The child naming debate: Should parents have unequivocal right to decide the name of their child?
Should parents be able to name their child what they want, regardless of how unusual and bizarre the name might be? Not according to a French family court. The court in France recently prohibited a couple from naming their daughter Nutella, after the hazelnut spread.
In September 2014, the couple who are from Valenciennes in northern France, attempted to register the birth of their baby girl with the name Nutella.
The case was however referred to a family court when the shocked registrar informed local prosecutors. According to Family Law Week, the court ruled the name given to the child is that of "the commercial brand of a spread" and would consequently cause "mockery or disobliging remarks".
The court decided that the name was "contrary to the child's interest to have a name that can only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts".
The parents did not turn up for the hearing, which took place in November 2014, and in her parent's absence, the court ruled that the child would be called Ella instead.
Parents in France can typically choose the name of their baby. However, as with the case of baby Ella, local prosecutors can report what they deem unsuitable names to family courts.
The name Fraise also rejected
The case was followed by a similar incident in January this year that took place in the same court in Valenciennes, France. A couple wanted to name their child Fraise - strawberry - but a judge decided that due to slang associations with the word fraise in French, the name would be likely to cause derision for the girl later on in life.
According to The Telegraph, the couple chose the name Fraisine instead, which was a popular name in 19th century France.
In 2009, a couple were told by a family court in France that they were not allowed to call their child Titeuf, which is the name of a French cartoon character.
Though it's not just in France where authorities are laying down some rules on the naming of babies.
In 1996 a couple from Sweden were fined as they failed to register their baby's birth before the child reached his fifth birthday. In an act of disproval about Sweden's laws regarding the naming of children, the couple submitted the letters and numbers "Brfxxccxxmnpccclllmmmprxvclmnckssqlbb1116" onto the register.
The couple claimed that the name is pronounced 'Albin' and is "an expressionistic development that we see as an artistic creation".
However, Swedish authorities rejected the name.
Chinese couple sought the name '@'
In China in 2007, a couple tried to name their child '@'. The couple claimed that the name @ was representative of their love for their child. The father reportedly said:
"The whole world uses it to write e-mail, and translate into Chinese it means 'love him'.
It has not been confirmed whether the Chinese authorities accepted '@' as the child's name or not.
It seems it is not just the names of children that are ruffling the feathers of the authorities in France. A French dog owner was recently forced to change the names of his American Yorkshire Terriers. A local major refused to sign the dogs' licences for the dogs that were named 'Itler' and 'Iva' due to their Hitler and Eva associations. The dog owner was forced to rename his dogs 'Ilisa' and 'Isio 4'.
What are your thoughts on authorities and family courts having the power to dictate what parents can and cannot name their children? Is it for the child's best interest, or is it dictating and unnecessary? We'd love to hear our reader's views on this controversial subject.
If you have any element of family law you would like to discuss, get in touch with Tracey Miller's friendly team of family solicitors, for expert advice.
Image courtesy of Patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net