101 Banned Baby Names You Cannot Legally Use

A name can be a gift, a joke, or in some countries, a criminal offense. Around the world, governments have blocked parents from naming their children everything from royal titles and brand names to a single punctuation mark.

This list rounds up 101 baby names that were actually banned, rejected, or forced into a courtroom. For each one you get the name, where it was outlawed, and the reason officials refused to sign off.

Some bans protect a kid from a lifetime of teasing. Others feel almost impossible to justify. Scroll on and decide for yourself which calls were fair and which went too far.

101 Banned Baby Names

Here are the most shocking illegal baby names from around the globe:

1. #: Social media made the hashtag ordinary, but a registrar still reads it as a symbol rather than a name and rejects it on sight.
2. *: A lone asterisk reads as punctuation, not a name. Aster or Star keeps the pointed, starry look while staying legal.
3. :): A smiley is an emoji, and California along with several other states refuses pictographs on a birth certificate.
4. ;: A bare semicolon counts as punctuation, though the spelled-out Semicolon has actually slipped through as a name in a few places.
5. 4Real: New Zealand declined 4Real because the digit 4 is a numeral, and numerals are off limits in a legal name.
6. 69: Numerals are barred from legal names almost everywhere, and an openly suggestive one gives a registrar an easy refusal.
7. Adolf: Germany and several other countries block Adolf for its unavoidable link to Adolf Hitler, treating it as harmful to the child.
8. Akuma: Japan refused Akuma, meaning devil, in a widely reported 1990s case after a father tried to register it for his newborn son.
9. Alexander Brian Alfred Percival Wulfric James Victor Christian David Lachlan Brown: Victoria’s registry in Australia uses this tongue-twister as its textbook example of a name too long for official records.
10. Allah: New Zealand and other countries decline Allah as a given name out of respect for its sacred place in Islam.
11. Anal: Registrars class Anal as vulgar. Amal or Anna carries the same soft sound without the schoolyard grief.
12. Banker: Job-title names like Banker tend to get flagged because they can imply a profession or status the child does not actually hold.
13. Batman: A trademarked superhero identity invites both ridicule and legal tangles, so registrars usually refuse Batman.
14. Blu: Italy once blocked Blu for a baby girl, ruling that the name failed to signal the child’s sex as its naming law required.
15. Bonehead: A name that doubles as an insult works against the child, so Bonehead is rejected as needlessly cruel.
16. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116: Swedish parents submitted this 43-character jumble in 1996 to protest a naming fine, insisting it was pronounced Albin. A Halmstad court rejected it.
17. Cannabis: Naming a child after the cannabis plant invites the assumptions and teasing that naming rules are meant to prevent.
18. Charlotte: Portugal keeps an official register of approved names, and foreign spellings like Charlotte lose out to the local Carlota.
19. Chief: Rank and status words such as Chief are commonly refused so a name cannot imply an authority the person does not hold.
20. Chlamydia: A UK mother reportedly tried this on her daughter, but a name shared with a common infection is a quick rejection.
21. Chloë: Chloe is fine, yet US states like Texas drop accents and umlauts because their records only store plain English letters.
22. Chow Tow: Malaysia banned this Cantonese name, meaning smelly head, along with others like Sor Chai (insane) that could shame a child.
23. Christ: Deeply religious countries reject Christ as a given name, treating it as too sacred to sit on a birth certificate.
24. Christmas Day: Calendar phrases like Christmas Day get turned away in parts of Mexico, though Holly or Nicholas keeps the festive feel.
25. Circumcision: A name lifted from a medical procedure offers a child nothing but embarrassment, so registrars refuse it.
26. Colonel: Military ranks such as Colonel are widely blocked so a name cannot be mistaken for a genuine title or posting.
27. Covid: Naming a child after the pandemic virus ties them to a global tragedy, exactly the harm naming laws try to head off.
28. Daddy: Family labels like Daddy muddle official paperwork, so they rarely survive a registrar’s review as a first name.
29. Devil: Several countries outlaw Devil outright, ruling that an openly sinister name sets a child up for a hard time.
30. Dickhead: Dick has long served as a nickname, but this crude extension of it is barred as a plain insult to the child.
