Bizarre baby names that have been banned.

• 4Real
• @
• Adolf Hitler
• Akuma
• Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116″
• Gesher
• Lego
• Metallica
• Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
• Venerdi

4Real

In 2007, heartbroken couple Sheena and Pat Wheaton were informed by New Zealand’s registry authority that they couldn’t name their baby 4Real, because it contains a digit.

Fortunately, the couple were permitted to go with their second choice, Superman. 

@

A couple in Beijing attempted to name their child @, claiming the symbol meant ‘love him’ when translated into Chinese.

Unfortunately, the Chinese police didn’t agree, and the couple were forced to change the name.

Adolf Hitler

It hardly seems believable, but in 2010, New Jersey couple Heath and Deborah Campbell named their children Adolf Hitler and Joyce Lynn Aryan Nation.

The names caught headlines after the couple attempted to buy a birthday cake with the Adolf Hitler’s name on it, prompting the government to take the children into care.

Akuma

In 1993, a Japanese father named his son Akuma, which translates into ‘Devil’. The Japanese authorities deemed this to be an abuse of rights, and, after a protracted court battle, forced the father to rename the child.

Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116″

In 1996, a Swedish court fined Elizabeth Hallin and her partner for not registering their son’s name by the time he turned 5.

To avoid paying the fine, the couple submitted the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116″, which is pronounced ’Albin’, apparently . The court rejected the name and the fine was upheld.

Gesher

In 1998, Krisi Larsen, of Norway, was jailed for two days for refusing to change the name of her child Gesher, which means ‘bridge’ in Norwegian!

LEGO

A couple ran into trouble with Sweden’s Administrative Court of Appeals, after naming their baby LEGO.

Luckily (or perhaps unluckily, depending on your point of view), the parents were eventually permitted to keep the name.

Metallica

In 2007, another couple in Sweden got into trouble with the name-police, this time after naming their child Metallica, after the American heavy metal band.

However, after an appeal, the parents were granted the right to keep the name.

Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

A couple in New Zealand named their daughter Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii, before a court ruled that it was harmful to the girl, citing it as a ‘social handicap’. The girl was 9 years old before she could change the name she hated.

Other odd names from New Zealand include Midnight Chardonnay, Violence, and Number 16 Bus Shelter. The names Fish and Chips (for twins) were banned.

Venerdi

In 2008, an Italian court banned a couple from naming their child Venerdi, which translates as ‘Friday’, deeming the name liable to insight ‘insecurity and mockery’.

Need more baby name inspiration?

See our complete collection of baby names articles and tips in the baby names hub.

+Steven McKinnon