RSS FeedTalula Does The Hula From Hawaii No More
Lesbians of the world can rejoice – they will not have to change their names for now.
But this young girl from New Plymouth, on the North Island of New Zealand will.
Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii (sic) is in the middle of a custody dispute between her parents. The court has assumed guardianship over her, and has ordered that she must change her name.
Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii was so embarrassed about her name growing up that she wouldn’t tell anyone what it was – going by “K” instead.
The Kiwis apparently have a fascination with strange names, as the judge commented on a growing trend in the country.
Names that have been allowed:
- Violence
- Number 16 Bus Shelter
- Midnight Chardonnay
- Benson and Hedges (twins)
Names that have been disallowed:
- Yeah Detroit
- Stallion
- Twisty Poi
- Keenan Got Lucy
- Sex Fruit
- Fat Boy
- Cinderella Beauty Blossom
- Fish and Chips (twins)
Last year when one New Zealander couple unsuccessfully named their child 4Real, they opted for Superman instead. Another couple in Sweden went for Metallica.
Some countries ban certain names outright, like Adolf Hitler and Bin Ladin in Germany. Others, such as France, force parents to choose from a pre-selected list. But in America, nearly anything goes.
Dalton Conley Chairman of the New York University Sociology Department said,
You can’t use a four letter word that I wouldn’t use in this interview anyway, and other than that you’re free to do what you want. That’s part of the first amendment right to free speech here in America.
Celebrities seem to be the worst offenders, Gwyneth Paltrow naming her baby Apple, and Comedian Penn Jillette (the guy from Penn & Teller) calling his daughter Moxie Crimefighter.
But then when your parents are celebrities, who cares if the other kids make fun of you?
However, Americans are probably the only ones to capitalize on names for profit. Gas prices are so high in Orlando, Florida that David Partin promised to name his child Dixon Willoughby Partin after radio show hosts to win a $100 gas card.
They sell their kids cheap in Florida it seems.
Program Director at WHTQ-FM, Greg Stevens, said,
(His wife said) this is his problem to explain when the child is older.
The Independent cites some other notable name changes in recent history:
