Would you like to call your baby Prince? Then don’t live in New Zealand, where five sets of parents were denied the chance in 2023. Every year, the Department of Internal Affairs releases a list of baby names rejected by the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, with Prince topping the latest chart. Names that sound like titles are prohibited, as are those that use special characters or could be deemed offensive. It is bad luck for Jane Austen fans, as Mansfield Park’s Fanny is now on the banned list. And, for any Egyptologists considering naming their child after the goddess of wisdom, Isis is not allowed, either.
In total, 64 name registrations were rejected, including Bishop, Major, King, Empress, Queen and Princess. One baby was denied Pope and two were prevented from being called Messiah (probably for the best – that is quite a high bar to reach).
