Bringing a baby into the world is a warm and beautiful feeling for every parent, and naming that little bundle of joy is the icing on the cake.
While we live in a country where parents are given the leeway and have the freedom to be creative while naming their children, there are countries that deprive other parents such freedom.
That said, here are 5 names that are banned around the world;
Tom
The odd thing about Portugal is that Thomas or Tomás is legal in the country but Tom is off the table. This is because it's considered as a nickname or a shortened versioned of Thomas.
The country has very strict regulations in what it allows in names, and it has banned alternate spellings and shortened versions of names.
So, if you want to name your child anything close to the name Tom, you have to spell it out as Thomas or Tomás.
Linda
Sorry but no Lindas are allowed in Saudi Arabia. While it may be popular in Kenya, the name was among those banned in 2015 by the Saudi Arabian government as they found it to be offensive, non-Islamic, non-Muslim and against the Saudi Arabian culture.
Harriet
The name Harriet won't fly in Iceland. According to the naming regulations in the country, names have to be conjugated in Icelandic and should have Icelandic grammatical endings. However, the name Harriet conflicts with this structure and regulations.
Saint
While American rapper Kanye West and socialite wife Kim Kardashian may have named their second-born child Saint, this is totally off-limits in NewZealand. This is because the name has a religious connotation attached to it making it illegal.
Heaven, Allah, Bishop is also a big no in the country.
This name is totally unacceptable in Germany. They banned this name because of its association with the terror attack of September 11 2001. It's considered offensive and ridicule to the baby being named.