# What happens if parents refuse to name their child? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629 "2012-09-23T22:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/1 "2012-09-23T22:29:46Z")
A friend of mine is eighth months pregnant and still has no idea what she’s going to call the baby. She says she can’t wait too long after the birth as by law she and her husband have to register the child. So what would happen if they just decided to call the baby nothing, and even when pressed refused to register the baby (or refused to fill in the name section of the form)? I’m in the UK, but happy to hear answers from other countries. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/2 "2012-09-23T22:36:56Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > A friend of mine is eighth months pregnant and still has no idea what she’s going to call the baby. She says she can’t wait too long after the birth as by law she and her husband have to register the child. So what would happen if they just decided to call the baby nothing, and even when pressed refused to register the baby (or refused to fill in the name section of the form)? > > I’m in the UK, but happy to hear answers from other countries. It’s a legal requirement here in New Zealand to register your child within two weeks of birth. I haven’t heard of this particular case (no name at all) but some parents have ended up [in court](http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/24/familyandrelationships.newzealand) for the names they have chosen. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/3 "2012-09-23T22:51:01Z")
I have no first name on my birth certificate. It hasn’t caused me any problems yet. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/4 "2012-09-23T23:00:15Z")
I believe, that in the U.S. you are not allowed to take the baby home from the hospital if it is not named. I don’t know how it works if you have the baby at home. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/5 "2012-09-23T23:05:02Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > I have no first name on my birth certificate. It hasn’t caused me any problems yet. Surname KronJonDerSohn probably obscures the omission. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/6 "2012-09-23T23:07:38Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > I believe, that in the U.S. you are not allowed to take the baby home from the hospital if it is not named. I don’t know how it works if you have the baby at home. That’s my general understanding, without going so far as to look it up. The nameless situation probably doesn’t arise as much as “inappropriate names” problems do. The nomic impulse in humans is strong–primal, even. (I just wanted to say “nomic impulse.” Hee hee.) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/7 "2012-09-23T23:17:57Z")
A family friend, in the UK, spent ages choosing their first daughter’s name- they kept getting extentions on registering the name, (though I think all other details were already recorded) and they had to keep on going to the office to ask for a few more weeks. I think they got to something like 8 weeks, before the registry office started getting seriously snappy at them. They finally decided on her first and middle name (I think it was which way round they were to be that was the debate), and went in to register the name- and the guy wrote them down then asked for the surname. They’re not married, and hadn’t even \*thought \*about that. 😃 Incidently, [this](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/20) may be useful info for you. From a quick read through, it states that you must register the birth within 42 days, though the first mention of a penalty fine kicks in after 3 months,. But it does, interestingly, contain one mention of re-registering procedure if the child is registered without a name. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/8 "2012-09-23T23:59:08Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > I believe, that in the U.S. you are not allowed to take the baby home from the hospital if it is not named. I don’t know how it works if you have the baby at home. Can’t speak for other places, but this is not the case in New York. I’ve seen too many birth certificates that say things like “Baby Girl” or “Male” in the space for first name. Hospitals don’t have any authority to refuse to discharge the baby unless they have been instructed not to by CPS based on abuse or neglect. [These](http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/vr/add-name.pdf) are the instructions to add a name later ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/9 "2012-09-24T00:00:57Z")
This reminds me of a teacher I had in high school that said she heard of or had students named Nosmo King (No Smoking) and j f mamjjasond; j and f weren’t initials, they were the full first and middle names and neither parent had a surname mamjjasond. Think first letter of every month. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/10 "2012-09-24T00:07:44Z")
I wrote about that once: “One Bad-Ass Baby Boy” [http://tapu-tapu-tapu.blogspot.com/2011/12/baby-boy-blue.html](http://tapu-tapu-tapu.blogspot.com/2011/12/baby-boy-blue.html) . ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/11 "2012-09-24T01:02:10Z")
This must be where all those [John and Jane Does](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=666437) are coming from. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/12 "2012-09-24T01:02:36Z")
