The 11 baby names banned in US as expert predicts the popular ones for 2026
Did you know there are certain names that you cannot name your baby in the US?
Turns out, there are over 10 names that are banned, so while you can name your baby pretty much anything, there are a few exceptions.
The Today Show explains that guidelines can be different across different states.
For example, obscene names are banned in California and New Jersey, while Illinois and South Carolina allow parents to use numbers and symbols.
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Meanwhile, in New York, names have a maximum length of 30 characters, while surnames cannot exceed 40 characters.
In Mississippi, the baby automatically takes the father's surname, unless requested otherwise.
However, for Louisiana-born babies, unless the mother is married, they are given their mom's surname if she isn't wed within 300 days.
While many restrictions depend which state you give birth in, according to USbirthcertificates.com, there are 11 names that are illegal to use in the US.
Illegal baby names
- King
- Queen
- Jesus Christ
- III
- Santa Claus
- Majesty
- Adolf Hitler
- Nutella
- Messiah
- @
- 1069
With the start of the new year, experts have been predicting some of the biggest name trends for 2026.
Colleen Slagen, who's been a professional baby namer since 2022, has been speaking to People about some of the name trends that are set to take over 2026.
Some four years ago, Colleen quit her job as a nurse practitioner to pursue her passion for baby names, which she often discusses on TikTok and her new book, Naming Bebe: An Interactive Guide to Choosing the Baby Name You Love.
The expert states that parents are set to embrace 'short, four-letter names' in 2026 as they 'feel effortlessly cool and nickname-proof'. So, for girls, the likes of Indi, Gwen, Lana and Alba are set to be popular, while the same can be said for the boys names of Luca, Rome, Elio, Dean and Bode.
"I have worked with so many families who have accidentally started this trend with their children and then continued it for the whole set!" Colleen told People.
The expert is also predicting 'Andi Anderson names', paying homage to entertainment in the early 2000s in the process.
Colleen explained: "Us millennials have never forgotten Kate Hudson’s iconic role as Andi Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. So much so that it’s influencing our baby naming. Parents are using names for their daughters that are traditionally used for boys."
Lucy Devine