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Italian court changes baby's name
Filed under: Babies, Weird But True
As far as unusual baby names go, "Friday" is not too bad. It is short, means something, and is easy to spell. All in all, I kind of like it. Unfortunately for this couple, the Italian courts do not and have ruled that they cannot name their son "Friday."
Little Friday was already five months old when his name was noticed by a city clerk. The clerk brought the matter to the attention of a tribunal, which decided the name fell into the category of "ridiculous or shameful." Claiming the name would hinder the boy from developing "serene interpersonal relationships", the tribunal moved to protect this child from a lifetime of days-of-the-week jokes.
"We named him Friday because we like the sound of the name. Even if it would have been a girl, we would have named her Friday," the boy's mother, Mara Germano says. Livid, the parents appealed the decision. The appeals court ruled against them, saying the name recalled the servile savage in the novel Robinson Crusoe and pointing out that some superstitious Italians consider Friday to be an unlucky day.
The court ordered his name be changed, but the parents refused. So, the court did it for them, renaming the child Gregory, after the saint whose feast day he was born on.
"My son was born Friday, baptised Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory," she said. Take that, Italian courts!
Little Friday was already five months old when his name was noticed by a city clerk. The clerk brought the matter to the attention of a tribunal, which decided the name fell into the category of "ridiculous or shameful." Claiming the name would hinder the boy from developing "serene interpersonal relationships", the tribunal moved to protect this child from a lifetime of days-of-the-week jokes.
"We named him Friday because we like the sound of the name. Even if it would have been a girl, we would have named her Friday," the boy's mother, Mara Germano says. Livid, the parents appealed the decision. The appeals court ruled against them, saying the name recalled the servile savage in the novel Robinson Crusoe and pointing out that some superstitious Italians consider Friday to be an unlucky day.
The court ordered his name be changed, but the parents refused. So, the court did it for them, renaming the child Gregory, after the saint whose feast day he was born on.
"My son was born Friday, baptised Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory," she said. Take that, Italian courts!
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ReaderComments (Page 5 of 9)
12-22-2007 @ 3:36PM
copperx said...first off it's not vernadi it's venerdi...If you're going to comment the least you could do is be accurate. Secondly if that's the worst the Italian government does god bless. Healthcare is paid by the government in Italy so stop comparing and criticizing what you don't understand.
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12-19-2007 @ 12:45PM
papa said...There was a wedding announcement in the local paper and the bride's maiden name was Anita Dick. A while later in the birth announcements, yup, mother's maiden name was Anita Dick-problem solved!
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12-19-2007 @ 1:11PM
Mary said...When I was in school, there was a girl, and her last name was June. Her first and middle name was April May. I don't recall anyone ever giving her a hard time about her name. After all, it was just a name...
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12-19-2007 @ 1:02PM
Bob said...Hey, they could have named him Spaghetti, thatsa good Italian Name...
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12-19-2007 @ 1:09PM
Mary said...I was talking with a new neighbor the other day, and she told me that her oldest son's name is Pinhead. I asked her why she named him that, and she said that when he was born, she was 16, and he looked like a pinhead. He's 19 now, but can you imagine the teasing he must have endured as a child? I bet he learned to fight really well at an early age, lol!
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12-19-2007 @ 1:23PM
Lealah said...I remember a few years back hearing on the radio all this ridiculous fucked up names people give their children here in the us...they had names like gonorrhea, clamydia, syphilis, all these other sick disgussting names,we should do something like that here(maybe rename the child and rename the parents with the messed up names they chose for their kid!!haha),THOSE r the names that would really hinder a childs social existence....then there are the cute ones like I had a few friends with names such as Rose Bush,Rocky Mountain and Holly Wood....
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12-19-2007 @ 1:07PM
Crystal said...I agree with michelles.
My daughters names are Paxton and Addison. I also went to school with a girl named Ryan, and I know a guy and a girl named Shelby. I even know a guy named Guy, so go figure?
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12-19-2007 @ 1:09PM
Jim said...Apparently they don't remember Joe Friday of Dragnet fame in Italy either. They should have left these folks alone. It's not like they named him Moon unit or something.
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12-19-2007 @ 1:17PM
Chili off said...My God - this big brother crap is everywhere , how anul - let 'em name their kid what ever they want I say.
Gee WiZZ , already.
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12-19-2007 @ 1:32PM
Rohocov said...Its better then a name I heard in the hospital... The boy was named NOSMO KING. mOTHER named him after sign she saw.
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12-19-2007 @ 1:26PM
Stephanie said...Over the years I've actually worked with two different people named Friday, one male one female. I guess it just doesn't seem that strange especially when you take into consideration all the celebrity baby names. I mean Apple, Pilot Inspector? Come on...
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12-19-2007 @ 1:28PM
John Baker said...I'm thinking that there are a lot of people with nothing to do out there! Who gives a rat's behind what anyone names their kid? LOL ;)
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12-19-2007 @ 1:32PM
Smurf1901 said...My sister is 32 years old. Her legal name is "Sunday". She grew up just fine. They should get to name their son Friday if they want
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12-19-2007 @ 1:42PM
Michelles said...Instead of worrying so much about conforming our children's names to those deemed acceptable to the intolerant masses, on pain of being tormented and teased if not hauled into court, wouldn't it be better to teach our children not to be intolerant, cruel, hateful and judgmental?
Your name does help to define you, and having one that is unique or unusual can be a challenge. I feel sad for those who don't realize what a blessing a challenge can be, and a wonderful opportunity. When your name is unusual, you also get to define your name.
As for those children given what many would consider hideous or obscene names, sadly I suspect their name, on the scheme of things, is probably one of the lesser challenges they'll face. And still better than many of the other horrors life can throw at you. Maybe they are even better equipped than any of us to deal with them?
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12-19-2007 @ 1:44PM
Tony K. Oni said...Vernadi sounds great. With all the problems they have over there, you would think they would concentrate on the real issues. Being a native Italian/proud American, I have only one question. What would they think of all the Angels and Jesus's we have in this country?
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12-19-2007 @ 1:49PM
realwoman said...oh, maybe they thought the parents said FriedEgg.
one should be banned from naming one's child after such a delicious breakfast meal when covered in cheese....and,oh,
be right back!
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12-19-2007 @ 2:00PM
Jim said...In Muskegon Michigan there is a family with the last name of Piggy. They named their daughters Ima and Youra. Names like that should be considered abuse. I like Friday as a name however. It is not like they named her Monday!
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12-19-2007 @ 2:04PM
grammajean said...Your article on how many children the celebrities have is ALL WRONG. Warren Beatty has 4 children, not 7.
Steven Spielberg has 5 children, not 7. Pierce Brosnan doesn't have 7 children.
Get your facts straight.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 2:02PM
Al said...Ya'll so stupid, ppl always trying to stand out and bring attention to themselves, that's the only reason ppl give STUPID names to thier kids.
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12-19-2007 @ 2:10PM
tana green said...I'm confused. Did they name the child "Friday" or "Vernadia"? Either way if they got a priest to baptize the child how can a court come along and change it. Just makes Italy look reactionary and silly, like they need that. I knew a Thursday and she was alright. And I knew a girl named George. Would the Italians have changed that too. Everybody survives with the name they have and if they need to they change it. It's apersonal thing, not a government thing.
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