The Star: January 25, 2024

Thursday January 25 2024 The Star
LAST YEAR’S most popular
baby names in New Zealand
were recently revealed, now
it’s time for the most declined
names of 2023.
Where Noah and Charlotte
topped the popular list last
year, Prince was the most often
declined by the Registrar-
General of Births, Deaths and
Marriages, according to Te
Tari Taiwhenua Department of
Internal Affairs.
The department said that for
the previous 13 years, King was
the most declined name. A total
of 64 registrations were declined
last year.
It’s no surprise that the names
are commonly denied.
While parents are given
mostly free rein when it comes
to naming their little bundle
of joy, New Zealand does have
strict guidelines to ensure no
offence is taken, they are a
reasonable length and they do
not represent an official title or
rank.
If parents present a name
that doesn’t meet the criteria
for any of the given reasons, it
is escalated to the Registrar-
General who allows the parents
to express their reasoning and
then makes a decision on a
case-by-case basis and considers
whether it meets the statutory
criteria.
“Names are a gift, and they are
an important part of a person’s
identity. We encourage parents
to think about their child and
how they might feel about their
name later in life,” says the
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
The baby names most often
turned down by Registrar-General
Names declined in 2023
1. Prince - proposed five
times
2. Bishop - proposed
three times
3. III - proposed three
times
4. King - proposed three
times
5. Major - proposed three
times
6. Royal - proposed three
times
7. Messiah - proposed
twice
8. Princess - proposed
twice
9. Prynce - proposed
twice
10. Rogue - proposed
WHAT’S IN A NAME: Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs has revealed last
year's most declined baby names.
PHOTO: GETTY
twice
11. Royale - proposed
twice
12. Sovereign - proposed
twice
13. AazyahRoyaal -
proposed once
14. Captain - proposed
once
15. Chief - proposed once
16. Empress - proposed
once
17. Fanny - proposed
once
18. Isis - proposed once
19. Jairah-King -
proposed once
20. JP - proposed once
21. Judge - proposed
once
Registrar-General of Births,
Deaths and Marriages, Russell
Burnard.
“When a name is in review,
we give parents the opportunity
to present the reasoning for the
name. Then we make a decision,
considering the balance of how
the name may be perceived by
the public and the department’s
obligations under the law.”
Other names that have been
22. Justice - proposed
once
23. Justus - proposed
once
24. KC - proposed once
25. Kiing - proposed once
26. Kingkillah - proposed
once
27. Knight - proposed
once
28. Leonidas-king -
proposed once
29. Masai-King -
proposed once
30. MissTauneseproposed
once
31. Nepher-ISIS -
proposed once
32. Notoriety - proposed
once
declined include Bishop, Major,
Princess, Fanny, and Kingkillah
- all of which were proposed less
than five times last year.
The Registrar-General
suggests that when parents are
naming their newborn, they
should stay away from numeric
characters or symbols, avoid
names that may be seen as
offensive, and limit the name to
70 characters or less.
33. Pope - proposed once
34. Princess-Penina -
proposed once
35. Pryncè - proposed
once
36. Queen - proposed
once
37. Rhoyael - proposed
once
38. Royaal - proposed
once
39. Royalty - proposed
once
40. Royalty-Reign -
proposed once
41. Saint-Liivoja -
proposed once
42. Sovereign-Kash -
proposed once
43. XIX - proposed once
NEWS 3
In Brief
Luxury apartments for
vacant Sumner site
Fifty luxury apartments are
planned for Sumner on the
site of the former Cave Rock
apartments, which were
demolished after the February
2011 earthquake. Work on the
five-level building is expected
to start in March. The average
price for apartments that
overlook the beach are expected
to be $1.9 million. The $120m
development is owned by
developer Shane Kennedy,
former army officer turned
developer David Moylan, and
Auckland accountant John
Vincent.
Police seek men after
Opawa dairy robbed
Police are seeking two men
who robbed an Opawa dairy
with a metal bar before fleeing
in the owner’s vehicle. Officers
were called to an Opawa Rd
address on Monday shortly
after midnight, where two men
had broken into a dairy and
an adjoining home. A person
at the address was “accosted
and threatened with a metal
bar”, a police spokesperson
said, before the offenders took
money and stock from the shop
before fleeing in the owner’s
vehicle. Those responsible are
yet to found, police said. “The
victim is shaken but thankfully
was uninjured. They are being
provided with support,” the
spokesperson said.
Havili announces
engagement
All Blacks and Crusaders
midfielder David Havili and
his partner, Pilates instructor
Lucy Sellwood, announced
their engagement on Instagram
with a beachy, blissful picture
featuring the ring. Sellwood
joined Havili in France last
year for the 2023 Rugby World
Cup after seeing the sights
of Europe including Spain,
Greece and Croatia. Havili, who
can also cover fullback, spent
much of the 2023 Super Rugby
Pacific season on the sidelines
after tearing his hamstring in
June.
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