The top 100 rejected baby names list has been released by Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs, and one name remains on top as the most rejected in the country since 2009.
'King' was rejected nine times this year. The guidelines for naming, made by the Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages in 2022, include avoiding official titles, using numbers or symbols, swear words and going over the limit of 70 characters.
The only Māori name to be rejected on the list is Chiefy-Renata. 13 new names made the list this year, of which Biship, King-Kelly, and Hosea-King were included.
Other rejected names in 2022 were:
- Saint (eight times)
- Royal (seven times)
- Messiah (four times)
- Prince or Princess (seven times)
- Sovereign (three times)
- Sire (two times)
Duke, Empres, Empress-Jade, General, Justice, Justyce, KingJayceon, Majesteigh, Major, Mayjor, Meziah, Padre, Queen, Rhoyal, Rogue, Royale, Royalty, Saynt, Soulijah, Truleigh-Saint (all once each).
"There are guidelines in place to ensure that names don't cause offence, are a reasonable length and don't represent an official title or rank," says Jeff Montgomery, registrar-general of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The Registrar-General may consider names that don't meet the criteria on a case by case basis. Whānau are given the chance to explain the reason for the name if the baby's name is being reviewed.
The importance of a name to a family is balanced with how the name would be perceived by the general public and the Department's responsibilities under the relevant legislation.
