A French couple have been banned from naming their baby 'Prince William'. The parents from Perpignan in southern France were prevented from using the name after prosecutors ruled that it would lead to a “lifetime of mockery” for the child.The name ‘Prince William’ is not banned in France, but it was prohibited under an article in civil law, which allows judges to overrule baby names “in the interests of the child”, according to L’Independant.
While William was one of the top names of last year, a French court ruled that adding 'Prince' did not make for a suitable baby name
After trying to use ‘Prince William’, the couple reportedly tried to use the name ‘Mini Cooper’ – but this too was banned.If the couple had dropped ‘Prince’, they would have had no problems naming their child William, which – coincidently – made the top ten list of most popular boy’s names of last year.William’s moniker came tenth on the list, compiled by the Office for National Statistics, with 4,134 sharing the same name as the future King.The royal name wasn’t the only one to make the list - Harry was the third most popular name for boys born last year, with 5,379 babies being sharing the same name as William’s little brother.Ever since the birth of Prince George in 2013, the rosy-cheeked charmer's name has risen in popularity and in 2014 it was ranked seventh, having moved up three places.Other traditional names which appear in the top list for boys include Oliver, which has been in the top spot since 2013, and Jack, Charlie and James.
William - and George - made the list of top ten baby names of 2014
Amelia has remained the most popular girls' name for the fourth year in a row, followed by Olivia and Isla in second and third place.For the first time Harper entered the top 100 girls' names in 2014, ranking at number 89, having moved up 71 places. This may well be popularised by David and Victoria Beckham's adorable four-year-old daughter Harper, or the novelist Harper Lee.According to the ONS, there are a number of possible reasons why the popularity of baby names change over time. It can be influenced by names of famous figures or current celebrities and what they name their own babies.However, it can also be influenced by other factors such as the religious, cultural or ethnic identities of parents, or the names of family, friends or fictional characters.Time will tell if Charlotte makes an appearance in the figures for 2015 girls names after the birth of William and Kate’s little Princess this year.