The sensible Swedes strike again! We've written before about the fact that every baby's name has to be registered with Swedish tax authorities, and it can shoot down a baby's name if it's just too silly.
Their latest victim? Parents who want to name their five-month-old baby girl Elvis. As in hunka hunka burnin' love Elvis.
The parents reportedly considered it a name that's "both pretty and gender-neutral" and are not Elvis fans at all. I've gotta wonder if maybe just messing with the Skatterverket (the Tax Authority's name) has become a sport for bored or daring Swedish parents. After all, a couple successfully appealed the tribunal's rejection of the name Mettalica for their daughter, and a change in the law was suggested to help a couple who wanted to name their child Superman.
Honestly, I wish we had such a thing here. And I volunteer to be in charge of it. My kids have traditional old person names that fit them well, and that pass the all-important Supreme Court Justice test. I hate, HATE, trendy names (stop with the Caden, Braden, etc., people), "creative" spellings (Xavier does NOT start with a Z!) and just plain goofiness (Pilot Inspektor? Really?).
Your kid's name is not your chance to make a little joke, express your creativity or reaffirm your trendiness. It's how they identify to the world, and a prime opportunity to learn the Not About You lesson of parenthood.
