Introduction
Around the World will be a series of blog posts
that highlight naming laws, popular names and name culture around the world.
Today I start with my home; the UK.
Naming a child in the UK is relatively easier
than many countries in the world. You choose a forename or forenames (which can
be just about anything) and usually the surname is passed through the family through
the males. If your grandfather’s surname
was Cooper, your father’s surname will be Cooper and your surname will be Cooper.
However, if you are a woman, you will usually take the name of your husband on
marriage and your baby will also have this name. This isn’t law though and with
the rise of blended and separated families, parents are becoming creative with
surnames. Some will use a double barrelled name, some will blend the surnames (eg.
Mr Smith and Miss Wilson may become Mr and Mrs Smithson) and some will discard
their history in favour of a completely new name.
What are the laws about names in this country?
A selection of laws about names in the UK (for
more information visit this page)
:: Names must include at least one forename and one surname and are not
allowed to be impossible to pronounce or include numbers/symbols/punctuation
marks except hyphens and apostrophes.
:: They cannot promote criminal activities, promote hatred, promote the use
of controlled drugs or ridicule groups or government departments.
:: They cannot lead people to believe that you have a title, rank or
academic award when you do not (eg. Sir, Lady, Professor)
:: There is a limit of 250 characters including spaces for forenames and 50
characters for surnames.
I think these are very sensible laws although
some are a bit vague. What counts as impossible to pronounce? Many Irish names
such as Saoirse or Ruadhri seem impossible but they would not be declined
as a name because it would be seen as prejudiced against someone’s heritage.
What are the popular names in this country?
