Light Breeze Wins (You Don't Know My Name)

Light Breeze 


"A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has won the right to use the name given her by her mother, after a court battle against the authorities.

Blaer Bjarkardottir will now be able to use her first name, which means ‘light breeze,’ officially.
Icelandic authorities had objected, saying it was not a proper feminine name.
The country has very strict laws on names which must fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules.

‘I'm very happy,’ Blaer said after the ruling.

‘I'm glad this is over. Now I expect I'll have to get new identity papers. Finally, I'll have the name Blaer in my passport.’

Reykjavik District Court's decision overturns an earlier rejection of the name by Icelandic authorities.

Until now, Blaer Bjarkardottir had been identified simply as ‘Girl’ in communications with officials.

Light Breeze 


Like Germany and Denmark, Iceland has rigid limitations about how a baby can be named. The names like Carolina and Christa, for example, are not allowed because the letter "c" is not part of Iceland's alphabet.

Names cannot be unisex either.

Blaer's mother, Bjork Eidsdottir, has said that she had no idea that Blaer was not on the list of accepted female names when she gave it to her daughter.

The panel rejected the name because they said it was too masculine for a girl.

There are some 1,853 approved female names on the Icelandic Naming Committee's list.

It was not immediately clear whether the government would appeal against the district court's decision in the Supreme Court."

Impacted 


NOTE:  As the father of a daughter, a person married to Caroline, and friend to multiple females named "Blair," I am gratified by the Iceland court's decision, and congratulate Blaer and her mother on their victory.

Obviously, different nations have different customs and I am usually reluctant even to wish to interfere with seeming trivialities. Live and let live; Vive la différence.  

But I think the Icelandic law overturned here is ridiculous. 

I would have no problem, however, if Iceland were to outlaw the "verbing" of nouns.  (Typical horrific example: the fate that has befallen the noun "impact.")

Yesterday I actually heard "action" used as a verb, i.e., "You need to action that." It prompted a strong desire to "86" the offender.  Two can play at this game, you see.

Arctic Fox -- the only indigenous mammal in Iceland prior to the arrival of humans

The Kinks: You Don't Know My Name (Link) (Happy Birthday Dave Davies)