If you're planning on giving your newborn a unique name, be sure to steer clear of punctuation, numbers, or royal titles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
More than 2000 different names were registered of babies born in Canberra during the past financial year. While most were without a hitch, one name was rejected.
The name, which Access Canberra declined to state for privacy reasons, is only the third baby name to be rejected in the ACT. It was rejected because it contained symbols without phonetic significance in the English language, which could have included #, @, or punctuation.
Previous names that have been rejected by Access Canberra have included the word Prince, with PrinceofZion banned in 2017.
Under ACT legislation, the word Prince is banned as a baby name as it resembles an official title or rank.
Only one baby name in NSW was rejected in 2017-18, after parents tried to register their child's surname as 'The Greatest'.
Other names rejected in NSW have included Doctor, 7, Lord and Sir.
The NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages registry has also rejected baby names that were swear words.
The ACT government spokeswoman said there are several factors that determine if a baby name is prohibited, including if it's "undesirable".
"A prohibited name means a name that is obscene or offensive, could not practically be established by repute; includes or resembles an official title or rank; misleading because of similarity with the name of a body or organisation; or is in the registrar-general's opinion, undesirable," the spokesman said.
If a baby name is rejected, the family are contacted to discuss why the name was banned and potential alternatives. The decision to prohibit a name can be reviewed by ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
There is no formal list of banned names. The Victorian government in 2017 put forward a small list of names that would be knocked back, following a spike in unusual names. Among those were Admiral, Anzac, Captain, God, Judge, Minister, Premier, President and Queen.
Names resembling famous people aren't banned in Canberra. The nation's capital boasts multiple Michael Jacksons, an Emma Stone and even an Indiana Jones.
In 2017-18, there were 6507 babies born in the ACT. In that year alone, there were 1259 female names recorded and 1131 different male names.
