This was originally posted on March 23, 2012
Today I read a comment about Natalie Portman’s baby, Aleph, which pointed out a spelling mistake in a newspaper article, (they had called the baby ‘Adelph.’) The commenter went onto say that they might as well have replaced the ‘e’ for an ‘o’ and called him Adolph. This got me thinking (and chuckling) about the baby names that will NEVER catch on because of an association.
Many forbidden or taboo names are religious or have religious connotations. I don’t know many mums who would call their baby Satan, Lucifer or Beelzebub for example. While I agree Beelzebub and Satan aren’t exactly great losses to the baby names index, Lucifer has actually got quite a nice sound to it and originally meant ‘light bearer.’ Judas is another religious no-go (unless you think your baby might ship you off to an old people’s home when he’s older,) along with Jezebel which, although being another form of popular name Isabel, has become more of an insult meaning harlot, tart or worse.
Tyrannical leaders are probably the next big put-off on a name. Although there are still some Adolfs out there (believe it or not), I don’t think it will be rivalling Oliver as the most popular boy’s name any time soon. Keeping on trend with surnames into first names, has anyone met any Stalins or Mugabes lately?
In some countries they even have laws to guide the way parents should name their child. In Germany you must be able to tell the gender of the child through the name and you can’t use last names or objects as first names. Denmark also has this law as well as a list of 7000 pre-approved names. You must also have special permission if you choose a name outside of this. Some rejected names include Anus, Pluto and Monkey. Also, in Japan you can’t name your child Akuma as it means Devil.
Love the name Princess? Well you wouldn’t be able to use it if you lived in New Zealand. Names which indicate royal status aren’t allowed, so King or Queen are off the list too. New Zealand have also rejected names such as Fish and Chips, Keenan Got Lucy, Sex Fruit and (here it is again!) Adolf Hitler.
Other names which people tend to steer clear of in the UK or US nowadays are Dick, Fanny and Gaylord… I don’t think I need to elaborate why.
However, with unique and unusual names becoming ever more popular, perhaps this is all about to change?
