Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-sally.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!ut-sally!riddle
From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.kids,net.women
Subject: Re: What's in a name?
Message-ID: <924@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Feb-84 18:41:18 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.924
Posted: Wed Feb  8 18:41:18 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 03:23:15 EST
References: <6816@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
Lines: 21

Speaking of a lack of diversity in the pool of names, it seems that in
West Germany it is still the case that all (first and middle) names
given to newborns must come from an official list.  I once witnessed
the awful battle of an American GI and his wife in the US consulate in
Munich, trying in vain to get the  A m e r i c a n  officials to help
them get by the German regulations.  It seems that their child had been
born in a German hospital; the physician in charge had told them that
he would be willing to bend the rules and put a non-German name on the
birth certificate, but that they would need the cooperation of the
American consulate.  For some reason the employees at the consulate
refused.  I never saw the resolution of the conflict, but if that GI
had gotten much madder, I was expecting them to have to call a marine
to come kick him out.

(I have also heard that the Germans have established exceptions for their
Turkish foreign workers and the like; why the exceptions don't routinely
apply to American military personnel, I don't know.)

--- Prentiss Riddle
--- ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle