Indecent baby name banned by New Zealand Government

Parents in New Zealand were left disappointed when the chosen moniker they had for their newborn was rejected for being sexually suggestive.

A list of baby names which parents were blocked from using last year has been released by the New Zealand government, including one sexually suggestive moniker.

Prince was number one on the rejected names list, getting “declined” five times by government authorities in 2023.

Variations on the spelling, including Prynce and Pryncè also failed to get the tick of approval, Stuff.co.nz reports.

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs has just released the list of baby names it turned down in 2023. Picture: iStock

Most of the names declined were related to royalty and religion, including Bishop, King, Major, Royal, Messiah, Princess, Royale, and Sovereign.

Unusual variations on this, such as Kingkillah, Messiah, XIX, Sovereign-Kash, Royalty-Reign, and AazyahRoyaal, were also given the thumbs down by New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs.

The name Fanny – a word often used to described female genitalia in Western countries – was also declined, despite it being a traditional moniker in other cultures.

Most of the names declined were related to royalty and religion – but the name Fanny was also declined. Picture: iStock

McCrindle, the data analysis company which releases the Australian Baby Names report each year, revealed last year parents are “challenging traditional norms” and opting to give their children “unique” names instead of more classic ones.

Despite this, the top 10 baby names lists for both boys and girls in 2023 remained pretty traditional, with Oliver has once again been named the most popular baby name for boys, while Charlotte scored the top spot for the girls.

“When it comes to naming newborns, classic names have always been popular, such as William and Olivia, as well as names that are influenced by popular culture, like Harry, Audrey and Ariana,” Ashley Fell, social researcher at McCrindle, said in June.

“But we also see unique trends in how parents are choosing to name their babies in the last year.

“Parents are becoming more creative, using distinct spelling variations to make traditional names stand out.”

A 2023 baby name report revealed ‘parents are becoming more creative’. Picture: iStock

However recent data shows there are names that are becoming “extinct” as Millennials turn their backs on well-used names among their peers.

“Girls’ names that were popular when Millennials were being born have fallen from grace in the past decade,” said researchers of a January 2024 report from BabyCenter.

“Especially Amanda, Angela, Brooke and Michelle.

“These were all in the top 100 in the 1980s and ’90s,” continued the experts, “but declined in popularity in 2023.”