https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/parents-have-to-rename-baby-judge-rules-109215771837.html

 

"There’s no question that Nutella is delicious — but would you name your child after it? A baby in the French city of Valenciennes was recently named for the chocolate-hazelnut spread, but a local judge renamed her Ella after ruling that the moniker Nutella wasn’t in the child’s best interest, according to the newspaper La Voix du Nord."

 

Thoughts?

i dont think anyone but relevant adults - such as parents or family, should have a say in what a child is named though i guess the judge could count as somoething of a relevant adult in a culture and i would agree with his decision to not allow the kid to be named nutella. the article mentions that some suites of studies show that unusual names dont bear any relation to bullying/social development - but i am thinking the children they looked at had names that were ethnically/linguistically unusual and not kids named after foods/brands (because im thinking there arent many of those, never met anyone named coca-cola or hunky-dorys). i could only imagine she would have been bullied a lot with a name like that and her parents seem dumb/unconscientious for thinkin it a good idea. 

This.  V

 

i dont think anyone but relevant adults - such as parents or family, should have a say in what a child is named though i guess the judge could count as somoething of a relevant adult in a culture and i would agree with his decision to not allow the kid to be named nutella. the article mentions that some suites of studies show that unusual names dont bear any relation to bullying/social development - but i am thinking the children they looked at had names that were ethnically/linguistically unusual and not kids named after foods/brands (because im thinking there arent many of those, never met anyone named coca-cola or hunky-dorys). i could only imagine she would have been bullied a lot with a name like that and her parents seem dumb/unconscientious for thinkin it a good idea. 

I've heard of kids named much worse things than "Nutella" which is really not that terrible. It's kind of silly to name your kid after food, though. 

I'm sure she'd welcome being called "Nut" or "Nutty." Maybe "Ella" would work.

From what my mother has told me, this is common practice in Germany (where names have to be on an approved list or something).

 

Wasn't there a couple relatively recently that wanted to name (or had named) their child Adolf Hitler _____ (surname in blank) and there was a big issue with that?

All the bottom-feeders could joke about "busting a Nut." It was very easy for kids to turn my name into a pejorative - I get snarly when I see it in action.

 

This is a prickly grey area. The legal system isn't responsible for preventing mockery and teasing but the state does have a valid interest in child welfare. There are also copyright issues. Naming a child Nike can be defended, naming her after a condiment is harder to justify.

 

What was the family's defense?

that it's their kid and they ostensibly don't live in a fascist state?

I freely admit my biases here and I generally support the state interest in egregious cases.  Earlier French naming laws were harsh, as detailed here (and I am firmly against a list of state-approved names.)  There is a whole litany of human naming that courses through literature, society and history and there's quite a lot of room for a unique name.  However, I draw the line against gag names or names that indicate the parents aren't taking it very seriously.  I am not questioning whatever sense of love the parents have for Ella but naming a child after a condiment feels like naming a dog Dammit - it's something done for the amusement of the namer.

so you'd have drawn lines with moon unit, dweezil, China, or zowie? Cindy's a pretty stupid name. I'd have stopped that in its tracks.

 

and you know what's dumb? people wearing what their faith requires in school. let's outlaw that, too. it makes them look too different.

 

and you know what? we don't like them foreigners much anyway, let's make it harder for them to work or live or...

 

ya, France is always a good example to follow in these things.

^_^

http://m.bbc.com/news/magazine-21229475

 

Iceland and many other cultures restrict baby naming.

 

In the case of Iceland, it's about meeting certain rules of grammar and gender, and saving the child from possible embarrassment. Sometimes, although not in every case, officials also insist that it must be possible to write the name in Icelandic.

 

Prohibited names:

 

New Zealand nixed "4Real."

Japan: "Akuma" meaning devil.

Germany: "Matti" because of gender confusion and "Osama Bin Ladin."

 

Sweden: First names shall not be approved if they can cause offense or can be supposed to cause discomfort for the one using it, or names which for some obvious reason are not suitable as a first name."

 

Denmark's very strict Law on Personal Names is in place to protect children from having odd names that suit their parents' fancy. To do this, parents can choose from a list of only 7,000 pre-approved names, some for girls, some for boys.

