What happens if when a baby’s born the parents refuse to name him/her? Hospitals usually have all the paperwork you need to fill out for a birth certificate, but what if parents don’t fill it out? Is it mandatory to register a birth with the state? Can they issue a birth certificate without a name? Would social services have the right to take the kid away and have the state select a name?
If the parents don’t choose a name right away, they often write “Baby” as the first name, and whatever family name they are given. The parents can choose to update the birth certificate later, but some don’t. I knew a guy named Rob whose birth certificate said Baby Nealson on it. I seen it with my own two eyes! (He didn’t let people call him Baby though. Except his girlfriend.)
Cecil’s column on this very subject.
Incidentally, not having a name (or at least a couple of candidates) selected on arrival at the hospital is considered a marked risk factor for later neglect or abuse in the hospitals I’ve worked at. This is, of course, cultural, since not naming a child until a certain age landmark was not uncommon in some cultures. Nonetheless, in the US, especially in urban hospitals, if you don’t have a name selected you can expect an targeted assessment from a social worker before you’re allowed to take the baby home–if you are. [YMMV, depending on hospital policy and diligence.]
It means that you can call the child anything you want, it still won’t come.
Yeeeeeeeeeears ago, my husband’s great uncle was born (at home) and was never given a name.
He picked out his own name on his first day of school.
So what did they call him before that?
Late for dinner.
I can’t tell his nickname because it’s the name he goes by today.
I have a friend whose parent’s didn’t name their kid because they wanted her to name herself. Her birth certificate said “Female <last name>.” She worked with kids in Harlem and said said she knew a couple of girls whose name was “Female” but pronounced “fee-MOLL-ee.”
If the bureaucrats wanted to play rough, they’d pass a statute stating that, if the baby isn’t named within (eg.) a week, Frank Zappa gets to name it.
That would take care of those indecisive parents!
In the UK, the law states that births have to be registered within 42 days. And interestingly, it’s entirely the mother’s choice what name is chosen - even a married father doesn’t get a lookin.
However, although there’s this time limit, there doesn’t seem to be any other mechanism for providing a name. (it’s possible to register births later, which sometimes happens with elderly people who were never registered, but now need a birth certificate.)
Our son didn’t get named for a couple of days because we didn’t know his sex until he was born (we wanted to be surprised). We each had drawn up name lists for each sex. Our female lists matched 9 of 10. Our male lists had no matches.
So enter our son and the negotiations began. Someone came around asking his name so they could start the social security numbering process. They gave us “looks” when we said he didn’t have a name yet.
He ended up with “Dustin Jacob”.
My mother always alledged she had had an aunt who named herself.
The story was the girl(probably born around 1900 or so) was not named by the family and was simply referred to as “Babe” until she went to school. Shortly thereafter the girl called herself “Beatrice” to the surprise of family members as it wasn’t the name of any of her classmates, her family or their friends.
“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
By the age of 5 she might well have had the wonderful Beatrice Potter books read to her a few billion times. 
Cartooniverse
Supposedly Picobo Street’s then-hippie parents refused to name her until she was three years old or so. Again, supposedly, they were going to Mexico, and the Mexican border authorities required a name for all members of their party, including the unnamed girl. They asked her what she wanted to be called, and she replied “Peekaboo” – whether or not in response to the question is uncertain. “Picobo” she is to this day.
I believe this is also done with passports, where necessary. No cite, though.
Pretty sure that’s an UL and that the name has a meaning in a (Native American?) language, which is where they derived it. But like you I don’t have a cite. Anyone who does? (BTW, it’s spelled Picabo.)
Legally, and I am fairly sure this holds cross-jurisdictionally, the “name” of a child which has not yet been named is “(Infant) Surname” – it automatically receives the surname of the mother or of the known father at birth, and is referenced in legal documents as “Infant” in lieu of a given name if a court should need to act on its welfare.
That would be some trick, seeing as how Frank’s been dead for about 10 years! :eek: