Children, it appears, are in growing danger from their parents of name abuse in UK - this is what the timesonline reports.

Britain now numbers among its youth 6 Gandalfs, 39 Gazzas, 2 Supermen and 36 Arsenals of both sexes.

A survey of British birth certificates over the past 22 years indicates that the practice of naming children after pop, sporting or film stars, or even fictional characters, is alive and well.

Some names are more acceptable — and more common — than others. Since 1984 a total of 7,261 Kylies have been born in the UK, a tribute to the enduring appeal of Ms Minogue and one in the eye for her rival, Madonna, of whom there are only 288.

Sarah Malone, of findmypast.com, said yesterday: “It seems that many of us are happy to take hero worship to a whole new level, naming our children after the stars we admire. However, it would appear that the British sense of humour is alive and well with Gandalf, Harry Potter and Superman.”


Some names just do not catch on. There are only two girls registered as Apple, and one of them is the daughter of the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and the pop star Chris Martin. Probably they are going to be pc geniuses…