What Names Are Illegal in the Uk
Here’s the honest truth: you have a lot of freedom in the UK. You can name your kid “North West” (sorry, Kim Kardashian) if you want. You can call them “Apple” or “Blue Ivy”. The law doesn’t care about famous people—it cares about practicality.
But there’s a catch. If a registrar thinks the name is “patently unsuitable”—like it’s a racial slur, a swear word, or something that makes the child a target for ridicule—they can refuse to register it. “Bum” is out. “F**k” is definitely out. They leave that judgment to the person behind the desk, which is both terrifying and hilarious.
Illegal Baby Names in the UK: What You Should Know
The ‘Accidental’ Illegal Names
Let’s be real: most parents aren’t trying to name their kid “Megalomaniac”. The illegal stuff usually happens by accident. For example, you can’t include diacritical marks (like é, ü, or ñ) in official names in England and Wales. So if you wanted to name your baby “Zoë” with an umlaut, the registrar will write it as “Zoe”. Sad, but true.
Also, hyphens are okay, but apostrophes are a grey area. If you try to name your child “O’Connor” like a surname, fine. But “O’Really” might get a side-eye.