New Zealand continues ban on popular UK names for intriguing reason
Every country has their own rules on baby names and what titles they will allow or disallow. Choosing a baby name is one of life's toughest decisions, with some parents driven by tradition and others by uniqueness.
While British parents typically have the freedom to name their children whatever they like, the UK Deed Police Office details certain strict guidelines to ensure some names will never appear on a birth certificate.
On the flip side, New Zealand is upholding a ban on names that are actually increasingly popular in the UK and the US - specifically because they go against the nation's stringent naming regulations.
Names with a Royal theme such as Prince, Princess, and King are favoured in several countries, including the UK. However, these violate rules laid down by the New Zealand Law Society.
These stipulate that names must be under 70 characters, devoid of non-standard symbols, and not resemble official titles.
An Official Information Act inquiry, reported by The Independent, reveals that the New Zealand government turned down applications for royal-themed names like King (11 requests), Prince (10 requests), Princess (4 requests) and the variant Pryncess (2 requests).
In contrast, in the US, according to the US Social Security Administration, King was the 266th most popular baby name in 2023, followed by Royal at 402, Prince at 364, and Princess at 919.
US courts generally interpret the Constitution as safeguarding parents' rights to name their child, resulting in a more relaxed approach to names.
Some states do enforce restrictions around certain symbols, specific names, or titles such as King and Queen.
In the UK, names like 'King' and 'Princess' could be rejected if it is believed they might mislead people.
Names may also be prohibited if they contain offensive language or obscenity, include symbols, numbers, or punctuation marks, or are excessively long or difficult to pronounce.
In the UK, there have been occasions where names such as 'King' and 'Princess' have met with rejection for official use, though many in the nation do carry these names.
The UK Deed Poll Office states: "While we don't have an official list of banned names, we assess applications on a case-by-case basis, and names that could cause a child harm or confusion will likely be rejected."
Figures from the site babycentre.co.uk indicate that amongst girl's names, Princess sits at 73rd in terms of popularity, whereas Prince is positioned at 112th for boys.
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The ONS commented: "Following Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, the names Elizabeth and Philip increased in popularity in England and Wales."
It was noted, though, that "Royal names were less popular in 2023, which may be because of a variety of modern influences on baby names."
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