Iceland Teen Fights to Keep Name of 'Light Breeze'

Government says 'Blaer' is not on the approved list
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2013 5:37 PM CST
Iceland Teen Fights to Keep Name of 'Light Breeze'
Blaer Bjarkardottir, 15, left, and her mother, Bjork Eidsdottir, are photographed in front of a pond in Reykjavik.   (AP Photo/Anna Andersen)

The unusual lawsuit of the day comes from Iceland, where a 15-year-old is suing the government to keep her given name of "Blaer." The problem, as the AP explains, is that it's not on the list of 1,853 approved names for girls. It translates into "light breeze," and Blaer's mom said she had no idea it wasn't on the list when she bestowed it. As a result, Blaer is referred to as "Stulka," meaning simply "girl," on all her official documents. Other nations, including Denmark and Germany, have similar lists, the rationale being to preserve the native language. (Remember the name of the Icelandic volcano that erupted in 2010 and disrupted global travel? Right: Eyjafjallajökull.)

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