Illegal and Banned Baby Names: US Rules and Real Cases From Around the World

Can you legally name your baby anything in the US?

Mostly, yes. Each state sets its own rules for how a name can be recorded on a birth certificate, and those rules are about format more than meaning. The state of Minnesota is a clear example. Its birth registration instructions tell parents to use:

• Letters from the Modern English alphabet (A to Z), plus spaces, hyphens and apostrophes
• One, two or three words for the first, middle and last name
• Up to 50 characters in each of the first, middle and last name fields
• Any word at all, including either parent's last name

That means a name like "K8" or "@" would not fit Minnesota's format, while an unusual but properly spelled name would. Other states publish their own limits, and they do not all match. Our state-by-state guide to baby naming laws lists them with links to each state's rules.

Accent marks: California changed its rules

For years, California birth records could not show accent marks and similar characters. That changed in 2025. Assembly Bill 64 (Chapter 662, Statutes of 2025), signed on October 12, 2025, allows diacritical marks on California birth, death and marriage records.

The California Department of Public Health has published a list of ten approved marks: acute accent, grave accent, circumflex, diaeresis (umlaut), tilde, cedilla, ring, macron, breve and caron. Two dates matter for parents:

• Starting July 1, 2026, the state began amending existing records to include diacritical marks. If a name was recorded without its mark, an affidavit and the required fee can be submitted to correct it.
• Diacritical marks on newly registered records can come no earlier than two years after the state receives funding for the change.

Many older articles still say California bans accents outright. Check the date on anything you read.

The Tennessee "Messiah" case

The best-known US court story about a baby name did not involve a state registrar at all. In 2013, a Cocke County, Tennessee, child support magistrate named Lu Ann Ballew ordered a baby's first name changed from Messiah to Martin. She reasoned that the name was a title held by Jesus Christ, that it placed an undue burden on the child, and that it would likely offend many people in a county with a large Christian population.

Weeks later, Chancellor Telford E. Forgety overturned her decision. He found there was no basis in the law for changing a child's first name when both parents agree on it, and that the magistrate's order violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The case began as a dispute between the parents over the child's last name, not a challenge to the first name.

The lesson for parents: when both parents agree on a first name, a US court has no general power to veto it because a judge finds it offensive.

Countries that keep official lists

Some countries do ban names through a government office. Here are three with well-documented rules.

New Zealand

When New Zealand released its list of rejected names in 2013, the most refused names since 2001 were "Justice" (62 times) and "King" (31 times). Next came "Princess" (28), "Prince" (27), "Royal" (25), "Duke" (10), "Major" (9), "Bishop" (9), "Majesty" (7), "J" (6) and "Lucifer" (6). Officials objected to names that look like titles or ranks, which is why so many royal and military words appear.

Sweden

Sweden's naming law gives its tax agency the job of registering names. The most famous Swedish case began in 1991, when a couple did not register their son's name and were fined 5,000 kronor by a district court in Halmstad in 1996. In protest, they submitted a 43-character name beginning "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclll," which they said should be pronounced "Albin," as an artistic creation. The court rejected it and upheld the fine. They then tried the single letter "A," which was also refused at the time, though Sweden's Supreme Administrative Court later ruled in 2009 that one-letter names are allowed.

In 2007, a couple fought to name their daughter "Metallica." Tax officials called it inappropriate, but a county administrative court ruled that there was no reason to block it, and the name stood.

Iceland

Iceland's committee approves names that fit Icelandic grammar and tradition. A 15-year-old girl named Blær won a case in 2013 when the Reykjavík district court overruled the committee, which had refused her first name. She was allowed to keep it.

What to do before you submit a name

The same steps work in any state:

1. Read your state vital records office's birth registration instructions for rules on characters and length.
2. Check how your hospital's birth worksheet handles names. Many states print the worksheet's instructions on the form.
3. Spell the name using only the letters, hyphens and apostrophes your state accepts. Leave out numbers and symbols.
4. Confirm how the name will appear on a passport and other documents, since a spelling that works on a birth certificate may be handled differently elsewhere.
5. Keep a certified copy of the finished birth certificate for school enrollment, a passport and other official uses.