Finland's Names Board, a part of the justice ministry, has released a list of the new names it approved — as well as rejected — last year.
This time the Names Board said Kerppu, Kuippana, Tähetär and Laser were okay, whereas Voldemort, Kukkupöö and Vasara were not acceptable to call a child.
The Names Board deals with unclear cases regarding the appropriateness of a name. The final decision, however, rests with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
The board told Yle that its decisions are based on naming laws that forbid first names that could be considered offensive or causing harm to the bearer.
First names must also conform to established naming practices in terms of form, content and spelling — and generally be accepted as first names. This means, for example, words like "table" or "bicycle" would not qualify as names. Additionally, a first name should not be commonly associated with the opposite gender, nor should it resemble a typical surname.
In 2019, Finland made efforts to loosen the country's naming convention laws, creating more leeway for families with foreign backgrounds.
At the moment, Olivia and Leo are the most popular Finnish names.
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