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Couple Taken to Court for Their Unusual Baby Name

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Naming a newborn is tricky business. There’s a long list of prerequisites the name must pass — not the name of a friend’s dog, not the name of the school bully, doesn’t rhyme with rude words — before you can dub your little bundle of joy. And once you and your partner finally decide on a moniker, you then have to make sure the one you’ve chosen is legal. Yes, that’s right, some names are illegal in certain countries or states, and these laws have left an unfortunate French couple in quite a predicament.

A couple from Brittany, France, have been hauled into court after they named their daughter Liam. The newborn’s parents were reported to police after submitting the name for their girl after her birth last November.

Elvis Getty Images

In Sweden, you’re not allowed to name your baby Elvis. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

According to the prosecution, the baby has been given a name they believe is “contrary to the child’s best interests.” Meaning, the name is “likely to create a risk of gender confusion” that may “harm her in her social relations,” The Local reports the prosecutor said.

France is known to be particularly strict on baby naming rules, however, it’s believed this particular case has to do with the French being unaccustomed to giving the exact same name to boys and girls. Typically, French “unisex” names vary slightly for each gender, for example, “Jean” and “Jeanne.”

The couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, is hiring a lawyer and will go to trial to fight for the right to call their daughter “Liam.” (And you thought getting your mother-in-law to accept your baby’s name was hard!) The date of the trial has not yet been set, so for now, we can all be grateful that naming laws in the United States aren’t as strict.

This post was written by Bettina Tyrrell. For more, check out our sister site Now to Love.

Watch the video below to see the weirdest and wackiest names celebrities have given their children.

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