careersclosedown-chevrondownloaddxfacebookfaxhistoryinstagramlinkedinmagnifymenuphoneright-arrowstartestimonialstwitter
Message us via WhatsApp

Baby naming – where do you draw the line?

By Darren White

Expecting parents all face the same dilemma – what to name the baby.

From compass points to geographical locations, celebrities continue to surprise us with strange names for their new born.

Spending hours flicking through baby name books and searching the internet isn’t alien to most mums and dads-to-be, with the ever resurrected argument of ‘well my friend’s sister is called that and she isn’t a very likable person’.

When choosing a name it’s important to know as parents we don’t actually have a totally free choice in what to call our children. Some parents may want a unique name for their child to stand out from the crowd, however as has been demonstrated recently in the French Court it is not always a good idea.

You may have seen a news story of the plight of a French couple who were barred from naming their child Nutella. Firstly because it is a commercial brand name, secondly because of the mockery the child may have faced at school. This case follows another French case in which a court banned a couple from calling their child Fraise (the French wordfor strawberry) as it forms part of a common French slang term.

Back in the UK there is a much more liberal approach when it comes to names however names such as God, Satan and Pope are examples of names that are not allowed to be used on the grounds of bad taste.

Any name should carefully be considered and always take into account the ‘embarrassment factor’ because let’s face it; life can be difficult enough without facing schoolyard bullies because you’re named after a piece of fruit.

In any event, if at a later stage the child wishes to change their name and either he or she is over the age of 16 or if both parents consent this can be done quickly, cheaply and effectively with the assistance of a qualified solicitor.

According to a survey undertaken by website babycentre.co.uk here were the top 10 names in the UK in 2014.

Girls

  1. Sophia
  2. Emily
  3. Olivia
  4. Amelia
  5. Isabella
  6. Olivia
  7. Sophie
  8.  Chloe
  1. Muhammad
  2. Oliver
  3. Jacob
  4. Charlie
  5. Harry
  6. Joshua
  7. James
  8. Ethan