Columbian couple can’t use baby name Beliza in Spain

Lina and Newar, a Colombian couple living in Spain, wanted to name their daughter Beliza after one of the child’s great-grandmothers.

But the Civil Registry of Spain wouldn’t allow them to register the name. The officials complained that the name didn’t exist, it didn’t go with either gender, and it contained a Z. (Even though Belisa, a variant of the name, has been used in literature by two of Spain’s great writers: Lope de Vega and Federico Garci­a Lorca.)

What do you think about governments having the right to approve baby names? Is the Spanish government taking things too far in this case?

Source: Dan la nacionalidad a un bebé, pero no le dejan llamarse Beliza

2 thoughts on “Columbian couple can’t use baby name Beliza in Spain

  1. This is ridiculous. Why should the government care what name a baby is going to have. Its actually none of their business. If its not their baby why are they complaining. They need to get a life, insted of interfering with other people’s life. Because unlike them those people have lives. People are forbiden a lot of things in this world, and there is a lot of discrimination going on for them now to come forbid a couple to chose their own child’s name. They should worry about other thigs insted of a baby’s name. Which is cute by the way. So they need to back off ASAP.

  2. I remember when there was an eruption of stupid names in the U.S. The government began banning names like “Bus Stop #9” because they were “cruel and unusual punishment” or something like that. I thought that THAT was ridiculous, simply because it allows for more government regulation, and as soon as the child is old enough, he can have it changed to something more normal, like “Saladbowl”.

    But the name “Beliza”is not anything like “Bus Stop #9”. Beliza is a very pretty name!

    I did, however, notice two things. One, the name sounds like the nation of Belize, the other is that the couple was Columbian. Perhaps the Spanish government had a problem with it for a reason other than the name? At any rate, that was a very stupid move.

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