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French parents banned from naming their child Nutella or Fraise

Judge ruled that giving a girl the 'name of a chocolate spread' was against her interests as it 'might lead to mockery and unpleasant remarks'.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

French parents wishing to name their children after their favourite food may have to think twice, as a court has ruled against babies being called Nutella or Fraise, reports The Independent.

A judge in Valenciennes, northern France, took a tough stance against a couple who tried to call their child Nutella in September 2014, after a "shocked" registrar reported their choice to the local prosecutor.

La Voix du Nord newspaper reported that the judge said giving the child "the name of a chocolate spread" was against the girl’s interests, as it “might lead to mockery and unpleasant remarks”. He also noted that the name Nutella is the official brand name of the chocolate spread product.

When the parents did not turn up at the November hearing, the judge ruled that the girl should be renamed Ella.

That same court made a similar argument in January this year: overturning the decision by another couple to call their child Fraise.

A slang term – "ramène ta fraise" ("get your a** over here") was cited as the reason for why the girl might face derision.

Read more of this report from The Independent.