Having the right to name your baby (almost) what you want is American just as much as what you want. (In fact, you can name Baby American Pie Jones if you wish!)
Countries like New Zealand and Japan prohibit parents from choosing a specific baby’s name, but American parents can be creative. However, there are at least 11 baby names that American parents cannot legally name their children.
According to UsbirthCertificates.com, the following 11 names are found to be illegal by the US court system:
Illegal baby names
King Queen Jesus Christ III Santa Claus Ma Lower Adolf Hitler Nutella Messiah @1069
Although each US state has its own guidelines for naming babies, numbers are generally prohibited, just like emojis and special characters.
Guidelines for baby names in some states:
Indecent names are prohibited in California and New Jersey. Hawaii and Alaska allow special symbols of names derived from the cultures of the Indigenous Kanaka’oui and inupiaq. Chilled (ñ) is permitted in North Carolina, but prohibited in Virginia. Some states limit the number of characters in names. In New York, the first and middle names each have a maximum of 30 characters, and a last name cannot exceed 40 characters. In Texas, the first and middle names cannot exceed 100 characters. Massachusetts limits the first, middle and last names to a maximum of 40 characters each. The total limit for Arizona is 141 characters. Illinois and South Carolina allow parents to use numbers and symbols in their child’s names. In Mississippi, babies are automatically given their father’s surname unless their parents ask for another name. A Louisiana baby is given the mother’s surname if she is not married within 300 days of birth. In Florida, if a parent does not sign a document agreeing to the baby’s name, the court will select the child’s name. Illinois does not have naming regulations and numbers and special characters are permitted.
How do you name your baby?
If you get lost by finding a (legal) baby name, Today.com has it for you. There are many articles with lots of ideas and inspiration. From sea-inspired baby names to baseball-inspired baby names, you can find everything.
However, if you want to know the basics of how to choose a baby’s name, our experts recommend you really get into zero in your naming style.
One expert recommends avoiding overly “matched” or too unusual names.
And don’t worry if you end up choosing the name of a baby that you or your child ends up regretting. You can change it legally at any time.
“Regret about a baby name is much more common than you think,” Baby Naming Consultant Colleen Slagen told Today.com in January.
“Changing a name isn’t the right choice for anyone, but it shouldn’t be a dense phenomenon with this pearl. It’s okay to change it, own it and move forward.”
This article was originally published on Today.com. Read more from today:
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