31. Doctor: Doctor is an earned professional title, so registrars refuse it as a first name to keep it from implying credentials.
32. Duke of Edinburgh: Claiming a specific royal title like Duke of Edinburgh edges into impersonation, which is why it is refused.
33. Elvis: Sweden’s naming board reportedly balked at Elvis before easing up; the country still screens names for suitability.
34. Emperor: Grand titles like Emperor are rejected worldwide so no ordinary citizen carries the weight of a ruler’s rank.
35. Facebook: Mexico’s Sonora state moved to block brand names like Facebook, arguing they expose a child to mockery.
36. Gesher: Norwegian mother Kirsti Larsen served two days in jail rather than drop Gesher, which means bridge in Hebrew, after a dream inspired it.
37. God: God is treated as too sacred and heavy to hand to a child, so registrars across many countries reject it.
38. Haha: A name that reads as laughter practically invites teasing, so Haha rarely reaches the certificate.
39. Heaven-Princezz-Star: New Zealand’s registrar declined this stacked, hyphenated title-name in 2018, one of dozens of royal-flavored rejections that year.
40. Hello: Everyday greetings are not names, so parts of Australia refuse Hello to keep stray words off the register.
41. Hermione: Mexico’s Sonora state floated banning pop-culture picks like Hermione to shield children from bullying.
42. Hitler: Hitler is blocked in Germany, on Mexico’s Sonora list, and in many other places for its obvious tie to the Nazi leader.
43. III: Roman numerals read as symbols rather than names, so most Western registrars reject III just as they would 3.
44. Ikea: Even in its Swedish homeland, the furniture brand Ikea is off the table as a baby name for clashing with trademark and taste.
45. Isis: Once a well-loved Egyptian goddess name, Isis fell off some registries after the terror group dominated headlines.
46. J: A single letter is not a name in New Zealand, so a lone J is declined much like a stray initial.
47. Jahstice: New Zealand blocked this respelling of Justice, along with Jusdyce and Justyce, since the root word doubles as a court title.
48. Jesus Christ: Like Christ on its own, the full Jesus Christ is refused in many countries as too sacred for everyday paperwork.
49. Jnr: Jnr reads as an abbreviation rather than a name, so it is refused where a name must stand and be pronounced on its own.
50. Joyeux: France can refuse a name deemed contrary to a child’s interest, and Joyeux, meaning happy, has reportedly been turned down.
51. Justice: New Zealand declines Justice because it mirrors the formal address for a judge, and titles are off limits.
52. Kiing: Respelling King as Kiing does not sidestep the rule; New Zealand blocks title-names however creatively they are spelled.
53. King: New Zealand parents tried King six times in 2018 alone, and the registrar declined every one as a forbidden royal title.
54. Kohl: Germany reportedly waved off Kohl, a surname shared with a former chancellor, to keep political baggage off a certificate.
55. Lego: The Lego brand is protected by trademark, so naming a child after the toy runs into both corporate and registry objections.
56. Linda: Saudi Arabia reportedly included Linda on a list of barred names, judging it too Western for the local register.
57. LOL: LOL spells out an internet joke, not a name, so registrars decline it just as they would any acronym-turned-punchline.
58. Lucifer: Lucifer carries an unmistakable devilish charge, and several countries reject it to spare the child the association.
59. Mafia: A name tied to organized crime raises obvious red flags, so registrars refuse Mafia on public-interest grounds.
60. Majestee-Honours: New Zealand declined this royal mash-up in 2018, part of a long run of majesty-themed names the registrar rejects.
61. Major: Major is a military rank, so it joins Colonel and General among the titles registrars will not grant as first names.
62. Manchester United: A football club is not a person, so registrars treat team names like Manchester United as unsuitable for a child.
63. Master: Master is an old honorific, so registrars refuse it as a first name to avoid confusion with a title of address.
64. Medicare: Naming a child after a public health program invites confusion, so parts of Australia refuse institutional names like Medicare.
65. Messiah: A Tennessee judge ordered a baby Messiah renamed in 2013 before the ruling was overturned; New Zealand also declines it as a title.
66. Miss: New Zealand declines Miss as a stray honorific, though Missy passes as an ordinary given name.
67. Mommy: Like Daddy, Mommy scrambles family paperwork, so registrars refuse it as a legal first name.
68. Nutella: A court in Valenciennes, France, blocked Nutella in 2015 and, when the parents skipped the hearing, renamed the baby Ella.
