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Baby Name Law: Can You Name Your Child 'Toilet Queen'?

By Bruce Carton

Just when you thought all of the good law review article topics had been snatched up, professor Carlton Larson of the UC Davis School of Law proves you wrong with his new article entitled, "Naming Baby: The Constitutional Dimensions of Parental Naming Rights." In the article, which Larson notes in this post on the PrawfsBlawg is still "currently on the adoption market and is seeking a loving home," he analyzes the extent to which the law can constitutionally regulate the ability of parents to name their children, particularly where "parents agree on their child?s proposed name, but the government nonetheless denies that name legal recognition." Here are some of the areas regulated under various state laws: Prohibition on Ideograms and Pictograms: A number of states "prohibit the use of ideograms or pictograms as part of the child?s name." That is to say, Prince's parents could not have named him using a symbol in certain states. Prohibitions on Numerals: Several states prohibit the use of a numerical symbol. That means you can name your child "Eight" but not "8" (or "Seven Costanza" but not "7 Costanza"). And perhaps more relevant to today's parents, you can name your newborn ?John William Turner...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on January 28, 2011 (boomark / email).