Sometimes you might hear a baby's name and wonder not just how a parent can allow it, but how we live in a society that lets people name a kid that. However, that isn't the case everywhere. In France, prosecutors review the paperwork of newborns and if they come across a name they feel is inappropriate for some reason, they can prevent the parents from using it.
That's just what happened to Kristina Desgres and Rodrigo Velasquez. The couple named their newborn son Hades, the name of the ancient Greek god of the dead who ruled the underworld. They chose the moniker because they felt it sounded "pretty," telling the Le Pays Malouin newspaper, "Hades Velasquez Desgres sounds good."
When they shared the name with friends and family, no one objected. Kristina stated, "It didn't shock anyone. On the contrary, people like it." The local prosecutor, however, didn't, and felt the name is "contrary to the interests of the child" since the name refers to a god of the dead and of Hell.
The couple disagree and feel since they didn't name their child something like Lucifer or Satan, they should be allowed to keep the name as it is. They explained, "We just wanted an original first name, which sounds good."
They aren't alone either - in 2020, 12 children in France were named Hades, and Kristina and Rodrigo tracked down some of those parents who picked the name to see how it worked out. They reported that "it's never been a problem... and children named Hades aren't teased."
The couple has gone so far as to hire a lawyer to fight this battle for them. He pled their case this month before a family affairs judge who will make a ruling on April 4th.