Why is the name Linda forbidden in Saudi Arabia?

Linda was banned by Saudi Arabia's Civil Status Department for being a name based on religious connections or because it broke from "social traditions." This is because the name is incredibly western for their country.

heart.co.uk - Linda and Harriet among list of 27 banned baby names around the world

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Linda and Harriet among list of 27 banned baby names around the world

By Mared Parry

They share a spot on the list with some classics such as Jihad, Mini Cooper and Ikea. Your newborn is your pride and joy, and their name - whatever you decide on - will obviously mean a lot to both you and them. However, there are some restrictions in place around the world to prevent parents from burdening their babies with 'unique' names. Some of the banned monikers make complete sense, as naming your child Osama Bin Laden is what some would see as going a *bit* too far. But while some of the listed names seem completely normal to us, (we all know a Linda, Harriet and Hermoine don't we?) they've been blacklisted by other countries. Here are 27 different baby names that have been deemed illegal around the globe.

1. Lucifer

A German couple decided they'd love to name their baby son, Lucifer. That must've been one hell of a birth. However, the country's officials had to intervene once the parents submitted the paperwork as they thought the chosen name would endanger the child’s well-being by exposing them to mocking and humiliation or by being offensive. According to a court spokesperson, the parents changed their minds during a closed-door hearing and instead decided to name their son Lucian.

2. Nutella

A lovely sweet treat to have on your toast, yes? A baby name? Absolutely not. French judges ruled against the name after a Nutella-obsessed pair tried to name their daughter after the nutty spread and they named her the more suitable Ella.

3. Ikea

Huffington Post reports that: "In the U.S., the name Ikea peaked in popularity in 1989, when 72 girls and nine boys were named Ikea. " However, Sweden, the home of the furniture giant, has laws forbidding the name as it would cause "offence" or "discomfort".

4. Messiah

The name Messiah has been rejected in a number of countries for religious reasons, with both New Zealand and the USA denying requests to name their children after the alternative name for Christ. However, in an interesting turn, back in 2013 a child support magistrate in Tennessee decided that a seven-month-old boy named Messiah had to change his name to Martin.

This decision was later overturned and that magistrate lost their job.

5. Robocop

Despite this being quite an iconic name, easily shortened to 'Rob' or 'Robbo', Mexican officials forbade parents from named their child after the film character.

6. Prince William

We all love Wills here in the UK, but one French couple took their love for the royals a little too far. They tried to name their son 'Prince William', but a judge ruled against it as they believed this would lead to a lifetime of mockery.

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7. Mini Cooper

After the court rejected the name Prince William, that same couple from the city of Perpignan asked to name their son Mini Cooper.

This request was also denied. Poor child.

8. Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii

In 2008, a New Zealand family court took custody of a 9-year-old girl named 'Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii' so that her name could be changed. “The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment that this child’s parents have shown in choosing this name,” the judge stated. “It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.”

10. Venerdi

In 2007, an Italian court ordered a couple to rename their son, who’d been baptized Venerdi (Italian for “Friday”). Officials argued that the name was evocative of the servant character in Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” and therefore violated legislation banning “ridiculous or shameful” names.

11. Lucía

In a 2002 opinion piece, San Francisco Chronicle writer Louis Freedberg lamented a California policy barring accent marks in birth name records. He said: “[W]hen I tried to record my newly-born daughter’s name Lucía on her birth certificate last week I was told I couldn’t. “At least not correctly. I was told I had to record her name without that pesky accent ― as Lucia (which would be pronounced LOOsha), rather than Lucía (as in LooSEEyah).”

12. Chow Tow

The name Chow Tow means "smelly head" in Malaysia, and is on the name of banned lists along with others which are animals, insects, fruits, colours, numbers and royal titles.

13. Anal

This one doesn't need an explaination.

14. Osama Bin Laden

Germany's officials prohibited a Turkish couple living in Cologne from naming their baby son Osama Bin Laden in 2002. This is because the name wouldn't be allowed in Turkey and due to the "obvious association of the name with the terror attacks of September 11th".

15. Fraise

France barred a couple from naming their daughter Fraise, which is the French word for strawberry. They said the child would end up subject to mockery, so the parents went with Fraisine instead.

16. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116

We don't even know where to begin with this one. Imagine having to spell out that one in Starbucks. Parents from Sweden opted for this unusual name, which is apparently pronounced "Albin", after they were fined for not naming their son before his fifth birthday.

17. Akuma

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Akuma is the Japanese word for devil, and so the country had to step in during a case in the 90s and the parents went with a different name.

18. Gesher

This ridiculous story saw a mother end up serving jail time for naming her baby Gesher, which means bridge in Hebrew. The case happened in Norway back in 1998 and the local council decided to reject the name and told the mum she had to either change the name, pay a fine or spend two days in jail.

She chose the latter.

19. Princess

Katie Price and Peter Andre's daughter wouldn't have been allowed to be named Princess if she was born in New Zealand, as the name is frequently rejected.

Royal titles aren't allowed as baby names in the country.

20. Jihad

France has rejected the name Jihad on a number of occasions over the past five years, however, it's been allowed in the US.

21. Blu

Authorities ruled that an Italian couple in Milan had to give their daughter Blu (Italian for “blue”) a different name in 2018. The decision followed a 2000 presidential decree noting that “the name given to a child must correspond to their sex.”

22. Linda

Linda was banned by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Status Department for being a name based on religious connections or because it broke from "social traditions."

This is because the name is incredibly western for their country.

23. Hermione

Hermoine Granger is a very popular character that everyone will have hear of, but Mexico aren't a fan of wizard-themed names. They've forbidden Hermoine and Harry Potter, as well as James Bond, Rocky, Rambo and Batman.

24. Pluto

An assistant professor for the Department of Name Research at Copenhagen University told The New York Times in 2004 that he advised authorities against approving the name Pluto.

Other rejected names in Denmark include Anus and Monkey.

25. Cyanide

Yes, really. Someone from Wales genuinely tried to name their newborn after a lethal poison.

26. Babar

In 1993, French officials rejected a couple’s request to name their daughter Babar ― the title character in the series of popular children’s books about a royal cartoon elephant.

27. Harriet

In 2014, a girl named Harriet made headlines in Iceland after the national registry refused to recognise her name, as it wasn't on the country's list of 1,853 female and 1,712 male approved names.

heart.co.uk - Linda and Harriet among list of 27 banned baby names around the world

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