New Zealand Judge Renames Girl, Says ‘Talula Does the Hula’ Was Poor Choice

Family Law

New Zealand Judge Renames Girl, Says ‘Talula Does the Hula’ Was Poor Choice

Posted Jul 24, 2008, 09:51 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

A fed-up judge in New Zealand thought the name “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” was an embarrassing name for a 9-year-old girl involved in a custody battle, so he decided to change it.

Judge Rob Murfitt made the girl a ward of the court so he could make the change, the Associated Press reports. He did not reveal her new name.

''The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name,'' he wrote in an opinion released today. ''It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.''

The child’s lawyer told the court she was embarrassed to reveal her real name and asked people to call her “K,” the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

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Posted by i laugh at funny names - 1 month, 5 days, 13 hours, 58 minutes ago

Where was this judge when Bob Geldof named one of his kids Fifi Trixibelle?
Posted by Chris - 1 month, 4 days, 19 hours, 54 minutes ago

I am OK with this ONLY because the child was embarrassed and dreaded revealing her birth name. Otherwise, where does a judge get off renaming people’s kids - no matter how stupid their given name is? Judges ought to stick to interpreting the law and not sorry so much about children’s names. Perhaps I’ll name my son “Rob Murfitt is a Tyrant from New Zealand.”
Posted by Rich - 1 month, 4 days, 19 hours, 41 minutes ago

Judges should intervene in renaming people’s kids when the parents obviously lack the brains to do so properly. Chris’ son will have to be renamed as well.
Posted by that sucks - 1 month, 4 days, 19 hours, 23 minutes ago

I’m assuming that Murfitt is a family law judge or New Zealand’s equivalent. Given that, Chris’s comment reflects a lack of understanding of what those judges are supposed to do -protect the best interests of the child. This includes the obvious future embarrassment of such an atrocious name. If you doubt the implications of this, read “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything”, By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. They have a great chapter on the relevance of a child’s name and what impact it can have, or what it can suggest. I wish more judges would help children like this -children who are old enough to be cognizant that their given name will cause them embarrassment or will hurt their future chances of success.
Posted by Brian - 1 month, 4 days, 18 hours, 55 minutes ago

What is the law on the naming of children in the US? Would a US judge have the power to rename a child? And what if parents had included an expletive in the child’s name? I’ve heard of this happening in other countries, but it seems like American judges don’t have this power, although I’m not sure of the law on these issues here.
Posted by Anon Observer - 1 month, 4 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes ago

Brian - If this was a custody battle in family court in the US, the judge would have the power to change the name as well. Honestly, it would be hard for it to come to that, since obtaining a birth certificate with an expletive for a child’s name would be impossible to obtain.
Posted by Iolanthe - 1 month, 4 days, 16 hours, 46 minutes ago

Maybe we can get this judge to rename Obama, so he can get rid of his pesky middle name.
Posted by Spencer Neth - 1 month, 4 days, 16 hours, 43 minutes ago

Another approach was taken by a Swedish judge who fined a woman named Elizabeth Hallin $680 for naming her son
“Brfxxccmnpcccclllmmmmnprxclmnckssqlbb11116” She reportedly said that the name was pronounced “Albin.” Of course once a child was of age they can call themselves whatever they want.
n named her 5 year old son this, and was fined $680 by a district court in southern Sweden.
Posted by R - 1 month, 4 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes ago

here is a webpage devoted to bad nameshttp://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/
Posted by Talula Does the Hula from Watts - 1 month, 4 days, 14 hours, 44 minutes ago

I wish my name ended in “from Hawaii.”
Posted by Barrack Hussein Obama - 1 month, 4 days, 14 hours, 43 minutes ago

lolanthe - you so crazy.
Posted by Doneil - 1 month, 4 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes ago

What we need now is to rename George W. Bush as George Worthless Bush.
Posted by Andy the Lawyer - 1 month, 4 days, 11 hours, 45 minutes ago

To Iolanthe (#7)—In a battle of middle names, I prefer Obama’s to McCain’s. “Hussein” was a gallant warrior whose death hundreds of years ago is still commemmorated annually by hundreds of millions of mourners worldwide. “Sidney” is the kid you beat up for lunch money in middle school.
Posted by J Edwards - 1 month, 4 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes ago

let’s see - remember Moon Unit Zappa? Of course, I am stuck with the name of a failed Democratic presidential candidate ambulance chasing attorney.
Posted by Matt - 1 month, 3 days, 17 hours, 33 minutes ago

@ Spencer. Sweden’s laws include a list of names that parents are permitted to use in naming their children. Deviating in *any* way from the list - and not just in crazy ways as in the case you mention - results in a fine.

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