Their Boy Friday

Dweezil Zappa and Paris Hilton might want to avoid traveling to Italy, lest local immigration officials question the legality of the names in their passports.

An Italian court has ruled that a couple could not name their son "Friday" and ordered that he instead be called Gregory after the saint whose feast day he was born on. ... Friday/Gregory Germano was born in Genoa 15 months ago. The parents registered him as Friday in the city hall and a priest even baptised him as Friday — unusual in Italy since many priests insist that first names be of Christian origin. ...

When the boy was about five months old, a city hall clerk brought the odd name to the attention of a tribunal, which informed the couple of an administrative norm which bars parents from giving "ridiculous or shameful" first names to children. The tribunal said it was protecting the child from being the butt of jokes and added that it believed the name would hinder him from developing "serene interpersonal relationships". ...

When ordered to change the name, the parents refused and the court ruled the boy would be legally registered as Gregory because he was born on that saint's feast day.

[hat tip: Nicky Eyle]

Comments

[Yossarian]

I understand that this is common in at least one of the Scandinavian cuontries as well. Childrens' names have to be drawn from a list or otherwise acceptable to the registrar.

That said, I've encountered a young woman who was, very unfortunately, christened "Yourethra" (say it and you'll see why it was unfortunate). Excessive imagination in naming children can have ugly consequences.

[Kid Handsome]

Nice headline. I would have gone with "Thank God it's Friday"