These are all the baby names that got rejected in New Zealand in 2023
Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs revealed last year's most declined baby names. Photo / Getty Images
Last year’s most popular baby names in New Zealand were recently revealed, now it’s time for the most declined names of 2023.
Where Noah and Charlotte topped the popular list last year, Prince was the most often declined by the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, according to Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs.
The department said that for the previous 13 years, King was the most declined name. A total of 64 registrations were declined last year.
It’s no surprise that the names are commonly denied.
While parents are given mostly free rein when it comes to naming their little bundle of joy, New Zealand does have strict guidelines to ensure no offence is taken, they are a reasonable length and they do not represent an official title or rank.
If parents present a name that doesn’t meet the criteria for any of the given reasons, it is escalated to the Registrar-General who allows the parents to express their reasoning and then makes a decision on a case-by-case basis and considers whether it meets the statutory criteria.
“Names are a gift, and they are an important part of a person’s identity. We encourage parents to think about their child and how they might feel about their name later in life,” says the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Russell Burnard.
“When a name is in review, we give parents the opportunity to present the reasoning for the name. Then we make a decision, considering the balance of how the name may be perceived by the public and the department’s obligations under the law.”
Other names that have been declined include Bishop, Major, Princess, Fanny, and Kingkillah - all of which were proposed less than five times last year.
The Registrar-General suggests that when parents are naming their newborn, they should stay away from numeric characters or symbols, avoid names that may be seen as offensive, and limit the name to 70 characters or less.
Names declined in 2023
Prince - proposed five times
Bishop - proposed three times
III - proposed three times
King - proposed three times
Major - proposed three times
Royal - proposed three times
Messiah - proposed two times
Princess - proposed two times
Prynce - proposed two times
Rogue - proposed two times
Royale - proposed two times
Sovereign - proposed two times
AazyahRoyaal - proposed one time
Captain - proposed one time
Chief - proposed one time
Empress - proposed one time
Fanny - proposed one time
Isis - proposed one time
Jairah-King - proposed one time
JP - proposed one time
Judge - proposed one time
Justice - proposed one time
Justus - proposed one time
KC - proposed one time
Kiing - proposed one time
Kingkillah - proposed one time
Knight - proposed one time
Leonidas-king - proposed one time
Masai-King - proposed one time
MissTaunese- proposed one time
Nepher-ISIS - proposed one time
Notoriety - proposed one time
Pope - proposed one time
Princess-Penina - proposed one time
Pryncè - proposed one time
Queen - proposed one time
Rhoyael - proposed one time
Royaal - proposed one time
Royalty - proposed one time
Royalty-Reign - proposed one time
Saint-Liivoja - proposed one time
Sovereign-Kash - proposed one time
XIX - proposed one time
This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.
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