Romania has been to date one of those strange countries where parents could give their children the name they wanted, even if it was ridiculous or humiliating for the child.
I say "could" because this October the new Civil Code that will regulate the names given to babies entered into force, something that will keep at bay, luckily for their children, parents with too much sense of humor that put their children names like "Paracetamol", "Traffic light" or "Doctor".
The article that will regulate this is 84, which in point 2 prohibits civilian civil servants from putting "Indecent, ridiculous and other names that affect public order, good customs or the interests of the child".
This rule has generated controversy because the wording is quite ambiguous and officials must decide whether a name is ridiculous or not, or if it can affect the child. Luckily for them, in case of doubt, they can take advantage of justice so that the judges make the final decision.
With this measure It is intended to avoid names like "Hitler", "Garbage" or "Nipple", which are some of the most "mother of mine" or "imagine having such parents" that can be found in the Statistical Yearbook of the General Directorate of Evidence of Romania.
In this same Yearbook it has been seen that in 2010 there were 581 people in that country with the name of “Dead” (Mortu), three that were called “Cojón” (Coi), one called “Silly” (Prostu) and some than another "Ass" (Curu).
Other curious names, which more than names seems the catalog of Lego City, are "Justice" (Justitia), "Police" (Politia), "Gendarmerie" (Jandarmeria), "Bombero" (Pompierul) or "Ambulance" (Ambulanta), which I suppose they have these names to make the joke, when they have mobile, "I'm going to call the Ambulance and my friend Bombero".
Some parents have even wanted their children to be (or look like) distinguished people and have named him "President" or "Minister," so when someone calls them by name: "Mr. President" or "Mr. Minister", everyone will turn to see the minister or the president (if in the end they will even miss the ingenuity of the parents).
Other names that will not be repeated are those of "Superman", "Showcase" (with how beautiful are the showcases, with a glass that lets you see something that never touches), "Beckham", "Figo", "Zidane" or "Mariano Monamour."
Anyway, I applaud the measure, because there are names that, if I were the son, I would think very much about seeing my parents as respectable people. That you have a pet (a hamster or a bunny) and name it “Cojón” or “Traffic light” pass, but that you give it to a boy or girl, who will live with that name for a lifetime… you have to be (every which mentally put here the word you consider most appropriate).
