Baby Santa? What to know about banned baby names in the US
Corrections and clarifications: This story has been updated to clarify naming restrictions in the U.S.
Looking for a unique name to give your baby that would help them stand out in a crowd? The sky is (nearly) the limit, but some names could cause issues in the United States.
Japan has recently banned what is known as "shiny" or "glittery" names, which are names with unusual pronunciations, according to The Guardian. These names could include anything from Pikachu to Nike, according to CNN.
But Japan isn't the only country to have restrictions on baby names.
The United States is more relaxed on naming protocol than other countries, but there are still some rules. Some states have stricter naming laws, and other states don't have any.
Here's what to know.
Are any baby names banned in the U.S.?
Naming restrictions can vary from state to state.
For instance, in California, names listed on birth certificates can only contain the 26 letters in the English alphabet, which leaves out letters with accents (è, á), tildes (ñ, ã) and umlauts (ö, ü). State Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco introduced legislation to change that policy in December 2024.
Other names that certain jurisdictions around the U.S. have deemed illegal to use on birth certificates include the following monikers, according to U.S. Birth Certificates, a privately owned website that aims to obtain birth certificates for applicants:
- King
- Queen
- Jesus Christ
- III
- Santa Claus
- Majesty
- Adolf Hitler
- Messiah
- @
- 1069
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40 baby names banned in New Zealand
In May, New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs published a full list of names (40, to be exact) that were requested and rejected in 2024. The majority resemble a title or rank, such as King, which was requested and denied 11 times. Prince and Princess also were requested, in addition to alternative spellings like Pryncess and Prynce.
Names with ties to marijuana also were requested and rejected − Sativa and Indica, which are two popular marijuana strains. Both were requested and rejected only once.
"We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names. Names are a gift. Generally, the name registered will be with the individual for the rest of their lives," according to a document published by New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs.
Names banned in other countries
Though Japan recently banned "shiny" names, other countries have banned a long list of other names.
In New Zealand, "Sex Fruit" is a banned name, and in Mexico, "Robocop" is banned, according to USBirthCertificates.com.
Other names banned in various countries, according to USBirthCertificates.com, are:
- Sarah (Morocco)
- Osama bin Laden (Germany)
- Metallica (Sweden)
- Cyanide (United Kingdom)
- 007 (Malaysia)
- BRFXXCCXXMNPCCCCLLLMMNPRXVCLMNCKSSQLBB11116 (Sweden)
- Prince William (France)
- Quran (China)
- Judas (Switzerland)
- Devil (Japan)
- Blue (Italy)
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com