Should the government have a say in naming children?

"Metallica" as a name isn't so bad. I've certainly heard worse, like parents wanting to name their kid "Devil". :confused:



STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Metallica may be a cool name for a heavy metal band, but a Swedish couple is struggling to convince officials it is also suitable for a baby girl.
Yahoo News

Michael and Karolina Tomaro are locked in a court battle with Swedish authorities, which rejected their application to name their six-month-old child after the legendary rock band.

"It suits her," Karolina Tomaro, 27, said Tuesday of the name. "She's decisive and she knows what she wants."

Although little Metallica has already been baptized, the Swedish National Tax Board refused to register the name, saying it was associated with both the rock group and the word "metal."
Tomaro said the official handling the case also called the name "ugly."

The couple was backed by the County Administrative Court in Goteborg, which ruled on March 13 that there was no reason to block the name. It also noted that there already is a woman in Sweden with Metallica as a middle name.

The tax agency appealed to a higher court, frustrating the family's foreign travel plans. "We've had to cancel trips and can't get anywhere because we can't get her a passport without an approved name," Tomaro said.

Wow, that's one of those things that makes me glad to live here.

Agreed, Blino. Scandinavians have a cradle to grave socialist system of government that rewards conformity and discourages individualistic behaviours and thought. For most who grow up in that system, it is comforting that you will always be taken care of and that everyone is exactly the same ( "Life of Brian" comes to mind). This is just an example of that system in operation.

wow!!
No the government shouldn't have any say in what parents name thier children. However, some parents need to not be smoking crack when they name thier kids!!!

I think it should be forbidden to name your kids something like 'Shit' but since regulating it would be really hard and people would complain about their freedoms being cut, and it would be hard to tell which names are not acceptable...let the parents ruin their kid's life.

I do not think Metallica is wrong, sound cool to me

"She's decisive and she knows what she wants."

Uhhh :hmm: how does a 6 month old baby know what she wants???

And no, absolutely not, the government should have no say in the naming of a child.

Uhhh :hmm: how does a 6 month old baby know what she wants???

And no, absolutely not, the government should have no say in the naming of a child.

Amen. Like we need to give the government even more control of our lives. Screw that. If I want to name my kid Banana that's MY choice.

Not that I would though.;)

I'm just glad the band hasn't tried to ban them.

Those jerks ruined Napster. :(

Nadine.

The government should have no say in naming children. Metallica is still a stupid name for a child, IMO.

wow!!
No the government shouldn't have any say in what parents name thier children. However, some parents need to not be smoking crack when they name thier kids!!!

^ Agreed 100%. I used to dislike my name when I was younger, but seeing what some 'parents' name their kids today I am glad to have it!

my children, my name choice. Government should not be involved with naming children. Its none of their business.

The goverment shouldn't have a say in what a child is named. A few days in school and that kid will probably come up with a nickname to be called. And one can always change it again at 18 :D

It's been a long standing joke, if I ever become famous then I am going to name my kids Avacado and Mango.
Untill that happens my kids will have to settle for names like Kayleigh and Elizabeth!!

Though I must point out there are names that are common now that were just obsurd 20 years ago...
case in point "Madison" was NOT a child's name untill the movie SPLASH came out!!!! Now it's horribly common!!!

Names like Patience and Prudence and Bertha were VERY popular 100 years ago!!

Since I'm from Norway and have the same laws when it comes to names here I do understand this law. I consider it next to "childabuse" to name a kid something that he will suffer for the rest of his or her life.

It's an interesting dilemma. What happens if, say, neo-nazi parents decide to name their child "Hitler"?

"Hi. I'm Hitler Smith."

"Who?"

"Hitler. After my Uncle Adolf."

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I think the govt should have some say. You can name your dog "asshole" but you should'nt be able to name your child that. Sure.. the parents will catch flak from doing that... but who is really suffering.. them or the child? It's not a matter of rights for the parents being able to name the child as they wish... its about protections for the child against parents naming them like that.... which should trump the parents rights as the child has no one else to speak up for them.
But I can see how those who support the parents most likely have the same view with abortion.

