The trend of giving children exotic names has been going on in Germany for several years. About 20% of residents have already become its victims, Gerhard Müller reported. One of the main reasons is the individualization of German society.
“Parents want their child to be unlike anyone else, and then they start grabbing at anything that catches their eye,” says Müller. The Internet is a truly inexhaustible source of unusual word formations. Today, the most popular names in Germany are Indian and Native American names.
Gerhard Müller studies the proposed names and checks whether they exist in any language, whether they clearly indicate the child's gender, and then gives his recommendations, which, however, are not binding for registry office employees.
In his work, Müller is not allowed to be guided by his own taste. For example, he is obliged to inform parents that they can quite calmly name their child Winnetou, since this name exists among Native Americans. And the name Pepsi-Carola comes not from the well-known drink, but from the name Pepita.
However, sometimes Müller tries to talk parents out of a rash decision. For example, one couple wanted to name their daughter the Sanskrit name Nagina, in which the replacement of a single letter could cause unwanted associations. “You don't need to be told how cruel children can be,” Müller summed up. But names like McDonald cannot be given in Germany, because that would be unauthorized use of a registered trademark.
There are also restrictions in Germany on the number of names given to a child. One young mother decided to name her child with 12 names from different countries at once: Chenekvahov Migiskau Mikapi-Hun-Nitseo Alessandro Mahim Chayara Inti Ernesto Pritibe Kioma Patar Henrico. “The boy must feel for himself that there are no borders in people's hearts,” she justified her request, which was nevertheless rejected by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf. Now the child is simply called: Chenekvahov Migiskau Kioma Ernesto Tecumseh.