Naming your child could be one of the biggest decisions that you'll have to make in your life. However, there are a few names that you can cross off the list because they're actually illegal.

I'm not a parent yet, but that doesn't mean that I haven't already given a lot of thought into what I would want to name my children. That's a big decision. Do you want to name them after a friend or relative that left an impact on your life? Perhaps you want a very creative and unique name? You might go through several ideas before you come to the final decision. For me, I always play the name game in my head. I feel like if I can find a way to make fun of the name, kids at school will come up with something way worse. You don't want to pick out a name that will make your child resent you either. There are a lot of moving parts to naming a child, as you can tell.

However, were you aware that there are some names that are actually illegal to name your child in the United States? This might help make your decision a little easier when that time comes.

USBirthCertificates.com has a guideline for parents to be when it comes to naming laws in the United States, as well as examples of illegal baby names in the country and all over the world for that matter.

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Naming Laws and Restrictions in the United States

You might be wondering why the government would or can restrict some names for your baby. It's your baby, you should be able to name him/her whatever you want, right? According to USBirthCertificates.com, most of these laws/restrictions have been put in place either for practical reasons or to protect the child. These guidelines differ from state to state, however common naming restrictions include:

  • Derogatory terms
  • Obscenity
  • Offensive names
  • Foreign characters
  • Numbers
  • Diacritical marks
  • Hyphens
  • Asterisks
  • Apostrophes

Some states have no naming restrictions at all, like Kentucky and Illinois, but there are several banned names in the United States based on the guidelines above. A few of these banned names throughout the United States include:

  • Jesus Christ
  • Harry 3
  • Nutella
  • Ирина
  • Nelly’s
  • Chloé
  • F!nn
  • Aña
  • @
  • King
  • Queen
  • III
  • Santa Claus
  • Majesty
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Messiah
  • 1069

Again, these guidelines/laws vary from state to state, so it would be best to check the law in your state before you come to the final decision when it comes to naming your child.

What Are The Laws When It Comes To Naming Your Baby In Indiana?

Since I live in Indiana, I decided to look into the laws on naming your child here. It appears that none of the above laws/guidelines apply to this state. However, do you really want to name you child Adolf Hitler or Jesus Christ? Again, this goes back to protecting your child from being scrutinized or bullied. According to BabyNameQuest.com, this is what the state of Indiana has in place for the name of your child:

No rules regarding first names in Indiana! But if mom is unmarried at birth, baby can only be given her mother’s surname, unless there’s an affidavit proving paternity.

Hopefully, this helps when it comes to naming your child in the future. If you have a hard time deciding, just name them Travis. That's a pretty strong name if I say so myself...

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