, etc.
Back in the 80s, when I was growing up, those could have been reason to bully. I don't remember that being much of an issue, quite honestly.
And 20 years later, those names wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.
So where do you draw the line? Just profanity?
It's a pretty big can of worms, I think.

 

[fantastica]

^^ Agreed.


I don't really think it's the government's business. Maybe they should have a word with the parents and try and change their minds, but where do we draw the line?

My uncle (social worker) knows someone with a daughter called chlamydia...in all likeliness they didn't realise what it was haha, so maybe someone should've just had a word? I guess I can see the reasoning if you want to call your kid 'fuck off' or something, but it seems so ridiculous and I hate the idea of the state having even more control, when in reality it's such a minor amount of people doing something that silly. Wasn't it Finland where they wouldn't allow Elvis as a name? That seems a bit ott!

 

[Natsku]

^^ Agreed.


I don't really think it's the government's business. Maybe they should have a word with the parents and try and change their minds, but where do we draw the line?

My uncle (social worker) knows someone with a daughter called chlamydia...in all likeliness they didn't realise what it was haha, so maybe someone should've just had a word? I guess I can see the reasoning if you want to call your kid 'fuck off' or something, but it seems so ridiculous and I hate the idea of the state having even more control, when in reality it's such a minor amount of people doing something that silly. Wasn't it Finland where they wouldn't allow Elvis as a name? That seems a bit ott!

Must have been another country, there are about 300 people named Elvis here (well less than 314, which probably means 313 people)

Hmm there are also a few people named Rainbow, Cosmos and Sunshine but with such small numbers they might have been people that immigrated here rather than babies born here.

 

[RaspberryK]

Unfortunately yes I think there needs to be, however not a strict list of less than 2000 choice.
X

 

[special_kala]

I worry that the parents why give their child a stupid name will also make poor parenting choices in other areas of the child's life. I think it should be a little bit like a test and if yiu choose a silly name you have to go on a parenting course.

What do you classify q silly name?

It's more then likely that my boy will be called Fox/Foxx is that sully enough for my parenting to come into question?

The current system in the UK is fine imo. They have the power to say veto names and they do sometimes.

 

[Andypanda6570]

Because you name your kid a name that doesn't fit the "Norm" your parenting should come into question?? That is ridiculous

 

[Tasha]

I really want Rainbow for a middle name for a little girl, if I have another. Guess I am joining Kala in the questionable parenting line

 

[special_kala]

I like rainbow for a girl, they could use Rain or bow as nicknames which are lovely names too

 

[robinator]

It's one thing to name your child something that doesn't fit the norm, such as my own Lane; it's quite another to name them Cheez Whiz or Dumbshit. A little common sense goes a long way.

Like Sarahkka said, it's subjective. If we start getting into a discussion of where to draw the line, we will get nowhere fast.

 

[Tasha]

I like rainbow for a girl, they could use Rain or bow as nicknames which are lovely names too

I liked Raine for a girl which is how I got to Rainbow.

 

[marley2580]

I suspect some of the more stupid names that have been allowed are actually given by husbands that have gone to register the births alone while tipsy - I suspect many of them were subsequently chastised by their wives. I know someone that did just that - he called the kid after a footballer. He ended up divorced lol.

 

[C_baby]

But isn't this all hugely subjective?
Is this really something that requires legislation?
Do we actually need a law for the .00001% of parents who would choose a profanity for a name?
I grew up in a very "flower-child" area and had all sorts of friends named things like Rainbow, Sunshine, Cosmos, etc.
Back in the 80s, when I was growing up, those could have been reason to bully. I don't remember that being much of an issue, quite honestly.
And 20 years later, those names wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.
So where do you draw the line? Just profanity?
It's a pretty big can of worms, I think.

Surely even one child being called Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (which was one of the refused names in Sweden) is one child too many? I don't think anyone is arguing that you should have to pick from a list of approved names. More that as a society we have a obligation to protect children even if that mean protecting them from what presumably their parents think is a joke. I don't think that this requires a law per se, but I do think that registrars should have a right to mount an objection in exceptional circumstances; which then can go to a judge or panel.

When you look at names which are passed and refused in the UK this system seems to work particularly well there are people with unconventional names - Superman, Gandalf, Arsenal etc but no Bollockface or 12345437965s, which seems fair enough to me.

