Does the German government still regulate what you can name your child?

My husband says the government here can regulate what we name our child when he/she is born. Is this true?


For instance, I have a friend whose name is Tamara-her Dad wanted to call her Tammy, but this was not allowed 36 years ago.

Does the German government still regulate what you can name your child?
There are two basic rules, only one of them has been touched upon so far.








First of all, German law forbids you to give your child a name that would make it subject to ridicule or worse. So you can't call you kid "bummer" or "nitwit" or, indeed, "nuclear reactor".





The second rule is that the gender of the child has to become clear from the name. So, if you pick a name that the registry office person has never heard of, you may be asked to pick a second name that clarifies whether your kid is a boy or a girl.





If you expect that the name you want may not be very well known in Germany, it's always a good idea to bring some proof that the name exists, and whether is is female or male. This can be anything, a book of names in English, or a novel in which a character has that name, or a page of birth announcements from you home paper.
Reply:Yes in a way If the First name does not shows the gender for example Pinky its a name but does not clearly not show the gender the second name has to show the gender like jenny so there regulate it.
Reply:The German government does not and did never regulate what name your child must bear. They may, however, forbid names that would make the kids life a misery, like naming your child "nuclear reactor" (true story). Other than that, you're free to use any avantgarde name you wish.
Reply:As tangalukas already explained the Government overhere doesn't regulate names. However, you have to register a newborn with the local town/city hall (Einwohnermeldeamt). There you may run into problems if a child has an unusual name. My brother for instances lives in a small town. When he went last year to register his daughter named Mercedes he had to show prove that it was actually a female name and not just a car brand. I am married to an American and our kid's names are Lane and LeAnn. I had no problems whatsoever to register them. Mainly because of the fact my husband is American. Hope this helps:))