How many names can you give a baby in France?

After the excitement about the name of the new bébé royale across the channel HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, parents in France had a renewed incentive to get creative. Earlier this week the Prime Minister’s office of legal and administrative information has published an official reply to the question whether or not there is a limit to the number of first names allowed when you register your newborn baby. 

Limit? There is no such thing, says the Prime Minister. You can give your baby as many names as you like. The originality of some parents knows no bounds and every year Les Z’imparfaites compiles a list of the most bizarre:

(these are all real cases taken from the official French registry of births)

Diary

Paprika

Hertz

King-Love

Emixam (read backwards)

Thé-Eau 

Samsun

So if you are about to have baby in France, you’ll have an unlimited number of opportunities to please all grannies and grandpas on both sides of the family, and honour your favorite rock bands, food and even your preferred brand of electronics. Just remember that the baby may grow to be taller and stronger than you, and one day may decide it’s time to sit you down for “the talk” about his birth certificate and those naked baby pictures on Facebook. If you want to play it safe, infobebes.com some of the most common names in France for girls are Marie, Nathalie and Isabelle and for boys Jean, Michel and Pierre.

Bref, the France says what you name your baby is your business. However, officials do have a certain say in the matter. If the registrar considers that the number of first names are against the best interest of the baby, they can inform the Procureur de la République in order to remove one or more names from the registry.

Are you having a baby in France?