Cannabis strains, ‘Fanny’, and royal titles among 2024 declined baby names

In 2024, there were 40 names which were declined by the Registrar-General, with some shut-down numerous times. Photo / 123RF (stock image)

Strains of cannabis, royal titles, and religious terms have made up 2024’s list of declined baby names.

An Official Information Act request shows Te Tari Taiwhenua Internal Affairs registered almost 60,000 births.

The department reviews proposed names to ensure they are not offensive and do not resemble a rank or title without justification.

Names also must not be “unreasonably long,” or include numbers or symbols.

Internal Affairs said it had sought “more information from the parents on some proposed names”, and in 71 instances, an alternative name was registered.

The Registrar-General’s staff reviews each application and makes a judgment on how acceptable it may be, considering how it would be perceived, how it is spelt and sounds, how the name may impact how a person is treated, and why the parents wanted to register that name.

The Registrar-General makes the final call on whether to decline a name’s registration.

Before that judgment, the Registrar-General communicates with the parent or parents to provide a chance to justify their chosen name. The justification is then considered against criteria.

It is possible that a name is accepted, after justification by the parent or parents of the child.

“Each name or combination of names is considered on its merits and will only be declined if the Registrar-General believes it does not meet the legislative criteria,” the Department of Internal Affairs said in the Official Information Act response.

Whether a name causes offence or not is a question of judgement and whether a name is potentially offensive changes over time.

Department of Internal Affairs

“We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names. Names are a gift. Generally, the name registered will be with the individual for the rest of their lives,” the agency added.

Parents whose applications for name registration are declined can appeal to the Family Court within 28 working days.

Included in the 2024 list are unique spellings of royal and legal titles - a trend that has been the status quo for many years.

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said parents were free to choose the name they wanted for their children.

“However, there are certain boundaries to avoid names that are offensive or resemble official titles.

“The Registrar-General can assess names that fail the criteria on a case-by-case basis, and ultimately makes the decision whether a name should be declined.”

The list also includes “Indica” and “Sativa” - two separate strains of cannabis.

In 2024, the Department of Internal Affairs registered 59,199 births with a total of 19,404 unique names.

Names declined in 2024

1. King - proposed 11 times
2. Prince - proposed 10 times
3. Princess - proposed four times
4. Name with no surname - proposed three times
5. Rogue - proposed three times
6. Sativa - proposed three times
7. Caesar - proposed two times
8. JP - proposed two times
9. Pryncess - proposed two times
10. Name with ` symbol - proposed once
11. Allah - proposed once
12. Állah - proposed once
13. Bishop - proposed once
14. Crown - proposed once
15. Crownos - proposed once
16. Duke - proposed once
17. Emperor - proposed once
18. Fanny - proposed once
19. General - proposed once
20. Ice - proposed once
21. Indica - proposed once
22. Juke - proposed once
23. Justice - proposed once
24. KC - proposed once
25. Kingi - proposed once
26. Kingz - proposed once
27. Kyng - proposed once
28. Lady - proposed once
29. Magesty - proposed once
30. Major - proposed once
31. Messiah - proposed once
32. Mighty - proposed once
33. Prinz - proposed once
34. Prynce- proposed once
35. Queen - proposed once
36. Roil - proposed once
37. Royal - proposed once
38. Royallty - proposed once
39. Saint - proposed once
40. Solvreign - proposed once

New Zealand’s most popular baby names of 2024 for girls were Isla, Amelia, and Charlotte - and Noah, Oliver, and Jack for boys.

Van Velden said it was the third time in five years Isla had topped the list of girls, and the fourth year Noah had made the top two.

A total of 250 boys were given the name Noah last year, while 190 girls were named Isla.

The year prior, 2023, saw 64 declined registrations, with the most popular attempt being Prince, proposed five times.

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s Press Gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and Government spending.