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A French couple face being banned from naming their daughter Liam over concerns it would lead to gender confusion.
A couple in France may be banned from naming their daughter, Liam, as prosecutors argue it could lead to gender confusion.
According to DailyMail, the couple from Morbihan in Brittany, tried to give their girl the traditionally male name in English-speaking countries, but a prosecutor argued it was contrary to the interest of the child.
As part of their case, prosecutors pointed to high-profile Liams such as former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and decorated actor Liam Neeson to support their argument.
The prosecutor said the name ‘would be likely to create a risk of gender confusion’ and would be ‘therefore contrary to the interest of the child and could harm him in his social relations,’ according to The Local.
The prosecutor who took the matter to court, asked the judge to ban the couple from calling their third child Liam, demanding she is given a different one or one that is chosen by the judge.
A trial date has yet to be set, but it follows a long line of parents being reported to the so-called ‘name police’ over their choices.
Among those to have already been banned are Nutella, Fraise (Strawberry) and even Derc’hen and Fañch, simply because of the apostrophe and accent.
While in many Western countries, especially the UK and US, unisex names are becoming increasingly popular, with names such as Elliott and Jordan used for both boys and girls.
But in France, many first names have both male and female equivalents, such as Francois and Francoise, Jean and Jeanne and Frederic and Frederique.