June 22, 2026 · Culture · 6 min read

Baby Names Banned Around the World: Iceland, Germany, China and More

Most countries don't think hard about what parents are allowed to name their kids. Some countries do — Iceland and Germany famously have official lists of allowed names, and parents who try to name a kid Bambi or Princess have to file appeals to a naming committee. The result is a strange catalog of names that were attempted, fought over, and ultimately banned. Here are some real ones.

Banned in Iceland

Iceland's Naming Committee (Mannanafnanefnd) maintains an approved list of about 1,800 names. Anything not on the list requires an appeal. Names rejected over the years include:

Hárry · The accent makes it too unlike "Harry," which IS approved. Iceland is strict about Icelandic-form spelling.

Carolina · Considered to fail Icelandic grammatical rules — names must conjugate properly within Icelandic syntax.

Robert · Yes, Robert. Failed because it doesn't take a properly Icelandic genitive case ending.

Blær · Originally rejected for being on the boys' list (and used for a girl). The case became famous and changed how Iceland treats gender flexibility on the official list.

Banned in Germany

German naming officials have a clear standard: names must clearly identify the child's gender, and they must not be 'odious' or harm the child. Rejections include:

Adolf Hitler · A New Jersey case, but Germany would absolutely block this. Permanent ban category — names of historical war criminals or terrorists.

Lucifer · Rejected on grounds it would expose the child to ridicule. (Mexico independently banned Lucifer in 2014.)

Cain · Rejected as carrying an inherently negative association.

Banned in Other Countries

Linda (in Saudi Arabia) · Linda is not on the approved Arabic-name list and was banned along with several others in 2014. Restored selectively over time.

Anal (in New Zealand) · Yes, real case. Rejected for "could cause harm" reasons. New Zealand also rejected: Lucifer, Mafia No Fear, V8, and 4Real (the parents wanted to name their child literally "4Real").

Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii · The most famous New Zealand naming case. The 9-year-old's name was changed by court order in 2008 because the name was considered to harm her wellbeing. The court named "Mary" for her in court records.

Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 · Sweden, 1996. Parents tried to name their kid this in protest of Sweden's name laws. Predictably rejected. They then proposed "A" as an alternative — also rejected.

@ (in China) · A couple in 2007 wanted to name their child the @ symbol — they argued it was meaningful in modern Chinese (similar pronunciation to "love him"). Rejected.

The American Exception

The United States has almost no naming restrictions at the federal level. State by state, the only restrictions tend to be: length (some states cap at 100 characters or less), numerals (you can't have "7" in your child's official name in California), and obscenity (varies by state). Beyond that, you can name your kid almost anything.

Which is why the US has historical real-name examples like:

X Æ A-Xii (Elon Musk's son, 2020 — yes, this is the official birth certificate name in California after they removed the Æ symbol that California's database couldn't process)
Adolph Coors (the brewery founder — name was fine in 1880)
Princess Diana Carpenter (multiple US births, no problem)
True (Khloé Kardashian's daughter, 2018)
North, Saint, Chicago, Psalm (Kim Kardashian's children)

The Lesson

The countries with naming committees (Iceland, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand) generally argue that they're protecting the child from cruelty — both from peers and from inheriting a name that might harm them. The countries without (US, UK) generally argue that parental freedom outweighs that concern.

What the international comparison makes clear: if you're a parent in the US who wants a creative name, you're in the most permissive naming jurisdiction on the planet. Use it wisely.

For more on naming patterns, see our old-fashioned names and names that skipped a generation pieces.

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