What's really surprising isn't that these names are outlawed in certain areas but why they were banned from becoming monikers for the babies of these creative parents.

What's in a name? A whole lot, apparently! Our first names give a message to others before they even meet us! They are our "pre-first impressions" if you will. While this is relative, the name "Gertrude" usually conjures up quite a different image than the name "Trixie."

But when it comes to naming babies, it seems that some parents are vying for first place in a creative naming contest that doesn't exist. We at BabyGaga have nothing against creative names. Quite the contrary! But we do think that most everyone can agree that some people take things too far. In the US, we've got our fill of creative baby names just from celebrities alone. From Apple to Moxie Crimefighter to Maple, there's a little something for everyone... or maybe not. But the point is that Americans can name their little ones pretty much whatever they can dream up.

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In other countries, freedom of name-choosing is limited. Some countries have laws that claim to protect children from ridicule that would follow them for the rest of their lives. Some names are banned outright for rather strange reasons and we thought it would be fun to country-hop and dive into some of these stories to find out what exactly causes a name to be banned.

According to Good Housekeeping, new parents in France who were huge fans of cocoa spread Nutella couldn't think of a more perfect name for their little girl but a judge said that this name would "make her the target of derision." The couple opted not to fight the decision but compromised for the name "Ella."

Also in France, proud parents of a bouncing baby boy decided not to let their plain non-blue blood stop them from having a royal little one so they attempted to name their son "Prince William" but a judge threw the name out because it would likely "lead to a childhood of mockery." Agreed.

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Sweden is a country which is known for its strict naming laws. A set of parents found this out the hard way when they registered their child's name as "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116." The couple received a fine for registering their baby's (whose name they pronounce as "Albin") many years after their child's 5th birthday as required by Swedish law. Another Swedish family found their dreams of naming their baby "Ikea" dashed.

Over in New Zealand, a pair of parents desperately wanted to name their son "III" only to find out that roman numerals are a no-go as a name in New Zealand. A different family attempted to name their baby with a single period. Yep, just one dot. The name would have been pronounced "Full Stop" if only it had been approved.

It's understandable to most that these baby names have not been approved in their respective countries. But what about common names like Sarah, Linda and Tom? Surely no country would outlaw them? Think again!

In Saudi Arabia, Linda is banned because "it is not in line with social traditions." Likewise, the name Tom is not allowed in Portugal because it's a nickname and not a proper full name. People are allowed to be called Tom in Portugal as long as their first name is Tomás. In Iceland, the name Harriet just won't fly because it can not be translated in Icelandic. Moroccan parents can happily name their baby girls Sara but Sarah is a big no-no because the spelling is "too Hebrew."

What do you think about the reasons some of these names were banned? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know why in the comments!