Illegal names in Germany for babies

The is a list of illegal names in Germany. The refused names names are chosen by the parents but not accepted in German courts.

In Germany there are rules for everything! Naming your child is not an exception. However, parents in Germany are generally unrestricted in their name choice.

The right of the parents to choose a given name is only limited if it affects the welfare of the child. So the state has a right and a duty to protect the child from an irresponsible name choice. German courts refuse those names, so those are illegal names in Germany.

But what would be an irresponsible name choice?

Main rules for naming a child in Germany

The rules explain why some names originally thought by the parent are refused in German civil courts:

1. The gender should be considered. Meaning that male children may only have male names, and female children only female names. But there is an exception for “Maria”, which might be used as as a second name for a male child.

>>>> Click here to see more information about the most popular boy names in Germany <<<<

2. A given name may not be offensive or mean that the child is or will be bullied.

3. A given name shouldn’t also be something that is essentially not a human given name, like an object or a plant.

4. Family names are also prohibited as given names, except if there is a regional practice to the contrary.

German registrars might refuse names

But what happens if the registrar refuses a name chosen by the parents? Parents would need to go to the court! They will have to file a suit in civil court and request their name choice to be honored.

Names that were refused by registrars PLUS not honored in German courts

>>>> Click here to see more information about the most popular girl names in Germany <<<<

Let’s check here some refused names in Germany. These names appeared in the German registrar, were refused by them. Then parents decided to file a suit in civil court. In the end, names were refused in courts.

REFUSED NAMES IN GERMANY (alphabetic order):

Adolf Hitler
AGFA
Atomfried
Bandito
Batman
Bierstübl
Borrussia
Chaotica
Dracula
Eisenstein
Ferrari
Graf
Grammophon
Großherzog
Gucci
Holgerson
Hummer
Judas
Junge
Jürgenson
Kaiser
Knirpsi
König
Lenin
Lord
Lucifer
Mc Donalds
Mechipchamueh
Megwanipiu
Mickilauda
Möwe
Nelkenheini
Ohlove
Osana Bin Laden
Pain
Peanut
Pfefferminze
Pillula
Pinocchio
Popcorn
Puppe
Rosenherz
Rumpelsilzchen
Satan
Schmitz
Schröeder
Shaggy
Sonne
Stone
Superman
Thanatos
TJ
TomTom
Urmel
Verleihnix
Vespa
vom Meer
Waldmeister
Westend
Whisky
Wildchild

What is your opinion?

Now that you got a sense of what people are trying to name their children in Germany, do you think that these rules are justified?

Or, concerning that there are so many foreign families living in Germany, and different words have different meaning in other cultures and languages. Could these rules and the perceptions of the decision making individuals be unfair in some cases?

Let me know on the comments!

Check the the video

Check here my YouTube video about refused names in Germany for babies. On this video I explain the main rules and comment on some of those refused names.