The Icelandic Naming Committee has refused the parents of a two-year-old girl to name the child Alex. The couple must also pay a 1,500 krónur (10 eruos/11 US dollars) fine daily until they register the child with a committee-approved name.
Alex Emma’s mother, Nanna Þórdís Árnadóttir, is unhappy with the committee’s decision and intends to challenge the verdict in court.
Read more: Could the Nordic tradition of patronymic surnames be in danger?
“We hadn’t expected the government to respond with such harsh measures, such as daily fines. Our daughter has been called Alex Emma since she was born and we’re simply not going to change her name now,” she told Vísir.
The Icelandic Naming Committee was established in 1991 to determine whether new given names not previously used in Iceland are suitable for integration into the Icelandic language and culture. Today Icelandic parents must follow a strict set of rules when naming their child. The name must only contain letters in the Icelandic alphabet, must grammatically fit the language, it may not embarrass the child in the future and it must indicate the child’s gender.
Read more: Do Icelanders have family names?
Although the name Alex fulfils nearly all of the criteria, it does not indicate the child’s gender as it is considered a boy’s name in Iceland.
In November, Óttarr Proppé, a member of parliament for Björt framtíð, introduced a parliamentary bill hoping to abolish the committee and give Icelandic parents the legal right to name their child after their heart’s desire.
The Icelandic Naming Committee has refused the parents of a two-year-old girl to name the child Alex. The couple must also pay a 1,500 krónur (10 eruos/11 US dollars) fine daily until they register the child with a committee-approved name.
Alex Emma’s mother, Nanna Þórdís Árnadóttir, is unhappy with the committee’s decision and intends to challenge the verdict in court.
Read more: Could the Nordic tradition of patronymic surnames be in danger?
“We hadn’t expected the government to respond with such harsh measures, such as daily fines. Our daughter has been called Alex Emma since she was born and we’re simply not going to change her name now,” she told Vísir.
The Icelandic Naming Committee was established in 1991 to determine whether new given names not previously used in Iceland are suitable for integration into the Icelandic language and culture. Today Icelandic parents must follow a strict set of rules when naming their child. The name must only contain letters in the Icelandic alphabet, must grammatically fit the language, it may not embarrass the child in the future and it must indicate the child’s gender.
Read more: Do Icelanders have family names?
Although the name Alex fulfils nearly all of the criteria, it does not indicate the child’s gender as it is considered a boy’s name in Iceland.
In November, Óttarr Proppé, a member of parliament for Björt framtíð, introduced a parliamentary bill hoping to abolish the committee and give Icelandic parents the legal right to name their child after their heart’s desire.
