The majority of us never need worry about it, but there are systems in places in most countries preventing parents from giving their children certain names.
It makes perfect sense that such guardrails exist, of course; children have no say in what they’re called (at least until they’re old enough to legally make decisions for themselves) and certain names leave them open to ridicule and harassment, irrespective of their parents’ intentions.
As I said, most of us likely never have to worry about not being able to give our son or daughter the name we have picked. There are hundreds of thousands of names that will never be considered offensive, after all, and in an overwhelming amount of cases, a simple, traditional name suffices.
But not always. The rules exist for a reason, and there are people who are told ‘no’ every year when they try to give their baby a name that is deemed unsuitable.
A British couple finally got their wish to name their newborn son what they wanted, after the moniker they chose was initially “forbidden”.
In fact, their chosen name was so opinion-spitting that it’s said to have left the registrar in “utter disgust”.
As per The Sun, Dan and Mandy Sheldon had decided beyond doubt what they wanted to call their baby son. Others, however, were not nearly so enthusiastic.
Given that their little one was born in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were forced to wait until he was four months old before they could formally go to register him. They set out to do just that when the restrictions were lifted, only to be met with disapproval on the part of the registrar.
Dan revealed: “We were really excited to go and get him registered but the woman looked at us in utter disgust. She told us he would never be able to get a job, and that teachers wouldn’t want to teach him.”
The reason? Dan and Mandy had settled on the name Lucifer.
“I tried to explain that we are not religious people, and Lucifer in Greek means ‘light-bringer’ and ‘morning’ but she wouldn’t listen,” Dan revealed.
Naturally, the registrar was more concerned with the fact that Lucifer is so commonly associated with the devil. They suggested that Dan and Mandy give their son another name, while perhaps calling him Lucifer at home.
The name is illegal in New Zealand, and since the registrar was unsure what the UK’s official stance was at the time, Dan and Mandy were told they would have to wait until the matter could be investigated.
“We were gobsmacked with her behavior,” said Dan.
Ultimately, the registrar relented and permitted them to have the name they’d originally wanted officially registered on Luficer’s birth certificate.
“Eventually she did it,” Dan said, “but it was through gritted teeth.”
“Honestly, we just thought it was a nice name… a unique one,” he added. “We didn’t expect to get so much grief about it.”
Derbyshire County Council, in Derby, UK, – where Dan and Mandy live – also shared a statement on the incident, writing: “We apologize if they were offended but it is the job of our registrars to advise in these matters as sometimes people are not aware of certain meanings or associations around certain names.”
Have you ever experienced anything like this? What’s the strangest name you’ve ever heard of someone having? Let us know in the comments box.
