Especially so in Iceland, I believe.
In Iceland, you cannot name your child whatever you want. You can only use a name that appears on an official list of approved Icelandic names. But it is possible to apply to a committee for permission to use a name which is not yet listed.
Who knows that our name actually enslaves us?!
In Portugal, there's also a list of approved names. However, if you're not Portuguese and your child is born here, you can already give them any name you like.
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You sure know the trivia that will catch my attention! Haha.
Would you happen to know the number of names on this list? N how do you feel that there are hundreds of thousands of your countrymen with the same name as you?
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The list has approximately 4,000 female names and 4,000 male names. You can check out the list here.
I don't mind sharing a name with thousands of others. It's important to note that in Portugal, people typically have four names (e.g., João Pedro Silva Teixeira). However, only two names are mandatory (e.g., João Teixeira). The mandatory list of names only applies to the first two. The last two can be whatever you like. Typically, following the example above, Silva is the mother's last name and Teixeira is the father's last name.
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Sorry to get back to you late. Appreciate the insight! Some Japanese couples are like this too. They each contribute one kanji character to their child’s name.
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In my country, Spain, there is a long list of forbidden names, for example these names would be banned, Cain, Stalin, Lucifer, Judas, Hitler...
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