Journalist Kirsten Drysdale named her baby 'Methamphetamine Rules'. She did it to prove a point.

It's certainly not the baby name everyone would choose for their newborn.

But Kirsten Drysdale had a point to prove.

Drysdale is a journalist best known for presenting WTFAQ and co-presenting Reputation Rehab, both programs on the ABC.

As part of the first show, Drysdale and her team investigate viewer's burning questions. Interestingly, one of the most common questions has been 'What can I legally name my baby?'.

So Drysdale decided to not only look into the matter — but take it one (or many) steps further.

Watch: Kirsten Drysdale registering her baby's name. Post continues below. 

After trying to get a clear answer on what you can and can't name your baby via the Department of Deaths, Births and Marriages, Drysdale still felt unclear.

At the time, she was heavily pregnant — and so, she decided to test out the question herself. 

Recently, Drysdale and her husband Chris welcomed their son into the world. And what better name to give him than 'Methamphetamine Rules'.

"We thought, what is the most outrageous name we can think of that will definitely not be accepted? Methamphetamine Rules we thought would surely get rejected, and then when it does, we can find out what name the registrar chooses," she told news.com.au this week. 

"It was really just a lighthearted, curious attempt to get an answer to this question."

The name they chose was approved "very quickly", much to their shock. It was confirmed when they received their son's birth certificate in the mail. 

Reflecting on the situation, Drysdale told A Current Affair that she did it all "in the name of journalism", and that it proved a point.

"I knew there was in theory a very, very, very small risk that there could be some kind of human error or a system failure," she said. 

"But I really didn't think this would happen. The registry have been really good at working through this with us, acknowledging that it shouldn't have happened, and we're going through the process of getting a correction done, so it won't follow him around forever."

Kirsten Drysdale and her newborn son. Image: Nine. 

As for how Drysdale and her husband got away with it, they simply followed all the proper channels. They even toyed with the idea of calling their child 'Nangs Rule' instead. 

The only downside, they figured, was that the people at the registry might not know what nangs are, and the name would be approved. 

Drysdale wanted a challenge on her hands, so they opted for 'Methamphetamine Rules', where there wouldn't be a potential knowledge gap. 

A spokesperson for Births, Deaths and Marriages has since said the "unusual name" had "unfortunately slipped through".

Data shown during the WTFAQ program suggested that on average, less than five names are refused each year from around 98,000 birth registrations in NSW.

As for what names are actually 'banned'? It's murky.

When giving birth, the parent(s) have to register their child's name with their state/territory registrar.

The same regulations apply across most of Australia, but the basic guidelines are that the name cannot be obscene or offensive, contrary to the public interest or descriptions of lewd or sexual acts. 

You can't call your child a racial slur or a word that is considered reasonably likely to insult, humiliate or offend a person or group. Also, no swear words or official titles or ranks such as 'princess' or 'Queen'. 

A spokesperson for Births, Deaths and Marriages said that in the wake of the Meth Rules baby name, they've strengthened their registry process. They will also work with Drysdale and her family to change their baby's name.

"A name registered at birth remains on the NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages Register forever," the spokesperson told The Guardian. "Even if the name is formally changed."

Drysdale has confirmed they have a new name for their son.

"Baby Meth's real name… I'm not publicly disclosing it, because I don't want it to be attached to this," she laughed to news.com.au

"It's a beautiful name and I can tell you it has nothing to do with class A drugs. We think it'll be a very unique 21st birthday present to tell him this story."

Feature Image: ABC/WTFAQ Show. 

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