Swedish couple banned from naming their son Vladimir Putin

A Swedish couple hoping to name their son after Russian president Vladimir Putin have been left disappointed after they were banned from choosing the moniker by the tax authorities.

Under Swedish law, new parents must submit their request to name their child but certain names can be banned if deemed to cause offence or “discomfort for the bearer,” according to Daily Mail.

While the tax authorities have not confirmed this to be the reason for the rejection, we can all agree that being named after the Russian president certainly would make you stand out from the crowd. Now the parents from Laholm, southern Sweden, are back to square one and must decide on a different name for their son, public broadcaster SR reported.

Though this is not an isolated case, as Vladimir Putin joins a list of names the tax authorities have vetoed a number over the years – including the likes of Allah, Michael Jackson, Ford, Pilzner, Q, Token, IKEA and Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (pronounced “Albin”).

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However, the tax authorities don’t always get their way since back in 2007, a couple who were banned from naming their daughter Metallica (must be big fans of the heavy metal band) managed to successfully overturn the ruling and were able to use the name. In 2005, other parents were able to give their baby boy the middle name Google without any issues.

So what’s the reason behind certain names being banned in Sweden?

This is due to a 1982 law (updated in 2017) called the “Naming Law.” It was created so non-noble families wouldn’t give names of noble families to their children.

In the less extreme name corner, let’s take a look at Sweden’s most popular names in 2020. For newborn boys, the most popular names were Noah, followed by William and Hugo. While Alice, Maja and Elsa were the most popular names for girls, according to Nameberry.

Wonder what the actual Vladimir Putin thinks of all this.