If "professional baby namer" were a real job, I would be the first in line to fill out an application.
I've always been fascinated by the backgrounds and meanings of different names and would take that job very seriously. Of course, I would make sure to keep the parents' wishes in mind, but I'd also definitely steer them away from some of the more unfortunate monikers I've seen kids saddled with over the years.
That said, I have yet to run across any little ones whose parents attempted to be quite as creative as some of the options listed below. It's hard to imagine what goes through someone's head when they think giving their child a name like "Spinach" or "Email" is a good idea — and those are two of the least surprising ones.
Other times, a name we find completely normal will be nixed in another country no matter how much the mom and dad protest.
Take a look and let us know in the comments if we missed any other bizarre examples of names being banned.
And don't forget to SHARE with your friends!
Thumbnail Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr
1. RoboCop
Parents welcoming new babies in Sonora, Mexico, must abide by a long list of unacceptable names that is updated regularly, including this mechanical moniker that was denied to one mother and father.
3. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
Swedish parents attempted to protest their homeland's notoriously strict naming laws with this monkier, which they claimed was pronounced as "Albin." The BBC reports that they were thwarted by authorities.
4. Monkey
According to The New York Times, the Department of Name Research at Copenhagen University in Denmark oversees all baby names in that country. In the past, the agency prevented a pair of parents from using this nod to primates for their little one.
5. Harriet
Harriet Beecher Stowe would have a different name had she been born in Iceland, where The Telegraph reports that a child with that name was officially only known as "Girl." The country's National Registry deemed it ineligible since it can't be conjugated in Icelandic.
6. 007
The name "James Bond" is also among those banned in Sonora, while his numeric code is shunned in Malaysia.
7. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
According to the BBC, a judge had to step in when New Zealand parents planted this whimsical title on their daughter and made them change it to something that wouldn't, in his words, "[make] a fool of the child."
8. Email
This technological title is among those that are banned in Sonora. Cristina Ramirez, the state's civil registry director, explained to Daily Mail that it could "lead to bullying."
9. Martian
Despite how delightful it sounds translated into the feminine Spanish form, "Marciana," the spacey name is also banned in Sonora.
10. Jimmy
Portuguese parents hoping to pay homage to James Stewart will be sad to see his nickname in the banned section of their 80-page list of acceptable and unacceptable names.
11. Stompie
Perhaps the German parents attempting to get this name by the country's authorities waited to find inspiration in their tot's temper tantrums. However, they were ultimately made to choose something more traditional.
12. Charlotte
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would have to keep brainstorming for their daughter's name if they ruled in Portugal, where it's listed as unacceptable.
13. Stallion
Sadly for equestrian enthusiasts in New Zealand, this name is among the many boy's names to be rejected by authorities.
14. Traffic
Sonora strikes once again to ban the frustrating feeling of being stuck in rush hour as a name for children, even when translated into Spanish.
15. Bebop
This jazzy homage to the upbeat music from the 1940s was deemed too silly for a child by authorities in Denmark, according to The New York Times.
Did we miss any other unacceptable names folks have tried to give their kiddos across the world? Let us know below, and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
