America’s forbidden names: What you legally can’t call your child
Parents in the United States face surprising restrictions with certain names for their newborns, with certain monikers outright banned on birth certificates across various states. These naming laws vary by jurisdiction but share common boundaries to protect children from potentially harmful or confusing identities.
California enforces one of the strictest policies, permitting only the 26 standard English alphabet letters – eliminating special characters like accents (é, á), tildes (ñ, ã), and umlauts (ö, ü).
The complete list of prohibited baby names
According to U.S. Birth Certificates, a private documentation service, these 10 names are banned in various American jurisdictions:
- King
- Queen
- Jesus Christ
- III
- Santa Claus
- Majesty
- Adolf Hitler
- Messiah
- @
- 1069
“We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names. Names are a gift. Generally, the name registered will be with the individual for the rest of their lives,” advises New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs in a similar naming policy document.
Global naming restrictions: Beyond American borders
The U.S. isn’t alone in regulating baby names. Japan prohibits “devil” and flashy names like “Pikachu” or “Nike,” while New Zealand rejected 40 names in 2024, including royal titles like “Prince” and “Princess.”
Cultural sensitivity drives these policies worldwide, aiming to prevent:
- Potential embarrassment
- Social discrimination
- Administrative confusion
- Psychological harm
