Eccentric names the norm in Brazil but ‘Samba’ rejected as too outlandish

As the country that produced footballers called Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira and Élvis Vieira Araújo, Brazil is no stranger to unconventional – albeit familiar-sounding – names.

A scan of the names of the far-right vandals who were arrested for storming government buildings in Brasília earlier this month confirms the Brazilian penchant for eye-catching monikers. The list throws up a Bach and a Mozart, as well as a Ditter Marx and creative twists on more conventional first names, such as Marileide (Mary Lady), Rosemeire (Rosemary), and Dawydy (David).

Yet the renowned artist Seu Jorge has reportedly been unable to bestow his newborn son the relatively restrained name of Samba, after a registry office in São Paulo rejected it as too outlandish.

The world-famous singer and actor, staidly born Jorge Mário da Silva, and his partner Karina Barbieri, a natural therapist, had their first child on Sunday. But according to local media reports, the parents hit a snag when a registry office refused to register the birth under their name of choice.

“Samba is [an] unusual [name],” an official from the São Paulo registry office told the local news site G1 – apparently oblivious to the irony of Brazilians having been registered under far more eccentric names in the past, including Petroswickonicovick Wandeckerkof da Silva Santos and Wonarllevyston Garlan Marllon Branddon Bruno Paullynelly Mell Oliveira Pereira.

José Miguel Porfirio, a musician of lesser fame from the city of Recife, faced no impediment when he named his three children Xerox, Autenticada (Notarized), and Fotocópia (Photocopy).

Seu Jorge had spoken last year of his desire to name his son – his fourth child – after the music genre that is synonymous with Brazilian culture and heavily influenced the Black singer-songwriter’s wide repertoire of music. With its roots in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo via the African slave trade, samba music speaks to the once-persecuted African influences that permeate Brazilian culture today.

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Unlike some countries, Brazil does not regulate what parents can or cannot name their children. However, a law dating from 1973 authorises registry officials to veto a name if they consider that it is too bizarre or might bring ridicule upon the child.

Seu Jorge’s press representatives have said the couple will not comment on the news that their chosen name has been rejected. According to G1, the parents will be able to argue their choice before a judge.

On Twitter, the singer-songwriter Carlinhos Brown recalled that before being a Brazilian music genre, Samba was a name with Senegalese origins. “Great men have been named Samba,” he tweeted, citing Senegalese musicians Mokhtar Samba and Hadj Samba Diabaré Samb.

“So Samba is a beautiful name for people also, especially those with African roots. Brazilian miscegenation is explicit in samba [the music], but its origins are clear,” he wrote.