These 10 names are banned in France, here’s why!

Choosing the first name of the unborn baby is a crucial step in pregnancy. It allows many families to make the future arrival of a child a little more concrete. If for some parents, the choice of the first name of their little girl or their little boy is obvious, for others this decision turns out to be a little more complicated. It is true that finding the perfect name for a baby is not an easy task, especially if in the family, parents or grandparents wish to keep certain traditions, customs or religions. Either way, the decision is up to the parents.

Choosing the right name for your child

To avoid plunging your nose into the first name books and flipping through page after page without ever finding anything, here are some tips to help you make the right choice, especially if you want to give a first name.
First, talk to the partner as soon as possible. Make a separate list of the first names you like best, the ones you’ve heard of, then pool the lists. Each can then, without influencing the other submit his ideas.
To find ideas, do your research based on the history, origin, translation and meaning you are looking for for your child’s first name.
All you have to do is make the right choice.
It is important to find the perfect baby name, a dynamic name, but not too common, original, without being too rare, in short, everything is a question of dosage and common sense.

So we sometimes wonder what may have gone through the minds of new parents to ask to name their children with first names in bad taste, out of place, improbable or even out of nowhere.
To counter this phenomenon, many countries around the world have adopted very strict laws on baby names, such as New Zealande for example, even going as far asto publish a list of 77 forbidden first names. This list is updated very regularly, depending on the delusions of parental requests, but that does not prevent parents from trying their luck.

What are the rules in France?

In France, the rules are much more flexible, but this has not always been the case.
Before 1993, French law was very strict on the issue. The law of 11 Germinal Year XI (April 1, 1803) required parents to choose a first name from various calendars or from characters from ancient history. It was not until the twentieth century that a first relaxation of the law took place. The ministerial instruction of April 12, 1966 authorized regional first names, composed, derived from diminutives or taken from mythology.

In all cases, civil status officers then had full power to accept or refuse a first name.
January 8, 1993, in France, the regulations were once again amended with the creation of law n ° 93/22. She offers parents the option of choosing original baptismal names insofar as they do not prejudice the rights of third parties or the child.

Which first names have already been banned in France?

Although parents now have free choice as to the first name of their child and there is no list of prohibited first names, the law is very clear: “If the judge considers that the first name is not in the best interests of the child or disregards the right of third parties to have their patronymic protected, he orders its deletion from the civil status registers.. He attributes, if necessary, to the child another first name which he determines himself in the absence by the parents of a new choice which is in accordance with the aforementioned interests. ”

Year after year, the imagination of some parents has allowed us to draw up a list of first names that have been refused by the French courts, here are some examples:

• Titeuf : on November 7, 2009, in the Oise, a French couple decided to name their little boy “Titeuf”. An original choice, but prohibited because it did not comply with French regulations. The authorities responsible for family affairs then refused, the parents appealed, but the Versailles Court of Appeal patiently explained to them that Titeuf is “A not very smart boy whose main preoccupations concern relations with girls and sex”. Not being in agreement with the court decision, the parents went to the Court of Cassation … In vain, the child will have to change his first name.

• Strawberry : on October 17, 2014, in the North of France, a couple from Raisne decided to call their little girl “Fraise”. Once again, the town hall officer and the judge decided to remove the first name from the civil status registers, considering that it “would necessarily be the source of mockery, in particular the use of the expression ‘bring back your strawberry’, which can only have negative repercussions on the child “. The child will therefore finally be called “Fraisine”.

• Folavril : in 1996, the Rennes court of appeal banned “Folavril” for a little girl because the first name was “contrary to the interests of the child”. The family however filed a complaint against the Renault brand after the company decided to give this name to its range of electric models. The girl was finally called Zoe.

• Nutella : on September 24, 2014, in Valenciennes in the north of France, a couple chose to name their daughter Nutella. Unfortunately, the girl finally had to change her first name since Nutella was banned. For the town hall officer as well as for the judge “it is against the interest of the child to be given such a first name which can only lead to mockery or derogatory reflections “. The parents chose to name their child Ella.

• Port and Starboard : these are the first names thata couple of Breton sailors wanted to give birth to their little twins. Fortunately, first names were refused and parents were forced to choose other names for their boys.

• Megan : one of the most emblematic cases concerning the prohibited names is certainly that of the small Megan Renaud. In 2000, the parents of the girl had had to plead the right to name their child like the car of the automaker. In the eyes of justice, the first name “Mégane” was not contrary to the interests of the child and even having a strong popularity in the 90s. However, things get complicated in this case, due to the association with their last name.

• Merry and Patriste : in October 2006, in the south of France, a couple chose to baptize their twins “Joyeux” and “Patriste”. Unfortunately the Montpellier Court of Appeal refused the first names of the two boys, arguing that they “sare likely, because of their fanciful, even ridiculous, character to create difficulties and an effective embarrassment for the future life of the child. “ Also, it is advisable to confirm the judgment undertaken with regard to the deletion of these two first names which it is necessary to replace by the first names of “Roger” and “Raymond”.

• MJ : in 2012, a French couple from the Somme chose to baptize their youngest MJ. Already parents of Mélodine and Djoly, the parents wanted to pay homage to the American singer with the immense popularity: Michael Jackson. The officer and the judge ended up refusing forcing the parents of the young boy to call him by his middle name, Jean.

• Griezmann-Mbappé : in November 2018, in Brive in the Corrèze department, a newborn baby was given a rather original first name: Griezmann-Mbappé, an idea of ​​his parents fans of these footballers with high popularity. Fortunately for the little boy, the family affairs judge was seized by the public prosecutor after a civil status officer from Brive ruled that these first names could be problematic for the young child. He was right, the magistrate actually judged that this choice of the parents was “Likely to be detrimental to the future life of the child”.

• Clitorine and Vagina: among our Belgian friends, we also narrowly escaped disaster when couple from Charleroi chose in 2009 to name her twins Vagina and Clitorine. Finally Vagina like Clitorine were refused by Belgian justice. According to INSEE, these first names are not assigned in France.

Every day, aufeminin’s editorial staff addresses millions of women and supports them in all stages of their lives. The aufeminin editorial staff is made up of committed editors and …