Court rules girl has right to use her given name
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has been granted the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother, despite the opposition of authorities.
A court ruled Thursday that the name "Blaer" can be used. It means "gentle breeze."
The decision overturns an earlier rejection by Icelandic authorities who declared it was not a proper feminine name. Until now, Blaer Bjarkardottir had been identified simply as "Girl" in communications with officials.
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," Bjork Eidsdottir said in an interview earlier this month, adding she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973.
Bjork Eidsdottir had fought for the right for the name to be recognized. Blaer told the court she had no problems with her name.
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 had been identified as "Stulka" - or "girl" - on all her official documents, which 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's suit marked the first time someone challenged an Icelandic names committee decision in court.
A court ruled Thursday that the name "Blaer" can be used. It means "gentle breeze."
The decision overturns an earlier rejection by Icelandic authorities who declared it was not a proper feminine name. Until now, Blaer Bjarkardottir had been identified simply as "Girl" in communications with officials.
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," Bjork Eidsdottir said in an interview earlier this month, adding she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973.
Bjork Eidsdottir had fought for the right for the name to be recognized. Blaer told the court she had no problems with her name.
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 had been identified as "Stulka" - or "girl" - on all her official documents, which 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's suit marked the first time someone challenged an Icelandic names committee decision in court.
A former coworker had a daughter that adopted a child that had originally been named Miracle Whip, no BS..
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Crack baby, thank God mom let her go to a better place. She now has a much better name.
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I also knew someone that named their kid Lemonjello. The pronunciation she was going for did not translate well in the spelling.
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Stay in school.
@Melissa Angevine In my years of education I have encountered children names such as Superman, Mighty Young, Shasta Orange, Boy, Princess, Stoner, etc. Really? And don't even get my started on weird spellings...
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People can do what they want but also need to have the foresight parenting requires. You can't name your little boy "Sweetie" (true story) and then wonder why he comes home crying every day because the other kids pick on him. Kids are cruel anyway... why make it so easy??
I'm glad she one, Blaer sounds more like a girls name anyway and the meaning of it is more feminine.
 @Murigen I hope you meant to write that you are glad she WON the court case.
Better than Hashtag.
I love this story for a couple of reasons:
1) They rose up and overcame massive stupidity while remaining positive. Â GOOD FOR THEM!
2) This can be used as an example of how intrusive and STUPID government can get (when allowed to do so).
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Nice to see the underdog win for a change!  Congratulations Blaer!
The name has to be chosen from an approved list? Absurd!
I sort of giggled at first until I realized we're not too far from this here. Seen plenty of things that we used to laugh at the idea of the gov't ferrying involved in only to see the craziness become law a few years later. Helmets, smoking in bars, we're in the middle of it with junk food right now...
 @HawkEye This kind of thing is what the people are asking for....until it intrudes on what they want to do, then they suddenly become indignant. However they never realize this is exactly the government they asked for. It's always "someone else's fault" that things got this way......the government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything away from you.