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.” 20 Minutos 12 Jan. 2007.
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.