Elayala, Lyesandro, Jennya-Leloo, in Denmark is the No. The law of this Scandinavian country requires parents to choose the name of their child from those that appear on a list approved by the authorities. There are 22,000 for girls, 18,000 for boys, plus a thousand mixed names. It is not possible to change the spelling of these names, nor to use letters that do not appear in the Danish alphabet.
Avoid embarrassing and unpronounceable names
These strict policies are to protect children and avoid the potential consequences of names that are embarrassing, unpronounceable, or impossible to spell. If these rules are not new, they have aroused curiosity since Instagrammer Annie Samples, an American mother living in Denmark, shared their existence with her community during a series of Reels entitled Normal things in Denmark that I’m afraid to tell my American friends (“Normal things in Denmark, but I’m afraid to tell my American friends”).
But rest assured: parents who have a creative soul and do not find their happiness in the official list can still submit a request to have their child’s name validated. If this is approved, it can then join the pantheon of licensed names in Denmark. The undecided still have until the baby is six months old to make their choice, otherwise, the mother’s surname will be automatically assigned as the first name and latecomers will be fined.
In 2022, the most popular names in Denmark were Ella, Alma, Nora, Alfred, Oscar and Carl.
What does French law provide for names?
The list of pre-approved names is not a Danish specialty. Portugal, Hungary and Iceland have also adopted this system of official lists. In Germany and Sweden, any name must be approved in advance by the administration.
In France, on the other hand, every parent is free to express their creativity. As the public service website states: “- Parents can choose an already used name or create a new one. ” They ” – he can therefore choose well-known foreign names or some diminutives. » The only condition is that the name does not threaten the integrity of the child.
Furthermore, if the child bears only the surname of one of the parents, he cannot be given the other surname as a first name. For example, a Magalie Bertrand and a Jacques Martin cannot name their child Bertrand Martin, or Jacques Bertrand.
In France, the registrar can refuse the name desired by the parents
Finally, while there is no list of banned names, registrars may reject a name if they feel it is incriminating or infringes on the privacy of a third party. For example if this name is also the (uncommon) surname of a celebrity.
Legend says that without the intervention of these officers, little Nutellas and little Mbappé could have walked among us…
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
