Naming your child is perhaps one of the most exciting yet pressure-filled parts of becoming a parent. Some moms and dads plan their children's names long before they're born, and others "just know" the moment they first set eyes on them.
Naming your child is a personal and emotional task, so when somebody attempts to stop you from calling your own child what you believe in your heart-of-hearts they should be called, it can be upsetting.
However, a couple in the UK has successfully and legally named their son Lucifer after a registrar at their local council attempted to stop them.
Speaking to The Sun, parents Dan and Mandy Sheldon revealed how they had attempted to register their four-month-old son's name at their local council office in Derbyshire, England, last week, which had just reopened to the public after being shut due to the pandemic.
However, the couple were stunned after the registrar told them they could not use the name - which resulted in Mr Sheldon filing an official complaint about their treatment.
The father told the outlet that the council employee said that their son "would not succeed in life" with the name Lucifer.
Mr Sheldon added: "We were really excited to go and get him registered but the woman looked at us in utter disgust.
"She told us he would never be able to get a job, and that teachers wouldn't want to teach him.
"I tried to explain that we are not religious people, and Lucifer in Greek means 'light-bringer' and 'morning' but she wouldn’t listen.
"She even told us that it was illegal to name a child that in New Zealand and that maybe we could name him something else but refer to him as Lucifer at home."
Check out even more illegal baby names:In Christianity, Lucifer is the name given to the devil when he is an angel before his fall from grace.
Because of this context, the name is actually banned in some countries, such as New Zealand, Germany, and Switzerland.
However, the Latin word "lucifer" does also means "morning star" or, as an adjective, "light-bringing".
Dan, 37, and Mandy, 32, felt so slighted that they lodged an official complaint regarding their treatment at their local council office.
In response, Derbyshire County Council did issues the Sheldons with an apology, but emphasized that it was the job of registrars "to advise" on the meaning of names.
A spokesperson said: "Sometimes people are not aware of certain meanings or associations around certain names."
Nevertheless, the name is now legal, and we wish Dan, Mandy, and little Lucifer all the best for their future!
