15 Surprising Names that Are Banned Around the World

The UK has pretty easygoing naming laws (hello, Buddy Bear Oliver!) but there are some names that are too much, even in this relatively liberal country. Don’t even consider naming your baby ‘Monkey’, because it is banned.

The mind boggles at what these parents were thinking when they tried to name their newborn ‘Dickhead’. Luckily, the Australian authorities intervened and banned the name.

Now, we all love the Scandi furniture store, but naming your child after it? A couple in Australia were banned from naming their baby ‘Ikea’, which is probably for the best.

One couple who just wanted to pay homage to the long-deceased British monarch were stopped in their tracks in New Zealand, as the name ‘Queen Victoria’ was forbidden.

In protest against Sweden’s strict naming laws, in 1991 Elisabeth Hallin and Lasse Diding decided to name their newborn ‘Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116’, pronounced, of course, as Albin. Funnily enough, they were not allowed to register the name, and ended up with a 5000 kroner (around $740) fine.

No matter how big a fan of the King you are, you are absolutely not allowed to name your baby ‘Elvis’ in Sweden. Maybe go for Benny or Bjorn instead?

In a move that surprises absolutely nobody, Germany has banned the name ‘Adolf Hitler’ for newborn babies. The name is allowed in the United States, however, where one New Jersey couple named their three children Adolf Hitler, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Heinrich Hons, named after Heinrich Himmler.

In 2012, the northern Mexican state of Sonora banned 61 names that they thought could cause children bullying later on in their lives. They included ‘James Bond’, ‘Harry Potter’ and – how lovely – ‘Scrotum’.

The name ‘Megan’, or ‘Megane’ in French, seems perfectly innocent, but a French couple were banned from calling their child ‘Megane Renaud’ in 2000 because it sounded too much like the car Renault Megane.

New Zealand again, and this time, authorities found out that a nine-year-old girl who had been calling herself ‘K’ at school had a rather unusual real name: ‘Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii’. She was placed in court guardianship until her name was changed.

The name ‘Sarah’, which is common around the world and across many different cultures, is banned in Morocco because of its spelling, which is attributed to Hebrew. The Arabic spelling, ‘Sara’, however, is fine.

In 2014, Saudi Arabia banned 50 baby names, some of which ‘contradict the culture and religion’ of the country. Some banned names include ‘Alice’, ‘Elaine’, ‘Linda’ and ‘Sandy’.

Portugal has quite strict guidelines on baby names, and no matter how big a Kurt Cobain fan you are, ‘Nirvana’ will never be allowed. Sorry.

Luckily, the name ‘Smelly dog’ is banned in Malaysia, which strengthened its naming laws back in 2006. Malaysians are also banned from naming their offspring after colours, animals or foods. No ‘Poppy Honey’ or ‘Apple’ there, then.

Iceland’s Naming Committee evaluates every new name submitted and baby names must adhere to a strict set of rules. For example, the name ‘Camilla’ is banned because the letter C does not exist in the Icelandic alphabet; the baby would have to be named ‘Kamilla’.

Haggis, anyone? Take a look at some of the strangest foods that are banned in different countries of the world.