The parents of a 2 year old girl must find a new name for their daughter, the Reykjavík District Court ruled yesterday. The Icelandic Naming Committee had previously rejected the name arguing it violated Icelandic naming traditions and didn't agree with Icelandic language and grammar.
Seven Zoes already in Iceland
The parents, who live in an affluent suburb of Reykjavík, had challenged the January ruling of the Naming Committee in court, arguing that there were already seven women living in Iceland who were named Zoe. Their daughter should not be banned from being named Zoe, while others were allowed to carry this name.
Read more: Naming committee stops parents from naming daughter after goddess of the underworld
The court ruled that these arguments were irrelevant, as these women were all foreign born and had been allowed by keep the name when they were granted Icelandic citizenship.
Since no native born Icelander had ever carried the name Zoe the court found it should not be considered an Icelandic name. Furthermore, names beginning with Z were also in violation of Icelandic tradition. Moreover, the name couldn't be integrated into Icelandic grammar.
The naming commission
According to law all Icelandic names must be approved by the Naming Commission. Icelanders can only carry names which are in accordance with Icelandic language and naming traditions.
The parents also failed to convince the court that they had a legitimate reason to name their daughter Zoe or why they had picked the name.
The two year old girl will therefore remain without an officially registered name. According to law parents are required to name their children within nine months of their birth. Failure to name your child carries a fine of 2,500 ISK (per day.
The parents of a 2 year old girl must find a new name for their daughter, the Reykjavík District Court ruled yesterday. The Icelandic Naming Committee had previously rejected the name arguing it violated Icelandic naming traditions and didn't agree with Icelandic language and grammar.
Seven Zoes already in Iceland
The parents, who live in an affluent suburb of Reykjavík, had challenged the January ruling of the Naming Committee in court, arguing that there were already seven women living in Iceland who were named Zoe. Their daughter should not be banned from being named Zoe, while others were allowed to carry this name.
Read more: Naming committee stops parents from naming daughter after goddess of the underworld
The court ruled that these arguments were irrelevant, as these women were all foreign born and had been allowed by keep the name when they were granted Icelandic citizenship.
Since no native born Icelander had ever carried the name Zoe the court found it should not be considered an Icelandic name. Furthermore, names beginning with Z were also in violation of Icelandic tradition. Moreover, the name couldn't be integrated into Icelandic grammar.
The naming commission
According to law all Icelandic names must be approved by the Naming Commission. Icelanders can only carry names which are in accordance with Icelandic language and naming traditions.
The parents also failed to convince the court that they had a legitimate reason to name their daughter Zoe or why they had picked the name.
The two year old girl will therefore remain without an officially registered name. According to law parents are required to name their children within nine months of their birth. Failure to name your child carries a fine of 2,500 ISK (per day.
