Last year’s most popular baby names in New Zealand were recently revealed, now it’s time for the most declined names of 2023. 

Where Noah and Charlotte topped the popular list last year, Prince was the most often declined by the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, according to Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs. 

The department said that for the previous 13 years, King was the most declined name. A total of 64 registrations were declined last year. 

It’s no surprise that the names are commonly denied. 

While parents are given mostly free rein when it comes to naming their little bundle of joy, New Zealand does have strict guidelines to ensure no offence is taken, they are a reasonable length and they do not represent an official title or rank. 

The name most often declined in New Zealand last year was 'Prince'. Photo / 123rf 

If parents present a name that doesn’t meet the criteria for any of the given reasons, it is escalated to the Registrar-General who allows the parents to express their reasoning and then makes a decision on a case-by-case basis and considers whether it meets the statutory criteria. 

“Names are a gift, and they are an important part of a person’s identity. We encourage parents to think about their child and how they might feel about their name later in life,” says the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Russell Burnard. 

“When a name is in review, we give parents the opportunity to present the reasoning for the name. Then we make a decision, considering the balance of how the name may be perceived by the public and the department’s obligations under the law.” 

Other names that have been declined include Bishop, Major, Princess, Fanny, and Kingkillah - all of which were proposed less than five times last year. 

The Registrar-General suggests that when parents are naming their newborn, they should stay away from numeric characters or symbols, avoid names that may be seen as offensive, and limit the name to 70 characters or less. 

Names declined in 2023 

1. Prince - proposed five times

2. Bishop - proposed three times

3. III - proposed three times

4. King - proposed three times

5. Major - proposed three times

6. Royal - proposed three times

7. Messiah - proposed two times

8. Princess - proposed two times

9. Prynce - proposed two times

10. Rogue - proposed two times

11. Royale - proposed two times

12. Sovereign - proposed two times

13. AazyahRoyaal - proposed one time

14. Captain - proposed one time

15. Chief - proposed one time

16. Empress - proposed one time

17. Fanny - proposed one time

18. Isis - proposed one time

19. Jairah-King - proposed one time

20. JP - proposed one time

21. Judge - proposed one time

22. Justice - proposed one time

23. Justus - proposed one time

24. KC - proposed one time

25. Kiing - proposed one time

26. Kingkillah - proposed one time

27. Knight - proposed one time

28. Leonidas-king - proposed one time

29. Masai-King - proposed one time

30. MissTaunese- proposed one time

31. Nepher-ISIS - proposed one time

32. Notoriety - proposed one time

33. Pope - proposed one time

34. Princess-Penina - proposed one time

35. Pryncè - proposed one time

36. Queen - proposed one time

37. Rhoyael - proposed one time

38. Royaal - proposed one time

39. Royalty - proposed one time

40. Royalty-Reign - proposed one time

41. Saint-Liivoja - proposed one time

42. Sovereign-Kash - proposed one time

43. XIX - proposed one time