But I can see how those who support the parents most likely have the same view with abortion.

What does one thing have to do with the other?I have nothing against abortion and i still do not think parents should be allowed to name their kids Asshole.

I said "most likely"... should I have bolded that? Since the board is heavily liberal it's also a safe assumption. And it's the general "hands-off from the govt" position for parents rights and no protection for the children that the two have in common.

Well I just see a difference between the rights of a newborn (civil person) and the rights of a pregnant woman vs a non-born who is only considered (By the Spanish Civil code) a civil person only after it has survived 24 outside the womb.

In the first place the baby has all the rights inherent to a civil person and in the second one is the mother who does, being able to excercise them (abortion) as long as it does not create a conflict with the baby's (not born and not considered a civil person even if abortion should only be practiced under certain circumstances)

I am just talking about what is like there that happens to match my opinion (women being free to decide about their pregnancies), not about moral arguments about why or why not i think abortion is right or could be compared with naming your kid whatever.

But I can see how those who support the parents most likely have the same view with abortion.

Dang. Something touched a nerve.:confused:

And it's the general "hands-off from the govt" position for parents rights and no protection for the children that the two have in common.

I disagree. I am ALL about protecting children, but I still don't think the gov should have a say in what parents name their kids. If a parent names their kid "Asshole," the should be legally allowed to do so (who knows, maybe asshole means something else in another language). If there was really a concern for the child, then someone would go check out why the hell the parents wanted to name their kid that and what other messed up things they might be doing to the kid.

If the government tried to control what parents name their kids, I'm pretty sure it would not be limited to names like "Asshole." The power would inevitably be abused and before you know it, we would have only "John's" and "Jane's" in this country.

Who's to say what names are appropriate? Is "Apple" an appropriate name for a child? I bet there are a whole lot of people in political power who would say "no, you can not name your child that!" But is "Apple" a harmful name? No. Is "Metallica" a harmful name? No. So how does not allowing the parents to name their child "Metallica" protect the child? How would governmental regulation of children's names protect children?

Great post, Moon.

I must add that if a kid has a horrible name, they can always adopt a nickname.

Also, I abhor my last name. It's very stupid and I constantly get jokes. Polarity knows what it is so she can back me up. My point? Big deal. I live with it everyday and I got made fun of for it A LOT as a kid. I guess what I'm trying to say is there are worse things than being named Metallica. Frank Zappa named one of his kids Motorhead.

Oh! I didn't even think about last names! I know all types of last names that could be considered inappropriate - Sex, Dickie, Kuchii . . .

The government would surely say no to those, don't you think? ;)

Now that I think about it, is "Dick" any better than "Asshole???"

Oh! I didn't even think about last names! I know all types of last names that could be considered inappropriate - Sex, Dickie, Kuchii . . .

The government would surely say no to those, don't you think? ;)

Now that I think about it, is "Dick" and better than "Asshole???"

I am not making this up, but I knew a guy who's first name was Harry. Last name? Dick. Seriously.

I think there are lots of offensive last names out there (LIKE MINE!). Should the government have a say? Hell no. The government doesn't need one more thing to stick their nose into. It happens enough.

I never liked my lastnames because both my dad's and mom's end with xxxxx-ano which as you can imagine mean 'anus' in Spanish but i never got any comment about it, just never liked it for that reason...now i have a lastname people cannot say :giggle:

Notice this story is out of a liberal society, i.e. scandanavia....Which reminds me:

Would you name your child "barbie"?:D

I am not making this up, but I knew a guy who's first name was Harry. Last name? Dick. Seriously.

I think there are lots of offensive last names out there (LIKE MINE!). Should the government have a say? Hell no. The government doesn't need one more thing to stick their nose into. It happens enough.

I was watching David Letterman a long time ago and he had actual driver's licenses of people with weird combinations of first and last names.....and there was a Harry Dick....

I wish I could remember them.....I know there was a Theodore Baer.....

It was hysterical.....