Choosing a name for a baby is one of the most important things parents do after giving birth. It's usually accepted that parents are allowed to choose whatever names they want for their kids without persecution of anyone — except for annoyed family members, of course. But two parents in France are actually facing off with a French judge who might ban them from naming their daughter Liam for the most ridiculous reason ever.
According to Global News Canada, the two unnamed parents welcomed their little girl in November 2017 in Brittany, France. The happy couple decided to name their baby girl Liam — a perfectly normal, simple name that just so happens to be typically given to boys. Only a day after the mother gave birth, a registrar at her hospital asked her to give the little girl a "more feminine" name. The mother says that her partner wasn't present when the registrar made her request, and she didn't feel comfortable making name changes without him.
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The French website The Local reports that in February, French courts and a prosecutor stepped in and asked a judge to ban the parents from naming their daughter Liam. The prosecutor said that the name "would be likely to create a risk of gender confusion" and would "therefore contrary to the interest of the child and could harm her in her social relations."
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The prosecutor actually used examples of male celebrities like Liam Neeson and Liam Gallagher to prove that the name shouldn't be used for girls. He also requested that the judge make the parents choose a different, more "acceptable" name for their little girl — and if they don't, the judge may choose for them.
It may sound absolutely crazy, but this isn't the first time the French courts have done something like this. Global News Canada reports that until 1993, French parents had to choose their babies' names off a list of pre-approved monikers. While their baby naming rules are technically more relaxed now, the French courts are still fully allowed to ban parents from giving their kids names that might "hurt them" in the future. In recent history, France has also banned parents from naming their kids Nutella, Strawberry, and Ravi.
The Local says the French court's discomfort with these parents naming their daughter Liam may be because of the lack of unisex names in the French language. This is probably because most French names have feminine and masculine equivalents already, like Jean and Jeanne or Francois and Francoise.
We totally understand that parents wanting to name their kids Nutella is pretty damn weird. But I seriously doubt a little girl's life is going to be put in turmoil just because her name is Liam. As a girl with a "boy's name," I can attest to the fact that she'll probably be just fine.
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The Local says the parents involved in this case are planning to lawyer up and fight for their right to name their kid whatever the hell they want. No trial date has been set for the family yet, so for now, little Liam gets to keep her name.
Let's hope it stays that way.
