From Dickhead to Nutella: A list of banned baby names that should never have been suggested.

There’s a lot to consider when naming your child.

Will it suit them? Will it be difficult to pronounce? Is there any potential for it to lead to a crude nickname?

Having said that, we’ve probably all heard some… unique baby names in our time, too.

There are plenty of parents out there who can’t bear the thought of their child having to share their name with another. They want them to stand out, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.

But in some cases, the quest for individuality for some parents has gone so far, it’s ended up with the authorities having to step in and putting a stop to it.

Yes – below is a list of names so offensively bad they’ve been banned by the countries in which they appeared.

And look, we’re all for creativity, but some of these are just plain ridiculous. 

UK – Cyanide

The UK doesn’t have too many laws about baby naming. But in 2016, a British mother tried to name her daughter Cyanide. Yes, as in the poison. The judge who made the ruling in this instance claimed that, in England, the court would forbid a parent’s name choice “in only the most extreme cases”.

US – Messiah

Due to clauses within the constitution, the US, as it turns out, is also pretty lenient when it comes to baby names – so parents pretty much have free reign. That meant infamous neo-Nazi family from New Jersey, the Campbells, were totally in the clear when naming their children Adolf Hitler and JoyceLynn Aryan Nation…

via GIPHY

It does, however, vary state by state. *Some* states prohibit obscenities, while others ban the use of numerals. In 2013, a Tennessee judge ruled against a family who had endeavoured to call their child “Messiah”. The ruling didn’t stick – it was overturned soon after, and the parents were allowed to stick with their original name.

Australia – D*ckhead

Here’s a list that’ll make you proud to be Australian.

Our laws outline that names can’t be “obscene or offensive” (so no, you can’t call your baby “d*ckhead”); they can’t be “contrary to the public interest”; and they can’t be “established by repute or usage”. It’s this last rule that came into play when one family once tried to call their child “Ikea”, a name which has also been prohibited in Sweden as well.

You also can’t give your child a symbol for a name, so if you were thinking of naming your child “#”, you may have to revisit your list.

Here’s a list of other names that have been banned in Aus. Ahh, what a country we live in.

• LOL
• Batman
• Snort
• Circumcision
• Ranga
• Hitler
• Spinach
• Panties
• Scrotum
• Blank Space

Portugal – Tom

So here’s an interesting one. In Portugal, parents are not allowed to register their children with nicknames. While Tom might be illegal, Thomas is completely fine.

Reddit reveals the worst baby names they’ve ever heard. Post continues after video…

France – Nutella

These parents were apparently huge fans of the hazelnut spread (who can blame them?) – so much so they decided to name their daughter after it. A French court ruled that the baby girl could not be named Nutella, arguing that she would be mocked. They instead settled on ‘Ella.’

Similarly, another couple attempted to name their child “Fraise”, the French word for strawberry, but the French courts intervened. The judge claimed that the name Fraise would again incur teasing because of its connection to the phrase “ramène ta fraise,” which means “get your butt over here.” They went with “Fraisine” instead.

NZ – Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

While Australia’s list was pretty shocking (seriously, who tried to name their baby scrotum?), New Zealand is a whole other kettle of fish. The girl who was given this bizarre moniker had to live with it until she was nine years old, and was taken from custody of her parents after a court ruling.

Another family tried to call their baby “.” – yep, as in “full stop”. The government rejected it, and it’s now part of the list of banned baby names, including:

• Lucifer
• II
• *
• H-Q
• Royale
• Knight
• 4Real
• Anal
•  III
• Minister
• 89
• Saint
• Mafia No Fear
• Bishop
• Justice
• Queen Victoria
• Justus
• Mr
• Constable
• Sex Fruit

via GIPHY

Sweden – Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (Albin)

We’re not sure what these parents were under the influence of when they decided mashing their palm on the keyboard was another way of spelling “Albin”. The name got rejected, and the parents were hit with a fine of about 5,000 kronor (roughly US$740 in the value of 1996 dollars).

Other names which are banned in Sweden are:

• Metallica
• Elvis
• Superman
• Veranda
• Ikea
• K8lyn
• Q
• Peniskin
• Germanuy
• Osama bin Laden
• Adolf Hitler

Denmark – Monkey

Denmark actually has an approved baby names list, instead of a banned list. It contains about 7,000 names – one of which is definitely not “Monkey”, but that didn’t stop parents from trying. If you live in Denmark and want to choose a name that’s not on the list, you must get a government official’s approval. There’s one way to ensure your child with never have the same name as another kid in school.

Mexico – Facebook

A family in Mexico said they were extremely disappointed when they were forbidden from naming their child ‘Facebook’. Again, it was rejected because the registry director believed it would lead to bullying.

“Robocop” is also on Mexico’s list of banned baby names.

via GIPHY

Japan – Akuma (devil)

The case of baby “devil” was so controversial it even caught the attention of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. The Justice Minister at the time was passionately against government intervention, arguing, “It is not appropriate to instruct parents to change children’s names without legal basis.”

Eventually, the name “devil” did become illegal in Japan.

Iceland – Harriet

Similar to Denmark, if Icelandic parents want to give their children a name that isn’t listed in their National Register of Persons, they must apply and pay to have it added.

One family was unable to renew their daughter Harriet’s passport because her name can’t be translated in Icelandic. Her brother Duncan also had a banned name (there’s no letter “C” in the Icelandic alphabet).

Now, their passports read “Girl” and “Boy.” Oh.

China – @

Just like in Australia and New Zealand, China doesn’t allow symbols and numerals as baby names.

In this case, the “at” symbol is pronounced “ai-ta” in Chinese, which sounds similar to a phrase meaning “love him”.

One couple saw as a fitting name for their son, but the Chinese government did not agree.

Italy – Venerdi (Friday)

When a family attempted to name their son after the Italian word meaning Friday, they were forbidden on the basis that a judge believed the boy would be mocked.

This is supported by their naming laws, which permit names to be banned if they are “likely to limit social interaction and create insecurity”.

We think this is pretty harsh, to be honest. Hasn’t anyone in Italy heard of Wednesday Addams?

Malaysia – Chow Tow (Smelly Head)

Smelly Head, like the human version of Phoebe’s “Smelly Cat” from Friends, was banned by Malaysian authorities for obvious reasons. (I mean, really?)

Malaysia published this in a list of banned monikers after receiving an influx of people applying to change their given names.

Saudi Arabia – Linda

In 2014, Saudi Arabia also released a list of banned baby names. “Linda” made the list due to its association with Western culture.

We have FIVE $100 gift vouchers up for grabs. Take our survey now for your chance to win.