Legally Acceptable American Names

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - What is on the list of acceptable American names?

Iceland is refusing to renew the passport of a 10-year-old girl because her name isn't on the list of acceptable Icelandic names. In case you were wondering, the offensive name chosen by her parents is the ever exotic: Harriet. Yep, your great aunt's name.

Iceland, like several other countries, has a list of acceptable names and Harriet's not on it. Which is why she's gone by her legal name: Girl. Apparently that one's ok in Iceland.

What's ok in the US? Almost anything.

There is no list in the US of acceptable names, but there are a few rules.

First, the name has to have letters from the alphabet. Other than for a suffix like "the third", there are no numbers that are accepted as a name.

Second, no symbols. Not even if you were the artist formerly known as Prince. You can call yourself Renee with an accent, but your birth certificate will not contain it.

Finally, the line is drawn at profanity.

There was the well publicized case in which a Tennessee Judge refused to let a couple name their baby Messiah because she said there's only one of those, but that was overturned. There are cases like the family in New Jersey who lost custody of their kids Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation - but that was based on parenting style and not on the name. Although, c'mon.

Like Harriet's parents, all parents should recall that no matter how cute or legally acceptable it is, they'll have to take that name with them on the playground, which can be even tougher than the Icelandic Naming Commission.