Alternatively, should children be allowed to change their names to one in a restricted list anytime before 18, then to anything after 18?
Yes.
Children with stupid names should be allowed to change their parents’ names!
If you are going to propose a law, you need to define “stupid”
Plenty of countries have this. Examples of forbidden names are “Hitler”, “Asshole”, “<Insert demeaning word here>”, and “Quisling” (name of a Nazi collaborator, commonly used as a synonym for “traitor” in daily speech).
The point is that “stupid” is defined as a name that is objectively likely to severely negatively impact the child. It’s not based on “I think X sounds stupid” but on whether “X” carries significant cultural baggage like being the name of a famous Nazi, a slur of some kind, etc.
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Least deranged QA parent
Misspellings of popular names (Anna but spelled Aeigheynneah) and things that are judged to be too othering.
Judged by whom?
Aeigheynneah
how is that even close to pronounced the same as Anna? most half the word would have to be silent.
I’m all for being able to change your name legally once, at the age of 13. Then It’s up to you at 18 if you feel the need to change it again.
In the UK you are free to basically just change your name if you want. In fact, part of getting it “officially” changed (like for a passport) is proving that you’ve been using the new name in daily life for a while. There’s a restriction about not using the new name for fraudulent purpose", so you can’t pretend to be someone else or whatever, but really what you call yourself and what you want others to call you is your business. I was genuinely surprised that most of the rest of the world thinks it’s acceptable to dictate people’s names to them.
GG Allin’s birth name was Jesus Christ Allin and he turned out just fine!
Hugh Grant’s middle name is Mungo.
Using a password generator to name your kid should be treated as child neglect. Just saying.
regardless of if it should be legal or not, anything restricting names is going to run pretty hard up against first amendment rights.
Then allow children to change their names whenever.
There’s also significant precedent saying children don’t have the mental awareness to make those kinds of decisions and therefore removing it to… the parents.
sorry, but getting that done, whether or not it’s right or wrong, is basically impossible. you would be overturning a couple centuries of precedent.
If I were world lord god or whatever, everyone would just be allowed to legally change it at 18, then once again whenever they want, in case. No trading if you used both yours on silly changes.
Justin Case likes the name his parents gave him. But at any time he has the legal right to change his name to something else he prefers, just in case he doesn’t like the name his parents gave him.
I think we shouldn’t even have legal names anymore. Nor legal sex/gender. Why does the government even need to keep track of my name at all? Maybe we just have a number tied to our biometric data. Maybe our profile is just defined facial scans, iris scans, thumb scans, and, for ultimate proof, our DNA profile. The state has a profile number on you that ties you to your biometrics. That sounds scary, but the government already has a profile on you if you have any kind of state-issued ID. And states are already collecting biometric data on their citizens.
We could simply tie all state business to an ID number and biometric data profile. When doing a transaction with some other party, the same biometrics could be used to prove your ID. Buying beer at the store? You hand the cashier a card that has your photo and ID number on it. They can type that number in their computer, query a state database, and return your age. Opening a bank account? Prove your ID with ID card and at least two forms of biometric scan. Signing up for a mortgage? Prove your identity with a DNA test.
We don’t even need legal names. Or legal genders. Let’s just do everything with biometric data, photo IDs, and other methods devoid of all the cultural baggage. Let people call themselves whatever they want. Let others choose how to honor that choice.
You want to change your gender? Have at it, the state doesn’t care about your sex or gender at all. It doesn’t even keep track of it. Give your kid a stupid name? At any time, they can start telling their friends to call them by a different one And that new name will instantly have all the legal power as the one their parents gave them - none whatsoever. The state will no longer tell us what our names are. Our words and character will do that instead.
Like #? SMH
This question should be illegal. Name changes should be simple and up to the individual when they have autonomy. Before then, you get whatever your parents want, because names are just made up nonsense anyway.
