New Zealand’s New List of Banned Baby Names Includes Some US Favorites

If you’re expecting, you’ve most likely perused several baby name lists. From the most popular names in the world to the most unique, parents generally have free reign when it comes to what to name baby. But in New Zealand, there are a few more restrictions on baby names—enough so that the government releases its list of “banned baby names,” each year. In 2024’s case, there were 71 names the country’s Department of Internal Affairs declined to accept.

“Names are a gift, and they are an important part of a person’s identity. We encourage parents to think about their child and how they might feel about their name later in life,” said the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Russell Burnard in a press release. “When a name is in review, we give parents the opportunity to present the reasoning for the name. Then we make a decision, considering the balance of how the name may be perceived by the public and the Department’s obligations under the law.”

To avoid certain baby names being declined, the government suggests that names meet the following criteria:

• Don’t use official titles or ranks, or names that resemble one.
• Don’t use numeric characters or symbols, like a backslash or a punctuation mark.
• Avoid names that might be considered offensive.
• Limit the name to 70 characters, including spaces.

These criteria mean that some popular US names like Duke, Prince, Justice and King simply don’t make the cut. In fact, ‘King’ was this year’s most declined name, with 11 instances of the name being submitted and declined. In previous years, ‘King’ has taken the cake as the most declined name.

So if names like Caesar, Saint and Major are off the table, what names top the list in New Zealand? For girls, Isla, Charlotte and Amelia remain favorites, while Noah, Oliver and Luca top the charts for boys. You can see the full list of the popular boys and girls names from New Zealand at Smartstart.Services.Govt.Nz. Need some more inspiration? Check out The Bump’s Baby Names helper.