Ostapenko and her mother, Jelena Jakovleva, say that the family’s desired name of Alona, an ethnically Ukrainian name, was not legally an option to be written on documents because it did not appear in the calendar of Latvian names.

“Because when parents named me Alona, they couldn’t write it down in passport as Alona,” Ostapenko said. “There was no such name in Latvian calendar. I needed to have a Latvian name, something that is on the list. So they couldn’t put me down as Alona, so they put me down as Jelena, because it’s kind of a similar name.”

Though many countries have baby-naming laws that restrict names for a child, experts on Latvian culture could not account for Ostapenko’s rationale. The Latvian calendar to which Ostapenko referred is used to celebrate name days. Each day of the year has associated names, and people with those names are honored as on their birthdays. The calendar is not, however, meant to restrict the validity of names.

“There are no legal restrictions that are or have been in place to prevent using the name Alona on legal documents,” said Karlis Bitenieks of the Terminology and Legal Translation Department at the Latvian State Language Center.

Paula Pralina of the Latvian Institute also said there would have been no restrictions on Ostapenko’s being named Alona, adding that it was possible that there was a misunderstanding at the state office when her name was registered.

“The name-day calendar is meant only to designate in which day you are supposed to celebrate your name day, not as a guide about what names you are allowed to give your child,” Pralina said. “In general, Latvians are naming their babies as they please. Some go for traditional names, some invent completely new ones.”

Adding to the confusion, Jelena is not on the traditional name-day calendar, either. Both Jelena and Alona appear only on the extended version, associated with Aug. 18. After Ostapenko’s triumph in Paris, though, the calendar could change.