Getty New Zealand has announced which 38 names were banned from use in 2024. The country has strict naming laws, and each year it releases a list of the most commonly rejected names parents proposed. Out of the 60,000 babies born in New Zealand last year, there were 71 rejections, according to anOfficial Information Act inquiry. John Crawford-Smith, the principal advisor of operations for New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs, wrote in the report: "We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names. Names are a gift. Generally, the name registered will be with the individual for the rest of their lives." New Zealand requires that the name not be offensive, resemble a title or rank without adequate justification, be unreasonably long or include numbers or symbols. Additionally, the department also takes into account how the name may be perceived in the community, how it is spelled, how it sounds when spoken, how the name would impact how others see/treat them, and if applicable, why the parents/individual wish to register the name. Vuk Saric/Getty Despite the requirements, in 2024, one name was suggested with special characters, and three were submitted without first names. However, the number one name that was rejected was King. The name King held the top spot for 13 years before Prince took the crown in 2023. In 2024, King was requested 11 times, while Prince was requested 10 times. Princess and Pryncess, were also rejected, with four and two requests, respectively. Additionally, Sativa (a name related to marijuana) was requested and rejected three times, as was Rogue. And Caesar and JP were requested two times each. One request was made for an additional 30 names, several of which related to the monarchy, including Bishop, Crown, Crownos, Duke, Emperor, Kingi, Kingz, Kyng, Lady, Magesty, Prinz, Prynce, Queen, Roil, Royal and Royallty. Faith-based names were also suggested, including Allah, Állah, Messiah, Mighty and Saint. Government and military titles General and Major were also rejected, as well as, Fanny, Ice, Indica, Juke, Justice, KC and Solvreign. Kim KardashianandKanye Westnamed their sonSaint Westin December 2015. "[Kanye] believes that people live up to their names, which is why he wanted a name with spiritual significance,"a source told PEOPLEat the time, adding that the rapper took the lead on naming their eldest daughter North as well. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Getty In comparison to New Zealand's strict naming laws, the U.S. is more tolerant. However, it does vary from state to state, with a majority prohibiting the use of special characters and symbols, except for Hawaii, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, perThe Bump. Some states have character limits for a child's name. Arizona has a 141-character limit — 45 for the first name, 45 for middle, 45 for last and six for a suffix. Minnesota has a maximum length of 150 characters; first, middle, and last are limited to 50 letters each. New Hampshire and Texas' limit is 100 characters in total for first, middle, and last names. New York requires first and middle names that are not more than 30 characters each, and the last name can't exceed 40. Washington's maximum length is set at 30 characters for the first name and 50 for the middle and last names. Read the original article onPeople
