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These 11 names have been banned in the US. See the list

Some names have been banned in the United States.
Some names have been banned in the United States. Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash.

If you are thinking about baby names you may want to make sure the names you have in mind are legal in your state.

Each state has its own naming laws and at least 11 names have been previously banned in the United States, according to USbirthcertificates.com. A list of guidelines and requirements rule out other possible names as well.

The following names were ruled illegal by courts in the U.S., according to the site:

  • King

  • Queen

  • Jesus Christ

  • III

  • Santa Claus

  • Majesty

  • Adolf

  • Hitler

  • Messiah

  • @

  • 1069

In 1976, a North Dakota man named Michael Herbert Dengler tried to change his name to 1069 because of its “philosophical and personal significance,” according to Freedom Forum. However, a state court denied his request, and after moving to Minnesota, the court system ruled against him again.

The rulings were “due to potential confusion,” and it was suggested he try spelling out the numbers. per Freedom Forum.

Some states ban the use of numbers in names, while other states, like Kentucky, have no regulations at all.

Some state regulations on naming can be viewed on USBirthCertificates.com.

The U.S. has “relatively lax naming regulations” compared to some other countries, according to the site.

The names below have been banned in the countries associated with them, according to USBirthCertificates.com:

  • Chief Maximus (New Zealand)

  • Robocop (Mexico)

  • Sex Fruit (New Zealand)

  • Linda (Saudi Arabia)

  • Snake (Malaysia)

  • Friday (Italy)

  • Islam (China)

  • Sarah (Morocco)

  • Osama bin Laden (Germany)

  • Metallica (Sweden)

  • Prince William (France)

  • Devil (Japan)

  • Blue (Italy)

  • Circumcision (Mexico)

  • Quran (China)

  • BRFXXCCXXMNPCCCCLLLMMNPRXVCLMNCKSSQLBB11116 (Sweden)

  • Harriet (Iceland)

  • Cyanide (United Kingdom)

  • Monkey (Denmark)

  • Thor (Portugal)

  • 007 (Malaysia)

  • Griezmann Mbappe (France)

  • Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii (New Zealand)

  • Bridge (Norway)

  • Anal (New Zealand)

  • Nutella (France)

  • Wolf (Spain)

  • Tom (Portugal)

  • Camilla (Iceland)

  • Judas (Switzerland)

  • Duke (Australia)

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Jennifer Rodriguez
mcclatchy-newsroom
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
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