A judge in New Zealand made a young girl a ward of court so that she could change the name she hated – Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
Judge Rob Murfitt said that the name embarrassed the nine-year-old and could expose her to teasing. He attacked a trend of giving children bizarre names, citing several examples.
Officials had blocked Sex Fruit, Keenan Got Lucy, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Fat Boy, Cinderella Beauty Blossom and Fish and Chips (twins), he said, but Number 16 Bus Shelter, Violence, Midnight Chardonnay and Benson and Hedges (twins) had been allowed.
One mother wanted to name her child O.crnia using text language, but was later persuaded to use Oceania, he said.
The ruling, in the city of New Plymouth on the North Island, was handed down in February but only made public now. The name issue emerged during a custody hearing for the young girl – who had refused to tell her friends her name and went simply by “K”.
“The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child’s parents have shown in choosing this name,” Judge Murfitt wrote. “It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.”
Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii’s name has now been changed and the custody case resolved, court officials said.
Source: BBC