Seu Jorge and Samba: creativity has limits; understand rules for choosing names

It was one of the subjects of the week: The registry office where Seu Jorge went to register his newborn son did not authorize him to name the baby Samba, chosen by mutual agreement between him and the child’s mother, therapist Karina Barbieri. After the initial refusal, the musician presented a text justifying why they would like to call him that, and the authorization was then given by Arpen/SP (Association of Natural Persons Registrars of the State of São Paulo.)

It may seem too subjective, but that’s how it is by law. In Brazil, those responsible for evaluating the parents’ choice of names for their children are the notary’s registrars. They have the power of veto if they consider that the child may suffer some embarrassment in the future. An example is the eldest daughter of Baby do Brasil and Pepeu Gomes, 49. Baptized Riroca, she changed to Sarah Sheeva at age 14, after being bullied at the school where she studied, in Rio de Janeiro.

Andreia Ruzzante Gagliardi, director of Arpen/SP, clarifies how far the parents’ freedom of choice goes and says that approval is not so subjective. “The idea is that the registrar doesn’t think about what he or she finds beautiful or not, but he should try to look objectively at whether it is a name that has the potential to make the person suffer lifelong embarrassment,” she says.

Another reason that leads to the impediment of registering a name is when the clerk of the notary considers that its pronunciation may be difficult. “Names with several consonants, with a very different spelling and the name is unpronounceable, are also concrete reasons to refuse the choice”, says Gagliardi.

If registration is not barred at birth, those who feel constrained by the choice their parents had at birth can rectify registration when they turn 18. The change can be made directly at a Civil Registry Office and there is no need to explain the reasons for the change.