BC Has Some Very Specific Baby Naming Rules That Are Among The Strictest In Canada

If you are thinking of having a baby or planning what to call the newest addition to your family, you might want to check out the Government of B.C. birth registration website because there are some strict rules.

Although B.C. and neighbouring Alberta may be among the strictest in Canada — there might be a couple of things that will surprise you.

There are some pretty interesting rules and you don't want to pull an Elon Musk baby-naming mishap. What you can and can't call your baby is very specific.

Make sure you don't accidentally name your baby something that is on the banned list.

What You Can Call Your Baby

In B.C., your child will be required to have a first name and a last name. Middle names are optional and the child can have one or more.

The last name can be the same as one of the parent's last names, two-parents last names hyphenated, a combination of both parent's last names, or a different one from both parent’s last names.

The name must use the Latin alphabet (A through to Z) and some French accents are accepted.

A child's name is also allowed to contain apostrophes, hyphens, or a period.

There is also no restriction on the length of a baby's name but if the child’s name is too long to fit on a birth certificate, the parents must fill in two other documents to replace a birth certificate.

What You Can't Call Your Baby

Numbers, brackets or symbols and definitely not allowed in your baby's name — sorry Elon Musk.

Your child cannot have more than two surnames combined together.

So if you were thinking of naming your child John Musk Bezos Gates — you will not be able to do that.