I'm the Blaer, so that's what you call me.

[DigitalBuddha]

    Who, What, Why: Why do some countries regulate baby names?   





A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has won the right to keep her first name, despite it being "unapproved" by the state. Why do some countries restrict baby names?

Parents-to-be often find it hard enough to find a name they both like, let alone one the state might also be in favour of.

Bjork Eidsdottir had no idea when, in naming her newborn girl Blaer 15 years ago, she was breaking the law.

If you're not into the whole brevity thing - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21229475

[Zen Dog]

I think the French are big on that too.The strange thing about Iceland is they keep the Norse tradition of not having family surnames which is ironic in that it was the Normans that invented them.

[Masked Dude]

Yeah, it's a weird thing. I knew a German girl who I knew for a long time as Sabina. That was the name her parents wanted and that's what she signed her name as, etc. However, that name was disallowed, but Germany approved it as Sabine. The pronunciation is very similar, which is what confused me. She never really understood it, either.

The problem is, I can kind of understand these rules... to a point. However, on my mother's side we're Acadians, specifically Nova Scotian. She was born and raised there, I lived there. You can find some older French names such as Phidelis, François (any Catholic types have a lot of Francis/Frances), Elizée, Simon, Philomene, Irenée, etc. Would these names be allowed in France? Probably not. These are names carried over from France when they left in the 1600s, so they've fallen out of favor. I do wonder, however, if they update these names or if they're the same names they've had for over a century or so.

[Zen Dog]

In France they are so uptight about their language. We pick up TV5 on our sat system and I always watch the Bastille day parade.Once when I taped it I caught the previous program.It was in French of course but with French subtitles and I was puzzled until I realized the program was Canadienne.Complete snobs.

[kilteddude]

I generally don't think the government should stick their fingers into anymore areas of our lives than needed.  However, maybe if not restricting names make it possible for the offspring at some point to change their names in a simpler process if they can show good reason why their parents were idiots.  Case in point the recent news story about a baby that was saddled with the name "hashtag" because it's parents were such twitter freaks.  I won't even start on the concept of famous folks baby names; as we all know what famous folk think up means nothing to the real world.

[cckeiser]

A Superior Court judge in New Jersey has ruled that a pair of self-described Nazi parents will not regain custody of their four children, one of whom they named Adolf Hitler.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/judge-orders-adolf-hitler-kept-child-custody-173659145.html

[DigitalBuddha]

A Superior Court judge in New Jersey has ruled that a pair of self-described Nazi parents will not regain custody of their four children, one of whom they named Adolf Hitler.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/judge-orders-adolf-hitler-kept-child-custody-173659145.html

Although with fucking nazis', nothing ever changes, and probably a fucked up named to give a kid, but I think that Judge is guilty of unchecked aggression. They know their rights, man.

[Masked Dude]

...I realized the program was Canadienne.Complete snobs.

Sorry. We don't try to be. Or at least in the Maritimes we don't. We're generally happy friendly frogs.

[RighteousDude]

My youngest daughter, Festering Cuntsore, thinks that Adolf Hitler is a fucked up name to give to a kid. And she should know: She got picked on mercilessly because we inadvertently nicknamed her Hillary before the Clintons were anything more than shady Arkansas rednecks.

It was an honest mistake. When she was just an itty bit learning to talk, she greeted her brother with "Hella Ree" because she couldn't pronounce "Hello, Reetard Cumstain".

[Zen Dog]

...I realized the program was Canadienne.Complete snobs.

Sorry. We don't try to be. Or at least in the Maritimes we don't. We're generally happy friendly frogs.

I meant the French subtitling a french language program.It would be like us subtitling Taxi because Latka talks funny or you lot subtitling Dr Who.

[Masked Dude]

I meant the French subtitling a french language program.It would be like us subtitling Taxi because Latka talks funny or you lot subtitling Dr Who.

Gotcha. There are a few words we use that they don't. But subbing it? You're quite right. Good thing my ancestors left France, huh?

[meekon5]

They subtitled the Pikey bits in Snatch and they were supposed to be in English.

I have seen Rasta's subtitled on the news here (I think, but then reality is only a friend of mine not a full time companion).

[milnie]

Quite a few countries have approved name lists which I think is good, stops the englisizing of another language. Just think if all those poor kids i so called celebrities who make up stupid names just to attract more media coverage. The likes of Jamie Oliver should be shot for it ... Well he should be shot anyway IMHO