Couple banned from naming their newborn son after Russian President Vladimir Putin

Inspiration can come from anywhere when it comes to picking out baby names – from naming your child after other loved ones, to celebrities, to even colours or the weather.

But one couple have discovered there are limits to what governments will accept after their request to name their son Vladimir Putin after the president of Russia was denied.

The couple, from the town of Laholm in Sweden, had submitted the name for approval as all names chosen for newborns must first be approved by the nation’s tax agency.

In Sweden, first names cannot be offensive or have any risk of causing “discomfort” or problems for the person.

First names which resemble surnames are also banned in the country.

The couple ultimately had their request denied by the tax agency, although they didn’t state which rule the suggested name had broken.

This isn’t the first time Sweden’s tax agency has rejected similar requests for unique monikers – with other snubbed names including Ford, Allah, Pilzner, Michael Jackson, Token, and Q.

According to a statistics database in Sweden, there are 1,413 men named Vladimir in the country, but there are less than two called Putin – as the database doesn’t show specific data below two for privacy reasons.

And while the couple have been banned from naming their child Vladimir Putin, they could still appeal the decision as other parents have done in the past.

In 2017, the parents of a baby girl successfully had a ruling overturned after the tax agency rejected the name Metallica.

While in another case, parents named their son after the search engine Google.

Although some parents like to take the unique route when naming their children, the most popular baby names in Sweden include some tried and true monikers.

In 2019, Lucas, Liam and William were the top three most selected names for baby boys, while Alice, Olivia and Astrid were popular choices for girls.