This Baby Name Just Got Banned In France

In a world with celebrity baby names like Apple, Blanket, Blue Ivy, and Pilot Inspektor, it’s surprising that some countries won’t tolerate outlandish baby names. A judge from the French city of Valenciennes recently ruled that Nutella is not a baby name, and that the offending parents must chose a new name for their daughter.

Now, while anyone can see that the name Nutella was chosen out of love and respect for the delicious hazelnut spread of our collective dreams, the French judge thought that such a name would do a disservice to the child. Times reports that the court’s decision read, “The name ‘Nutella’ given to the child is the trade name of a spread…it is contrary to the child’s interest to be wearing a name like that can only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts.” After the parents failed to show up to a following court date, the judge legally renamed the baby Ella.

This ruling is based on a 1993 French law that allows parents to freely choose their child’s name as long as it isn’t contrary to the child’s interests. And while this might seem like the type of law that can easily be ignored, the French have insured that there will be no baby naming nonsense. According to the Huffington Post, birth certificate registrars are obligated to report to the local courts any baby names that might have detrimental effects for the child. After the name is reported, a judge will decide whether to ban the name or not.

So while we applaud Ella’s parents for their brand loyalty, we also kind of wish that America had some way to protect children from their parents', uh, creative naming skills. After all, how many kids named after spreads do we really want running around?

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