Teen fights for right to her own name

By Hum
in Real World News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Hum

Posted
Posted

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) ? A 15-year-old is suing the Icelandic state for the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother. The problem? Blaer, which means "light breeze" in Icelandic, is not on a list approved by the government.

Like a handful of other countries, including Germany and Denmark, Iceland has official rules about what a baby can be named. In a country comfortable with a firm state role, most people don't question the Personal Names Register, a list of 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names that fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules and that officials maintain will protect children from embarrassment. Parents can take from the list or apply to a special committee that has the power to say yea or nay.

In Blaer's case, her mother said she learned the name wasn't on the register only after the priest who baptized the child later informed her he had mistakenly allowed it.

"I had no idea that the name wasn't on the list, the famous list of names that you can choose from," said Bjork Eidsdottir, adding she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973. This time, the panel turned it down on the grounds that the word Blaer takes a masculine article, despite the fact that it was used for a female character in a novel by Iceland's revered Nobel Prize-winning author Halldor Laxness.

Given names are even more significant in tiny Iceland that in many other countries: Everyone is listed in the phone book by their first names. Surnames are based on a parent's given name. Even the president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is addressed simply as Olafur.

Blaer is identified as "Stulka" ? or "girl" ? on all her official documents, which has led to years of frustration as she has had to explain the whole story at the bank, renewing her passport and dealing with the country's bureaucracy.

Her mother is hoping that will change with her suit, the first time someone has challenged a names committee decision in court.

more

Grand Master

spacer

Posted
Posted

Honestly, I wish my country had a list of approved names for children. People have been giving their kids stupid names for years, with no repercussions. The latest retarded name that I have seen in the news is "Hashtag". I really can't understand how that is not considered child abuse.

Grand Master

Anibal P

Posted
Posted

Honestly, I wish my country had a list of approved names for children. People have been giving their kids stupid names for years, with no repercussions. The latest retarded name that I have seen in the news is "Hashtag". I really can't understand how that is not considered child abuse.

Just a name, they are making a bigger deal out of it than is necessary, I mean I know spacer isn't your real name nor does it change anything that I may or may not know or assume about you, it's just a name you go by

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

Honestly, I wish my country had a list of approved names for children. People have been giving their kids stupid names for years, with no repercussions. The latest retarded name that I have seen in the news is "Hashtag". I really can't understand how that is not considered child abuse.

Dovalkin

Grand Master

Hum

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Honestly, I wish my country had a list of approved names for children. People have been giving their kids stupid names for years, with no repercussions. The latest retarded name that I have seen in the news is "Hashtag". I really can't understand how that is not considered child abuse.

I really hate these parents when they are out in public, just have to repeatedly yell their kid's stupid name, as if it is soooo special and want everyone to know it's Jasmine. :rolleyes:

Grand Master

Rippleman

Posted
Posted

Pretty soon numbers only....

numbers and letters are the same, only your interpretation separates them, a letter or a number is only a combination of collection of directional lines and curves in which you are taught to identify with. To a person who has never seen them, they are infact still just swooshes of pen comparable to your eyes if you seen hieroglyphics.
Grand Master

Anibal P

Posted
Posted

numbers and letters are the same, only your interpretation separates them, a letter or a number is only a combination of collection of directional lines and curves in which you are taught to identify with. To a person who has never seen them, they are infact still just swooshes of pen comparable to your eyes if you seen hieroglyphs.

Numbers allow for unique identifiers while regular names won't accommodate it

Veteran

DrJohnSmitherson

Posted
Posted

Honestly, I wish my country had a list of approved names for children. People have been giving their kids stupid names for years, with no repercussions. The latest retarded name that I have seen in the news is "Hashtag". I really can't understand how that is not considered child abuse.

I guess cause it's just a name and doesnt matter

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

numbers and letters are the same, only your interpretation separates them, a letter or a number is only a combination of collection of directional lines and curves in which you are taught to identify with. To a person who has never seen them, they are infact still just swooshes of pen comparable to your eyes if you seen hieroglyphics.

Well, that's theoretically true, however humans are more than dumb machines and have emotions, so a different name might have a big meaning to you and others.

I could go into detail, but I guess if you don't see that yourself there's not much to discuss, but more to disagree about.

I definitely do see how numbers could be thought to be humiliating or degrading in a way.

Numbers don't have "personality" like names do.

I don't see why there's a big deal over a name.

I do, however not with this name.

It's not embarassing, so just let it pass.

I guess cause it's just a name and doesnt matter

Pretty wrong. It matters to many people. Speak for yourself, but I don't want to be a victim of an irresponsible parent who thinks a stupid name is okay to go with and blow a child's life.

Names also work on subconscious levels, so a good name might give you better job, love, etc opportunities.

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

lots of people I knew named harmony, charity, and faith were some of the biggest bitches I've ever met.... seriously.... this one chick named harmony at school freakin hated babes and animals and was a general agony to be around.

Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted

Pretty wrong. It matters to many people. Speak for yourself, but I don't want to be a victim of an irresponsible parent who thinks a stupid name is okay to go with and blow a child's life.

Damn right.. The name my parents saddled me with caused me an ENTIRE CHILDHOOD of being bullied by other kids. :( Even my teachers did it...

Grand Master

neufuse Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

some of my US freinds think my daughters name is odd for a white girl... Destiny. I never thought anything bad of it but i guess its the 2nd most hated name on a couple lists I seen.

see a name shouldn't be country or race chained.... if I want to name a white girl Moesha then who really cares? but in the USA we think that is a "black girls name"....

  • Glassed Silver
  • Like 1
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By Shadow8 · Posted

      I am not a US citizen nor a Trump fan. Respect to both left and right. But I will, for the sake of fun, predict something for my own. There will come a day when the US and China will collide like titans ( over Taiwan or anything else ). Then, on that day, some people in this comment section will realize how good an idea it was to become independent in areas like that. ( Or atleast try )
    • Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen

      By Usama Jawad96 · Posted

      Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen by Usama Jawad Microsoft Edge may not be the most popular browser out there, but it does receive quite frequent updates that sometimes bring surprising new features and axe others that are not as popular. Now, Microsoft has detailed some of the new security enhancements that it has introduced in Edge for Business, typically used by commercial customers. Microsoft has emphasized that security features are baked into Edge for Business and offer native integration with security and governance tools like Defender and Purview. Browser sessions are governed by default on managed devices but can also be governed through dedicated work profiles on unmanaged devices. An important aspect in this area is controlling the use of shadow AI. We have talked about this before, but it essentially restricts employees from using unsanctioned AI apps through data loss prevention (DLP) policies, with Edge redirecting them to trusted AI services like Microsoft 365 Copilot. This feature, available as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) license, ensures that confidential data never exits AI boundaries set by your organization in Purview. Additionally, Microsoft also has strong DLP policies for contractors. Contractors leveraging a Entra ID-joined work profile provisioned by their contracting company on a device managed by their actual employer can be restricted from downloading files locally. In such scenarios, the file is saved on the contracting firm's OneDrive rather than being downloaded locally. Another useful Edge security feature disallows copying and pasting from unmanaged locations and apps. Similarly, DLP policies can be configured at a granular level to restrict screenshots or downloading of files from certain locations. In the same vein, IT admins can block the installation of extensions, hosted apps, themes and scripts, and control if users can install extensions from external locations. They can also enable the installation of specific extensions and allow users to request access to certain extensions, so that they can be managed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, Edge for Business now has an on-device AI model that uses computer vision to see what's on your screen and block potentially malicious content immediately. This does not rely on site reputation, as it simply monitors what is being displayed on your screen, which means that it is effective against malicious content that takes over your screen and employs scareware tactics. Since this is an on-device AI model, it does use your system's resources, so it's enabled by default only on devices with at least 2GB of RAM and four CPU cores. You can find more details in the Microsoft Mechanics video here.
    • Linux 7.2's first release candidate gets off to a good start

      By thartist · Posted

      Could you come up with a slightly less depressing background for Tux instead of that gray gradient? Doesn't have to be cheerful, just less of a downer...
    • Linux 7.2's first release candidate gets off to a good start

      By zikalify · Posted

      Linux 7.2's first release candidate gets off to a good start by Paul Hill Credit: Larry Ewing It has been a few weeks since the release of Linux 7.1, and in that time, the Linux 7.2 merge window has been open, where developers can submit their features and patches ready for the upcoming release. That window is now shut, and the release candidate phase has begun so that new features can be tested and further fixes applied. According to the founder of Linux, Linus Torvalds, this week’s release candidate looks “reasonably normal”. Although we are super early in the release candidates, this is a good sign as it makes it more likely that an eighth release candidate will not be needed. Torvalds even mentioned that the update’s stats are only larger than they really are because there was another AMD header drop with a third of the patch just being AMD GPU register definitions, which aren’t big changes but make the code contributed look larger overall. In addition to this, he noted that just over half the patch is drivers, even when excluding the AMD register dump. The rest of the changes are spread out over architecture updates, tooling, documentation, and core kernel updates. In the next week, Torvalds says that he will be chilling out, taking the week “mostly off”. Despite this, he will be reading emails and keeping up with things, so if he is slow responding, now you know why. He said he is hoping for a calm week, but we will just have to see if the second release candidate is actually like that. We should expect seven or eight release candidates before Linux 7.2 is released, so expect it around the end of August. If you missed it a few weeks ago, be sure to check out our coverage of Linux 7.1's release.
    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By Asgardi · Posted

      Ridiculous claim that the labor cost difference of $6000 annually would increase cost per phone by $200. The employees produce 3 phones per month or what?

  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Zeynel earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      JKR earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Dedicated
      Asgardi earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      496
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      248
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      154
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      86
    5. 5
      macoman
      65
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!