Italian Govt. Renames Baby

He was born, registered, and baptized Friday Germano, but the Italian government is calling him Gregory. The Germanos happen to like the name Friday, but 5 months after they gave it to their baby, a court in Genoa ruled that it had to be changed. In Italy, it seems, the law forbids giving children “ridiculous or shameful” first names, Reuters reports.

Now, 10 months later, the Germanos have lost their appeal, so their child is officially named Gregory, after the saint on whose feast day he was born. But outside of official paperwork, he'll answer to his birth name, parents say. “I really doubt this would have happened to the child of parents who are rich and famous,” the mother grumbled. (More baby stories.)