 

[fantastica]

^^ Agreed.


I don't really think it's the government's business. Maybe they should have a word with the parents and try and change their minds, but where do we draw the line?

My uncle (social worker) knows someone with a daughter called chlamydia...in all likeliness they didn't realise what it was haha, so maybe someone should've just had a word? I guess I can see the reasoning if you want to call your kid 'fuck off' or something, but it seems so ridiculous and I hate the idea of the state having even more control, when in reality it's such a minor amount of people doing something that silly. Wasn't it Finland where they wouldn't allow Elvis as a name? That seems a bit ott!

Must have been another country, there are about 300 people named Elvis here (well less than 314, which probably means 313 people)

Hmm there are also a few people named Rainbow, Cosmos and Sunshine but with such small numbers they might have been people that immigrated here rather than babies born here.

Sorry just checked, it was in Sweden!

 

[Natsku]

^^ Agreed.


I don't really think it's the government's business. Maybe they should have a word with the parents and try and change their minds, but where do we draw the line?

My uncle (social worker) knows someone with a daughter called chlamydia...in all likeliness they didn't realise what it was haha, so maybe someone should've just had a word? I guess I can see the reasoning if you want to call your kid 'fuck off' or something, but it seems so ridiculous and I hate the idea of the state having even more control, when in reality it's such a minor amount of people doing something that silly. Wasn't it Finland where they wouldn't allow Elvis as a name? That seems a bit ott!

Must have been another country, there are about 300 people named Elvis here (well less than 314, which probably means 313 people)

Hmm there are also a few people named Rainbow, Cosmos and Sunshine but with such small numbers they might have been people that immigrated here rather than babies born here.

Sorry just checked, it was in Sweden!

Maybe they don't like Elvis there

I think the laws here don't filter out names that are just a bit against the norm but the really stupid names like swear words or diseases and names that have alternative spelling (because with the phonetic language it can radically change the pronunciation of the name which is not fair on the child and causes problems all the time)

 

[lovie]

I'd say a silly name (one needing intervention if I were incharge of names) would be something offensive like calling a child hitler or fucker. My child has a questionable name when it comes to unusual names, he is called Elvin which means elf friend, we call him elfie. I can see that his name is unusual but I don't think it is offensive.

Elvis is allowed in Sweden, there are 1743 men called elvis in sweden (that is lots for a small population)

my son's middle name was not on the list (we live in sweden) the name is brian which is my grandpa's name. They checked that it was an actual name and that it didn't mean anything rude and we were allowed to choose an "off list" name.

In sweden the list has stopped people making up the spelling of names like "our daughter is going to be called bryoknee because we want something unique" I think that is a good thing, there is no need to spell names in random ways just to try and be unique I think it would just give the child a lifetime of correcting people.

 

[fantastica]

But if someone wants to change the spelling of a name what business is it of the government? It's not exactly offensive.


Just checked this Elvis thing as it's driving me mad now haha, think it was because it was a girl that they wanted to call Elvis!

 

[lovie]

Could the elvis thing have been in iceland? they have strict naming rules in iceland. They are not too worried about women being called mens names in Sweden there are 8 women called elvis

The spelling of names in a way that is made up doesn't benefit anyone as far as I can see, the child will just have to correct people all the time, the child's teacher or friends will often spell the name wrong. I can't see why if there is a know way of spelling a name anyone would need to change it.

 

[Natsku]

There's a handful of women named Elvis here too, weird.

I agree about the spelling thing, it just causes trouble to the child and is unfair on them and it is annoying having your name pronounced wrong all the time because of the phonetic language (my brother was so happy when he came here to do his service because he thought finally his name would be pronounced correctly as he has hated it all his life that Brits never pronounce it right but of course the Finns pronounced his first name right but his last name wrong cos its English )

 

[Scottish mum]

I think here in the uk we have it just about right! You have the freedom to choose your Childs name but if it's identified by the registra as rediculas such a "vagina" and "hitler" then they won't allow it! Thank god!

 

[NellyLou]

I met a little guy named Fox . Love it! I don't think it is a silly name. The names I think need to have interventions are profanity or really really crazy names with exclamation points and stuff like that.