King has once again topped the list as the most rejected name by the Registrar General of New Zealand.
According to CNN, for 14 years King has been the most banned baby name in New Zealand, but in 2023 Prince took its place and topped the list of most banned names. The country has also dejected other royal names, including Duke, Majesty and Emperor, due to strict birth name registration policies.
As per a letter from John Crawford-Smith, Principal Advisor of the Department of Internal Affairs, in response to a written inquiry, New Zealand recorded 60,000 births last year and rejected 38 proposed names due to the registration law.
What does the law say?
The Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 of the country said that the baby names should not be offensive, unreasonably long, or include numbers and symbols. They must also refrain from resembling official titles and ranks “without adequate justification.”
New Zealand is a part of the British Commonwealth and a constitutional monarchy that calls Charles III its king.
Most of the names rejected in the country are linked to royals. During 2024 ten applications for Prince were rejected, followed by four for Princess.
Names like Kingi, Kingz, Prinz, Prynce, and Royallty are also banned in the country, as the authorities also consider how names sound when spoken while approving the baby names.
On the other hand, the Social Security Administration revealed that more than 1,000 children were named as King during 2024, while Liam and Olivia were the top American names.
Notably, New Zealand is not the only country that has policies for baby names, as in 2015 a French judge restricted two parents from naming their kids “Nutella” amid humiliation risk. Sweden also has naming laws and has stopped parents from naming children “Superman,” “Metallica,” and “Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.”
