Having the right to name your baby (almost) anything you want is as American as pie. (In fact, you can actually name your baby American Pie Jones if you want!)
Whereas countries like New Zealand and Japan ban parents from choosing certain baby names, American parents are able to get creative. However, there are at least 11 baby names that American parents cannot legally name their children.
While laws vary by state, according to USbirthcertificates.com, the following 11 names have been ruled illegal by the U.S. court system.
Illegal baby names
- King
- Queen
- Jesus Christ
- III
- Santa Claus
- Majesty
- Adolf Hitler
- Nutella
- Messiah
- @
- 1069
Each U.S. state has its own set of guidelines for naming your baby, but numerals are generally forbidden, as are emoji and special characters.
Some state baby name guidelines:
- Obscene names are banned in California and New Jersey.
- Hawaii and Alaska allow special symbols for names that originate from the indigenous Kānaka ‘Ōiw and Inupiaq cultures.
- Tildes (ñ) are allowed in North Carolina but banned in Virginia.
- Some states restrict the number of characters in a name. In New York, first and middle names have a maximum length of 30 characters each, and last names cannot exceed 40 characters. In Texas, first and middle names cannot exceed 100 characters. Massachusetts limits the first, middle and last name to a maximum of 40 characters each. Arizona has a total limit of 141 characters.
- Illinois and South Carolina will allow parents to use numbers and symbols in their child’s name.
- In Mississippi, a baby will automatically be given the father’s last name unless the parents request a different name.
- Louisiana babies are given their mother’s last name if she isn’t married within 300 days of birth.
- In Florida, if parents don’t sign a document agreeing to the baby’s name, the court will select a name for the child.
- Illinois doesn’t have naming regulations and allows numbers and special characters.
How DO you name a baby?
If you’re lost on finding a (legal) baby name, TODAY.com has you covered. We have many, many articles that include tons of ideas and inspiration. You can find everything from ocean-inspired baby names to baseball-inspired baby names right here.
But if you want to know the basics on how to choose a baby name, our experts recommend really zeroing in on your naming style, giving your baby name a real-world test run, avoiding “cutesy” names and feeling confident in your decision.
One expert recommends avoiding names that are overly “matchy” or just too unusual.
And if you end up choosing a baby name that you or your child end up regretting, don’t worry. You can always legally change it.
“Baby name regret is a lot more common than you think,” baby naming consultant Colleen Slagen told TODAY.com in January.
“Going through with a name change isn’t the right choice for everyone, but it also shouldn’t be this pearl-clutching phenomenon. It’s absolutely OK to change it, own it and move forward.”
This article originally appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY:
