Metallica

I was in the process of posting an article on my other blog about name preferences when I came upon an Associated Press news about a couple who petitioned their government to allow them to name their daughter “Metallica.” The parties are currently hurling arguments at each other in court.

In case you’re wondering, I did not pluck this out from a U.S. court record database. The incident happened in Sweden. Naming your child Metallica would not be a problem here in the United States. I’m sure that you would encounter hundreds of people bearing that name in the telephone directory of your state alone.

I don’t know why the Swedish government made such a fuss out of the parents’ request. Their baby has already been Christened, but the Swedish National Tax Board refused to record it in their registry. An official of the agency bluntly branded the name as ugly. But if you’ll ask me, it’s anything but ugly. I admit that it’s quite an unusual name though, but I’m sure many would find it cool.

The couple already won in the county level, with the County Administrative Court ruling that the tax body had no legal basis in denying the registration of the name. The agency was not convinced and appealed the case to a higher judicial body.

Baby Metallica is now in a precarious situation. Since her name is not yet legally recognized, she can’t be issued pertinent documents or instruments, such as a birth certificate or a passport. In fact, the couple already cancelled their travel plans last month because a passport cannot be issued to persons not recorded in the government registry.

I’m not sure if a similar incident has already happened here in the United States. As far as I know, a couple or parent can bestow any name upon their children.