New Zealand: Baby Name Ban List Updated

If you want to call your new baby Majesty, Queen Victoria, Knight or simply '\' in New Zealand then you can think again.

Officials working for the country's births, deaths and marriages department have updated their list of rejected names and it includes some shockers.

Two New Zealanders recently wanted to register their child's birth with a backslash separating two names, but were told it would contravene strict rules on what monikers are considered acceptable.

Other names rejected include stand-alone letters that appear to be initials but do not stand for anything. 'AJ', 'MC', 'VI', 'LB' and 'CJ' were all turned down.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's department of internal affairs told Sky News: "Since 1995, the Births, Deaths and Marriages and Relationships Registration Act has provided a set of rules around acceptable names for New Zealanders.

"A name, or combination of names, should not cause offence, be unreasonably long or resemble an official title or rank."

Other wacky names that people have tried to register in the past include 'Lucifer' and 'Mafia No Fear'.

The list of 77 names reveals one child was set to be called 'Anal' before the Department of Internal Affairs vetoed the proposal, while another narrowly avoided being dubbed '.' or full stop.

Other names on the list included '4Real' and 'V8'.

In some cases, parents appeared to have lost any inspiration for coming up with a moniker for their offspring, wanting to call the latest addition to the family simply '2nd', '3rd' or '5th'.

'King' and 'Duke' were among those that had been turned down most since 2001, banned because they break the rule implying a person has a title.

'Justice' was the most popular on the list, having been rejected 62 times, although 'Justus' and 'Juztice' also failed to gain official approval.

In 2008, New Zealand's family court ordered that a nine-year-old girl whose parents had called her 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' should have her name changed because it was embarrassing and "makes a fool of the child".

At the time, judge Rob Murfitt criticised parents who gave their children bizarre names, citing examples such as 'Number 16 Bus Shelter', 'Midnight Chardonnay' and twins called 'Benson' and 'Hedges'.