From Messiah to Fanny, these are the names parents weren’t allowed to call their babies in 2023

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Shot of an adorable baby covered in a towel after bath time — There are strict rules to follow (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

First there was Apple, and then, the flood gates opened. Celebrities have been giving their babies weird and wacky names for years – from Kulture to X Æ A-12.

But not every country allows parents to be quite so free and easy with their children’s monikers.

In New Zealand, for example, you have to comply with a strict set of rules when picking that all important name.

Each name is reviewed by the government, and parents are allowed to present a reasoning for it, before a decision is made.

When registering a baby, the rules are:

• 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.

Father's Care. Young Black Dad Holding And Kissing Adorable Newborn Baby — Well meaning parent’s don’t always pick the best names (Picture: Getty Images)

Despite the ‘no official titles’ rules, that was the one that parents tended to flout the most. Prince was the most rejected baby name – rejected five times – but there was a whole host of names in that theme.

Bishop, King, Major, Princess, Captain, Chief, Queen and Empress were all a firm no. And one lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) baby escaped being called Pope, while two missed out on being called Messiah.

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Some parents decided to go for numbers, rather than the more traditional name – but again, got denied. III and XIX were both monikers that weren’t allowed to be registered.

Fanny didn’t slip through the net, most likely because it may be ‘considered offensive’ – but in 19th century England, Fanny was actually considered a common, and respectable name… before it began to mean something else entirely.

Another potentially offensive name is Isis, which was rejected once last year, presumably due to the terrorist group of the same name.

The name was once pretty popular – including here in the UK – and in 2012 and 2013 it was among the 1,000 most common names for baby girls. Fans of Downton Abbey will remember Lord Grantham’s beloved Labrador was also called Isis.

Elsewhere on the list, rejected names included Royalty, Notoriety, Kingkillah and Rogue.