XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.fan.tolkien   
   From: REdamm.MOVEusenet@SPAMkristiandamm.dk   
      
   Paul S. Person wrote:   
   > Perhaps people   
   > aren't free to spell their names however they wish in Sweden.   
      
   Can't speak for Sweden, bu in Denmark you can't. When naming a child you   
   have to adhere to an official list of approved names.  If you want a name   
   not on the list, you can seek for it to be added to the list. Usually that   
   is no big deal - the purpose is mainly to protect the child from the   
   foolishness of it's parents.   
      
   Both Bilbo, Pip and Frodo are on the list, so are Rose and Elanor, as are   
   Stefani, Stefania, Stefanie, Steffani, Steffanie, Steffannie, Steffenie,   
   Stephani, Stephania, Stephanie and Stephenie.   
      
   But a couple of years ago we had a row, when someone wanted to name their   
   child Christophpher. Not Chriistofer, Christof, Christoff, Christoffer,   
   Christofher, Christoph, Christophe, Christopher, Kristof, Kristófer,   
   Kristofer, Kristoffer, Kristoffur, Kristoofer, or Kristopher, but   
   Christophpher.   
      
   > One pictures a massive "Book of Allowed Names in Their One and Only   
   > Proper Spelling" from which each child's names must be chosen when the   
   > birth certificate is filled out and/or at the child's christening or   
   > any other time a name is given, using the spelling given, no   
   > exceptions or variations allowed, then or at any other time in that   
   > person's life.   
      
   Yup. Except that it is not engraved in stone, but added to frequently. I   
   expect the influx of refugee gives a lot of new names to the list. And in   
   the 70'ties there was a fad of naming girls after spice: Chili, Paprika,   
   Merian and Timian are approved. (And I just noticed: Merry is approved as a   
   girls name, but not for boys.)   
      
   --   
   Venlig hilsen/Best regards   
   Kristian Damm Jensen   
      
   Some value certainty above truth. -- Terry Pratchett: "Small Gods",   
   Vorbis speaking   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)