At the start of 2011, the Pope declared war on parents naming babies after celebrities, fruit or popular sports cars.

In an address to parents, the ever-progressive pontiff pleaded with worshipers that when thinking of baby names, they should "give your children names that are in the Christian calendar".

So Apple, Brooklyn and Ferrari are out, Francisco and Giulia are in.

View photos Would you really want to name your child Facebook, anyway? [Rex] More













But Benedict's not the only authority figure to stamp down on one of the sillier by-products of celebrity culture.













Various baby names have all been banned around the world for reasons of taste, decency or just plain daftnesss.

So without further ado, we present out list of the top illegal baby names.

1. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii (New Zealand)

New Zealand law bans names which could cause offence to a 'reasonable' person. Good thing too - the country is a stupid name hotspot.



We found a couple from the islands who tried and failed to call their son '4Real', but nothing beats the ridiculous moniker above. It belonged to a nine-year-old girl before a judge had her renamed during a custody battle.

"It makes a fool of the child," he said. It certainly made application forms a pain in the butt.

Has New Zealand banned any other names? Oh yes. The judge listed some that were also blocked: Fish and Chips (twins), Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit. Number 16 Bus Shelter and Violence were allowed.

2. Venerdi AKA 'Friday' (Italy)

Maybe this is what the Pope was talking about. Back in 2008 a court banned an Italian couple from calling their child Venerdi (translation: Friday).



The judges reckoned the name - taken from 'Robinson Crusoe' - would expose the boy to "mockery" and was associated with "subservience and insecurity". The parents, however, might have the last laugh; they threatened to call their next child Mercoledi (Wednesday).

Has Italy banned any other names? Italian courts can step in "when the child's name is likely to limit social interaction and create insecurity'" In Turin, Andrea was rejected (and changed to Emma) as it's a boy's name in Italy. Dalmata has also been rejected, as it means Dalmatian.

3. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (Sweden)

No, we didn't fall asleep on the keyboard. That is an actual name a Swedish couple tried to inflict on their son back in 1996.



Apparently the name is pronounced "Albin" (we're not sure how), and the parents chose it as a protest against Sweden's admittedly strict naming laws. Tax authorities must give their blessing to both first and surnames before they can be used.

Has Sweden banned any other names? Oh yes. Some favourites include Metallica, IKEA, Veranda and Q. Google was OK though. Phew.

View photos Choosing a baby name can be a tricky business [Rex] More

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