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