 

http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=25034

http://m.bbc.com/news/magazine-21229475

 

Iceland and many other cultures restrict baby naming.

 

In the case of Iceland, it's about meeting certain rules of grammar and gender, and saving the child from possible embarrassment. Sometimes, although not in every case, officials also insist that it must be possible to write the name in Icelandic.

 

Prohibited names:

 

New Zealand nixed "4Real."

Japan: "Akuma" meaning devil.

Germany: "Matti" because of gender confusion and "Osama Bin Ladin."

 

Sweden: First names shall not be approved if they can cause offense or can be supposed to cause discomfort for the one using it, or names which for some obvious reason are not suitable as a first name."

 

Denmark's very strict Law on Personal Names is in place to protect children from having odd names that suit their parents' fancy. To do this, parents can choose from a list of only 7,000 pre-approved names, some for girls, some for boys.

 

http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=25034

 

I think most of these rules make sense and are there to protect the children from idiot parents. Basically what Hiarth said.

Sweet JEBUS! I WISH they'd have something like that in the states. True story:

 

My friend is picking up his son from Daycare and there is an irate mother at the desk in front of him.

 

She is ranting at the clerk about how, "I don't be appreciatin how you be treatin my daughter! and I DON'T be appreciatin how you be mispeakin her name!"

 

Clerk: "Your daughter Le-a? (clerk is pronouncing the name as Leia)

 

Mother: "No! her name be Ledasha! the dash ( '-' in Le-a) don't be silent!"

 

 

the DASH don't be SILENT?!?!?! Are you serious?!?!?! 100% true story.

I read that too, Mills.

sorry, didn't mean to overreact up there. been a weird day. mea culpa.

 

carry on.

Naw.

 

You spoke passionately about a complicated issue. I have an unpopular opinion on the matter but I would rather be challenged than live in an echo chamber.

:). you very most kind

Sweet JEBUS! I WISH they'd have something like that in the states. True story:

 

My friend is picking up his son from Daycare and there is an irate mother at the desk in front of him.

 

She is ranting at the clerk about how, "I don't be appreciatin how you be treatin my daughter! and I DON'T be appreciatin how you be mispeakin her name!"

 

Clerk: "Your daughter Le-a? (clerk is pronouncing the name as Leia)

 

Mother: "No! her name be Ledasha! the dash ( '-' in Le-a) don't be silent!"

 

 

the DASH don't be SILENT?!?!?! Are you serious?!?!?! 100% true story.

That's pretty dumb. There's nothing wrong with the name "Ledasha" itself but spelling it like that? Really?

As I said, idiots *rolls eyes*

 

What gets to me is that people like that are allowed to breed. But I guess that's a whole 'nother politically incorrect opinion :P

true story - i hear from a teacher about kids names ....  she had twins in her class named after Jello.  the only one i can recall is Orange-jello (pronounced Oh-Ronja-Allo).
 
it maybe stupid, and laugh worthy.  and i pitty the kids ....  but the government has no right to dictate names.  its not constitutional and goes against our 1st amendment rights (freedom of speech and expression).   you want the freedom to say what you want and wear what you want and not be shut up by the government; then you also have to give the idiots the same rights; otherwise you're part of the problem imo.  Constitutional rights are an all or nothing sort of thing, there is no "well ya but i dont like what their saying so they can't say it" sort of bass-akwaredness allowed.  Equality goes both ways, not just the way you agree with.

 
granted the case in the OP is in France ... but here in the states that crap wont fly

 

From what my mother has told me, this is common practice in Germany (where names have to be on an approved list or something).
 
Wasn't there a couple relatively recently that wanted to name (or had named) their child Adolf Hitler _____ (surname in blank) and there was a big issue with that?

yeah

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/parents-cannot-regain-custody-children-nazi-inspired/story?id=11334970

 

the parents lost custody of both children.  not because of the names but because of the un-fit living conditions.

No surprise on that.

So can a family in Denmark visit the U.S. for "vacation" for a couple months, give birth, and then name their child whatever they want before ending the vacation and bringing the newborn home?

I dont think they'd have to go as far as the U.S. it would surprise me if that's not a common practice.

 

it's strikes me that many of these laws and some of the urban legends and anecdotes people bring up about odd names are at least somewhat rooted in xenophobia, to put it not very bluntly.