Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, 9, gets court-ordered name change
Last Updated: Thursday, July 24, 2008 | 9:06 AM ET
CBC News
A judge in New Zealand fed up with parents bestowing bizarre names on their offspring has given a girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii the chance to change hers.
Judge Rob Murfitt has ruled that the girl, 9, become a ward of the court so her name can be changed. The girl was involved in a custody battle between her separated parents.
In his ruling made public Thursday, Murfitt expressed concern at the "very poor judgment" shown by the parents in selecting the moniker.
"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily," said Murfitt.
The court heard that the girl was so embarrassed by her name that she never even told her friends.
Instead, she told people to call her K, her lawyer told the family court in the port city of New Plymouth, located on the west coast of the North Island.
The ruling was made in February, but became public Thursday when it was published in law reports. The girl's new name will not be made public in order to protect her identity.
In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of strange names given to children in New Zealand.
He said names blocked by registration officials included Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, while Number 16 Bus Shelter and Violence were allowed.
New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offence to a reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar general of births, deaths and marriages.
Clarke said officials usually talked to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them of the potential embarrassment for the child.
With files from the Associated Press