Cecil had a [thing or two](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1278/is-it-illegal-to-take-a-newborn-home-from-the-hospital-without-naming-it-first) to say about this a long time ago. That article might clear up some misconceptions in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/13 "2012-09-24T01:10:05Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > I believe, that in the U.S. you are not allowed to take the baby home from the hospital if it is not named. I don’t know how it works if you have the baby at home. Totally not true. My brother-in-law has “Baby Boy \” on his birth certificate. As others here and Cecil have said. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/14 "2012-09-24T01:23:38Z")
My mom told me that one of my sisters came close to having Dad’s Name, Jr. put on the birth certificate because they hadn’t settled on anything when discharge day came (after an 11-day hospitalization!). I don’t know whether the hospital would have really done that or not. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/15 "2012-09-24T01:33:05Z")
In one of Alfred Bester’s books there is a character named “FeFiveGraumannsChinese,” because her mother had her in the fifth row of the theater and never named her. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/16 "2012-09-24T14:15:26Z")
> [@Zago](#): > > I believe, that in the U.S. you are not allowed to take the baby home from the hospital if it is not named. I don’t know how it works if you have the baby at home. Good luck getting an insurance company to pay for that.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cymy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Cymy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cymy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/17 "2012-09-24T14:49:35Z")
Although it is certainly possible to change a child’s name after the fact, perhaps your friend can be persuaded to select a name with which she can be happy if you remind her of all the hassle that she and the child could run into if she does not select a permanent official name at the time of birth. These are some scenarios that could be problematic: As skdo23 pointed out, the lack of a name on a birth certificate and something to place into all “the right fields” in a database, she could run into an insurance nightmare. I know this would be a huge hassle in the US, I’m not sure about in the UK with national healthcare. If a name is selected after the initial birth certificate is issued, the parents and child may have an ongoing hassle explaining the “modified” birth certificate later on. Two hundred years from now, a descendant of the child may be doing genealogy work and run into a brick wall trying to figure out what happened with that birth certificate–it would probably only be marked “modified,” and there may be no clue whether it was due to a name change, a one- or two-parent adoption, a sex change, etc. I’m a genealogist, so it matters to me… maybe it doesn’t matter to the average person. 😉 The child may someday run into some arbitrary rule which says, “provide a copy of your original birth certificate,” and a brainless corporate or government drone will hassle him or her over something that could have been avoided. It would probably work out in the end, but as a new mother, I’m sure that your friend will be eager to make her new baby’s life simpler–both now and in the future. I don’t know how this might work in the UK, but if it were to occur in the US, I could envision a hassle for the child obtaining a copy of the certificate later. It may turn out that modified birth certificates can only be obtained through a central repository, rather than locally, as with an original. Finally, many of your friend’s friends and family are likely to be obnoxious about their lack of a name for the baby–it’s human nature to want to immediately assign names and labels to things (think of the media hullabaloo over the couples that choose not to disclose their child’s sex). Your friend will make her own life, especially during the trying time of late-night feedings and frequent diaper changes, easier if she just chooses a name in the next few weeks. She can later give the child any nickname she wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/18 "2012-09-24T15:16:37Z")
> [@](#): > > and still has no idea what she’s going to call the baby. So she just looks out of the window and calls it after the first thing she sees. Can’t see anything going wrong with that. Nope, not at all. Lots of good precedent. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/19 "2012-09-24T16:03:25Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Can’t speak for other places, but this is not the case in New York. I’ve seen too many birth certificates that say things like “Baby Girl” or “Male” in the space for first name. Ditto. My mother was a teacher in the NYC schools for a number of years. She once told us about a student of hers named Female (pronounced like Emily). It sounds urban legend-ish, but evidently some people never got around to changing the name after they left the hospital, and just kept whatever the hospital staff put on the birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629/20 "2012-09-25T02:34:03Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Ditto. My mother was a teacher in the NYC schools for a number of years. She once told us about a student of hers named Female (pronounced like Emily). It sounds urban legend-ish, but evidently some people never got around to changing the name after they left the hospital, and just kept whatever the hospital staff put on the birth certificate. It was and is an urban legend. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-parents-refuse-to-name-their-child/635629.md?page=2)