69. Passport: Passport names an official document, so parts of Australia refuse it to keep bureaucratic terms off the register.
70. Patriste: France has reportedly declined coined words like Patriste, on the view that an invented name can burden a child.
71. Prime Minister: A sitting office like Prime Minister could imply real authority, so parliamentary countries refuse it outright.
72. Prince William: Pairing Prince with a real royal’s name edges into impersonation, which is why registrars turn it down.
73. Princess: New Zealand and others decline Princess because it works as a royal title rather than an ordinary name.
74. Queen: Queen joins King on New Zealand’s declined list, refused as a monarch’s title rather than a given name.
75. Queen Victoria: Victoria is a lovely regal name, but bolting Queen onto the front turns it into a title registrars will not grant.
76. RoboCop: A fictional cyborg cop makes a rough legacy, so registrars have declined RoboCop as unfit for a real child.
77. Royal: New Zealand parents tried Royal six times in 2018, and the registrar declined each one as a status title.
78. Royale: Royale is just Royal with a flourish, and it lands on the declined list beside Rhoyal and Royalty.
79. Royal’Tee: This punny take on Royalty is exactly the kind of title-name New Zealand’s registrar routinely declines.
80. Saint: Saint reads as a religious honorific, so it is refused in countries with strict rules despite its celebrity use.
81. Sandy: Saudi Arabia reportedly listed Sandy among barred names, judging it too foreign for the local register.
82. Sarah: Morocco reportedly accepts the spelling Sara but not the Hebrew-styled Sarah, which its rules treat as non-standard.
83. Satan: Few names alarm a registrar faster than Satan, refused across many countries for its plainly malevolent meaning.
84. Scrotum: An anatomical term like Scrotum offers a child nothing but ridicule, so registrars reject it as vulgar.
85. Sex Fruit: New Zealand’s registrar declined Sex Fruit, grouping it with rejects such as Fish and Chips and Yeah Detroit.
86. Shithead: This blunt insult is barred in many places, an easy call under rules that block plainly offensive names.
87. Shrek: Naming a child after the cartoon ogre sets up years of teasing, so registrars steer parents away from Shrek.
88. Sir: Sir is a formal honorific, so it snarls official documents and is refused as a first name.
89. Sire: Sire, an archaic address for a king, is refused right alongside Sir as an outdated title.
90. Smelly: A name cannot be a plain insult to the child, so Smelly never makes it past the registrar’s desk.
91. Sonic X: A Norwegian boy reportedly petitioned the king to be renamed Sonic X after the game character, but the request went nowhere.
92. Suprintendent: This misspelled title is a favorite example of a New Zealand rejection, doomed both as a rank and as a typo.
93. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii: In 2008, New Zealand judge Rob Murfitt made a nine-year-old a ward of court so she could shed this name, calling it a social handicap.
94. Thor: Portugal’s approved-names list leaves no room for the Norse god Thor, however mighty it sounds.
95. ™: The trademark symbol is punctuation, not a letter, so registrars reject it; Mark makes a legal stand-in for Trademark.
96. Venerdi: Italy blocked Venerdi, meaning Friday, ruling that naming a boy after a weekday would leave him open to mockery.
97. William: William is reportedly refused in Portugal as a foreign spelling, with the local Guilherme approved instead.
98. Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffwelchevoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswessenschafewarenwohlgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvonangreifendurchihrraubgierigfeindewelchevoralternzwolftausendjahresvorandieerscheinenvanderersteerdemenschderraumschiffgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchenachdiesternwelchegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneurassevonverstandigmenschlichkeitkonntefortpflanzenundsicherfreuenanlebenslanglichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvonandererintelligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum: This Guinness-record surname runs well past 40 characters, over the limit US states like New York set for a legal name.
99. X Æ A-12: Elon Musk and Grimes had to revise X Æ A-12 to X Æ A-Xii because California bans numerals in a legal name.
100. YOLO: Like LOL, YOLO is an acronym that reads as a slogan rather than a name, so registrars decline it.
101. Zoe: A Reykjavik court upheld Iceland’s rejection of Zoe because the letter Z sits outside the 32-letter Icelandic alphabet.

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