Congrats On Your Baby; Don’t Give It An Illegal Name In Texas

There are plenty of things that are illegal. Most of them are somewhat, if not very, obvious. That doesn't mean everything that is illegal is incredibly, painfully, obvious. Like baby names.

Having a baby? Congrats. Just make sure you don't give it an illegal name in Texas.

Yes, There Are Baby Names That Are Illegal

On a national level, there are certain names you can't give your child. Something like, Santa Claus. Can't name your bundle of joy after the jolly ol' elf.

Adolf Hitler is another one that's illegal, for hopefully obvious reasons.

The "at" symbol is another one. You can't simply name your kid, @.

But what about names at the state level? Surely there aren't any wacky rules regarding the moniker you thrust upon your progeny.

Wrong.

In Texas, There Are Rules You Have To Follow When Naming Your Kid

Yes, the Lone Star State does have some oddly specific rules when it comes to naming your kid. When I say odd, there's one that really makes me scratch my head.

In the state of Texas, you can't give the fruit of your loins a name that is over 100 letters total. That means you get around 33 letters for the first name, middle name, and last name each.

To me, that's an oddly specific number. I have so many questions and the main one is; who inspired this rule? I want to know what name came across someone's desk that made them say, "Okay, we've got to get a handle on this."

Also, there are certain things you can't use. Numbers, special characters, and diacritical marks are all no-nos. So, a name like B0bby! is absolutely unacceptable in, Texas.

Sorry, B0bby!.