Wikipedia Fun: 10 Bizarre Real Names
I’ve decided just now to introduce a semi-formal new category of posts for the site (or at least a “wikipedia” tag). Every once in a while I’m going to write about the stuff I learn in Wikipedia. Why? Because Wikipedia is amazing. It settles obscure factual arguments in mere seconds. It entertains for hours. It’s my favorite. (On long road trips, Shannon and I will take turns reading each other Wikipedia articles from our iPhones. I heartily endorse this technique.)
So, this morning, the standard Wikipedia thing (xkcd never lies) happened: Shannon and I went from iChatting about adopted kids, to her telling me that you could rename a kid when you adopt (something I did not know and was slightly weirded out by). She then found this BoingBoing article about a Swedish couple that were fined for naming their kid Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.
This intrigued me. What names are and aren’t legal for you to name your child? I hit up Wikipedia hoping for a list. No luck so far, because I didn’t make it any farther than the List Of Unusual Person Names, which is itself awesome enough to deserve a post all its own.