Name Game
Italy
When Italian parents wanted to call their child Venerdi (translated as "Friday"), the top courts said no, as the name could expose the child to mockery. Since the name was taken from Robinson Crusoe, they worried it would be associated with "subservience and inferiority." The judge then ordered the baby be renamed Gregorio, after the saint's day on which he was born.
Sweden
Enacted in 1982, a Swedish law bans names that "can cause offense or be supposed to cause discomfort for the one using it, or names which for some obvious reason are not suitable for a first name." At the time, the law was primarily meant to prevent non-noble parents from using noble names. In 1996, though, the law collided with the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclll mmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (pronounced Albin, obviously). The boy's parents said the name was "a pregnant, expressionistic development that we see as an artistic creation" which should be understood in the spirit of "'pataphysics." The courts said no.
Norway
Norway has a list of names deemed acceptable, intended to protect kids from anything that looks or sounds strange. Wrold, Fridvall and Dits = fine. Gesher, though, didn't make the cut. A mom actually ended up in prison for two days after she refused to change the name, which came to her in a dream and is the Hebrew translation of "bridge."
Malaysia
Name laws in Malaysia tightened up in 2006, and now disallow anything "undesirable." This category includes names like Chow Tow, which means "smelly head" in Cantonese, and Sor Chai, which is the Cantonese word for insane. Also unacceptable as names: animals, insects, fruit, vegetables, colors, numbers, royal/honorary names and Japanese cars.
Germany
Local registrars decide which names to allow and which to reject in Germany. Some that they've nixed: Stompie, Woodstock, and Grammophon. Last names like Kohl are also not allowed, nor are gender-neutral names like Matti. Also rejected: Osama bin Laden, from a Turkish couple living in Germany.
Iceland
In Iceland, your name selections are pretty limited: There's a list of 1,712 boys' names and 1,853 girls' names that fit the language's grammar and pronunciation and will "protect kids from embarrassment." Mistakes do happen, though, and about 15 years ago a priest baptized a girl with the name Blaer, which means "light breeze" … and is not on the list. Since it has a male article, the government wouldn't recognize the name until earlier this year, when the girl took the country to court over the right to use her name—and won.
