# No, you may not name your baby 'Messiah' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038 "2013-08-12T14:22:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/41 "2013-08-12T20:43:03Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > A kid will survive having their name picked on. It’s really not a big deal. There are worse things kids get picked on about in school. Having your name be the target is really getting off super duper easy compared to some of the other targets. If my kid came home all upset about having her name picked on, I’d take that as an opportunity to teach the kid some perspective. My eldest is Arthur, after my middle name (and my grandfather). In 2nd or 3rd grade there was a flurry of “Arty Farty” stuff, but I told him to either ignore it or tell them to knock it (without crying, for god’s sake) - and it went away. Besides, it was his younger brother who got notes sent home about noxious clouds during circle time. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/42 "2013-08-12T20:54:37Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Oh? You’re not familiar with the Goldfarb Variations then? You’re killing me, here in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/43 "2013-08-12T21:41:41Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > I’m more offended by the stupid middle name DeShawn. But that’s French for “of Shawn.” French is never not classy. Just ask Raven-Symoné, Soleil Moon Frye or Shia Labeouf. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/44 "2013-08-12T22:44:53Z")
Every Jesus I’ve met was a complete asshole. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/45 "2013-08-12T23:43:38Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Musical nitpick: I don’t recall “shall be called” ever being echoed. 🙂 No one listens to the alto line…more’s the pity. I’m just stunned to learn the name is even popular. I get to see a lot of ridiculous baby names in my line of work, and that one has not come up yet. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/46 "2013-08-13T00:01:16Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Every Jesus I’ve met was a complete asshole. Yeah, but you don’t fuck with 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/47 "2013-08-13T01:18:26Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > But that’s French for “of Shawn.” French is never not classy. Just ask Raven-Symoné, Soleil Moon Frye or Shia Labeouf. Or anyone named “Ant Won” ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/48 "2013-08-13T03:03:36Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > Yeah, but you don’t fuck with 'em. You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/49 "2013-08-13T03:29:02Z")
“Dune Messiah” is still okay, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/50 "2013-08-13T04:04:50Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Musical nitpick: I don’t recall “shall be called” ever being echoed. 🙂 Try listening to something other than the English Drake Chorus. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/51 "2013-08-13T04:22:55Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > “Dune Messiah” is still okay, right? Do you really want to name that’s become a killing word? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/52 "2013-08-13T05:25:41Z")
I agree that the Judge has overstepped her bounds and is imposing her religion on these people. But is there a limit in America? Could I name my child Shitstain Buttfucker Adolf Hitler Johnson III if his mother and I agreed? I think there should be some limits, but I don’t know where to place them. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/53 "2013-08-13T06:08:11Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I agree that the Judge has overstepped her bounds and is imposing her religion on these people. But is there a limit in America? Could I name my child Shitstain Buttfucker Adolf Hitler Johnson III if his mother and I agreed? I think there should be some limits, but I don’t know where to place them. On the one hand, I’m kind of inclined to agree, at least emotionally. Like the Swedish couple who wanted to name their kid [Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_law_in_Sweden#Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116) (which was to be pronounced as “[del]Throatwobbler Mangrove[/del]” “Albin”). However–where exactly are the limits to the limits? Put _me_ in charge, and I’ll be vetoing shit left and right–what the hell kind of name is “Nevaeh”? If it’s “Heaven” spelled backwards, does that mean you just named your baby girl…Hell? Heck, I don’t even see how “Madison” became a popular girls first name. (I mean, I know where [it supposedly comes from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splash_%28film%29#Legacy), but I don’t know why people watched that and said “Oh, yes, that’s an _excellent_ name for our baby girl!”) There are also plenty of “real” names that have spelling variants that set my personal teeth on edge. Or George–perfectly fine name, but not if [you give it to all five of your sons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Forman#Family_and_private_life). But I doubt everyone would want to just put _me_ in charge. And you can’t just say “Well, it has to be a name that’s been around for a long time”–[Cotton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather), [Increase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Increase_Mather), or [Praise-God](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praise-God_Barebone) are all pretty weird, too. (At least [Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Barbon) was only a middle name.) You’d wind up having to be really restrictive–“Here is the Official List of 50 Boy and 50 Girls Names, along with the Appendix of Approved Spelling Variations”. (And finally, [obligatory xkcd link](http://xkcd.com/327/).) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/54 "2013-08-13T07:21:00Z")
If the judge does not have a right to do this (even it were for non-religious reasons), where did she get the idea that she does? As far as I can tell, she was only supposed to decide the last name. But did she in fact have the right to change it entirely? I have to admit, I objected more to her saying the kid had to be named “Martin” than not allowing “Messiah.” If there is a right for a court to decline a first name for any reason, I would want the choice to be given back to the parents on what to replace it with. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/55 "2013-08-13T16:45:57Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Do you really want to name that’s become a killing word? [Comic Book Guy]Actually, the killing word was “Muad’Dib”[/CBG] ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/56 "2013-08-13T17:13:13Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > [Comic Book Guy]Actually, the killing word was “Muad’Dib”[/CBG] _hits the dirt_ ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/57 "2013-08-13T17:19:38Z")
Jesus and Emmanuel walk into a barrio. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/58 "2013-08-13T17:19:55Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I agree that the Judge has overstepped her bounds and is imposing her religion on these people. But is there a limit in America? Could I name my child Shitstain Buttfucker Adolf Hitler Johnson III if his mother and I agreed? I think there should be some limits, but I don’t know where to place them. Eh, there are some weirdos out there (one white nationalist in NJ named his kids “Adolf Hitler” and “Aryan Nation”), but the number of people that would give their kids racist or expletive names is vanishingly small. I don’t think its really worth such a fundemental abridgement of free speech as dictating to parents what names are “acceptable”. And as a practical matter, if you’re a kid whose parents name you after famous Nazi’s, said name is probably going to be the least of your problems in a difficult childhood. The aforementioned White Nationalist lost his kids to CPS due to domestic violence issues, and I assume whoever ends up with them will change their legal names as the first order of business. When they look back at their childhood as adults, “having a funny name for the first few years” probably won’t even break the top ten things they’re bitter about. I imagine whatever few similar cases there are tend to end similarly. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/59 "2013-08-13T17:25:51Z")
I have a friend on Facebook who is (somewhat) defending the judge in this case. Her opinion is that, a parent’s job is to protect their child, this child will be picked on due to the first name, therefore the judge is correct in stepping in where the parents did not. This is, of course, a friend I have stopped arguing with because it never goes anywhere. Not all my other friends have gotten the memo. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038/60 "2013-08-13T17:51:55Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Eh, there are some weirdos out there (one white nationalist in NJ named his kids “Adolf Hitler” and “Aryan Nation”), but the number of people that would give their kids racist or expletive names is vanishingly small. I don’t think its really worth such a fundemental abridgement of free speech as dictating to parents what names are “acceptable”. Aryan Nation isn’t even a name… That’s like naming your kid “Buffet Dinner,” except way, way worse. eta: If I was in charge of CPS, I would totally rename them “Walker” and “Texas Ranger.” Which probably explains why I’m not in charge of CPS… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-may-not-name-your-baby-messiah/666038.md?page=4)