If you live in Australia and are planning on calling your newborn baby God, Justice or Satan, then we’ve got some bad news for you. Those names, along with at least 43 others, are banned in the land Down Under.
You might not be aware of this, but in Australia, you can’t just call your baby whatever you want. Instead, the Registrar has the power to refuse to register a birth name if they deem it to be offensive or obscene if it contains one of the country’s official ranks or titles, or if it is displayed as an acronym or initials.
Moreover, they can also refuse it on the basis that it might cause confusion within the community, be intended to humiliate, insult, intimidate or offend a group or person, or if it can’t reasonably be used in written or oral form, as it contains symbols (like a dollar sign) or is too long.
Recently, the Victorian Government revealed a list of 46 baby names that are banned in Australia in accordance with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act of 1996. While it is easy to see why some of the names are banned, others beg the question of why parents would want to give their children such names in the first place.
Granted, some parents might want to bestow upon their child the gift of an original appellative. But some of these suggested names – which have all been rejected in the last couple of years defy belief.
Let’s take a look at them below.
Banned Baby Names
The following names were put forward by parents who were told they would have to call their child something else.
- Admiral
- Anzac
- Australia
- Baron
- Bishop
- Brigadier
- Brother
- Cadet
- Captain
- Chief
- Christ
- Commodore
- Constable
- Corporal
- Dame
- Duke
- Emperor
- Father
- General
- God
- Honour
- Judge
- Justice
- King
- Lady
- Lieutenant
- Lord
- Madam
- Majesty
- Major
- Messiah
- Minister
- Mister
- Officer
- Premier
- President
- Prime Minister
- Prince
- Princess
- Queen
- Saint
- Satan
- Seaman
- Sergeant
- Sir
- Sister
Overview of the Banned Names
You will notice that more than 50% of these banned names are an official rank or title for either peerage, royalty or the armed forces. Therefore, if you want your child to be referred to as Prime Minister, Lady or Sergeant you are going to have to encourage them to earn it through the traditional channels.
Interestingly, many of the banned names have religious connotations, including Christ, God and Lord. However, Jesus is one that has not been blacklisted. Atheists too have their fun spoilt as Lucifer and Satan are off the table.
Swear words have also been left off this list, but they are an obvious no-go, as are names like Osama Bin Laden and Adolph Hitler. Sadly, you can’t call your baby ‘Australia’, though you can call them India, Jordan or Holland, which seems a bit odd.
While Brand names and statement names do not appear on this list, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to call your child Vegemite or Save The Whales.
Essentially, these name suggestions were banned in Australia to protect children against the potential for harmful in the form of bullying, discrimination or harmfulness that could occur if they were approved.
Other Names Banned Around the World
Australia is not the only country in the world that has taken a stand against what they perceive to be inappropriate names for children. The likes of the USA, UK, New Zealand, South Africa and pretty much most nations in the world have names that won’t pass through the registration process.
They include the following:
- 007 (Malaysia)
- Blue (Italy)
- Chief Maximus (New Zealand)
- Circumcision (Mexico)
- Cyanide (United Kingdom)
- Devil (Japan)
- Friday (Italy)
- Harriet (Iceland)
- Islam (China)
- Linda (Saudi Arabia)
- Metallica: (Sweden)
- Monkey (Denmark)
- Nutella (France)
- Prince William (France)
- Quran (China)
- Robocop (Mexico)
- Sarah (Morocco)
- Sex Fruit (New Zealand)
- Snake (Malaysia)
- Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii (New Zealand)
- Thor (Portugal)
Again, it is quite obvious why some of the names got banned. However, others – such as Linda in Saudi Arabia and Harriet in Iceland, might be a bit of a mystery to those not in the know.
Unusual Approved Baby Names in Australia
While Oliver and Charlotte are the most common baby names in Australia – both of which are solid non-offensive choices – Aussies are increasingly looking for baby names that stand out. And its far to say there are some very quirky names out there.
Here are a selection of names that all were approved.
Aarav
Ace
Adonis
Bristol
Cairo
Cash
Cesar
Daleyza
Gage
Gunner
Juniper
Khaleesi
Khalil
Lyric
Maximilina
Nehemiah
Raven
Wren
Willa
Ximena
Zethen
Final Thought
As you can see from the last list of unusual names there is plenty of scope for creativity and individuality when it comes to naming your baby. However, that is not to say you can name them anything you like.
At the end of the day, a name is something that a person has to live with from the moment they are given it until the day they take their last breath. So, if you really like the sound of Anzac, Baron or Seaman, instead of trying to call your baby it, why not embrace it as your own nickname instead?
