Don’t name your kids ‘Bodoh’, ‘Skibidi’ or ‘Evil’, Malaysian agency tells parents

The tiger may be a symbol of Malaysia, but its citizens are not allowed to name their children “Harimau” (Malay for tiger).

In a Facebook post on July 8, Malaysia’s National Registration Department shared with parents the dos and don’ts of naming their babies.

Parents should avoid names with negative connotations, like “Evil”, “Bodoh”, and “Busuk” – which mean stupid and smelly respectively in Malay, said the department.

Gen Z slang like “Skibidi” has also made the list of names to be avoided. The term has references to viral YouTube video series Skibidi Toilet by animator Alexey Gerasimov, where a man’s head emerges from a toilet and sings.

The department added that parents should not include official titles such as “Dato”, “Tan Sri”, or “Puan Sri” in their children’s names.

Names that are difficult to spell and pronounce, like “ytjt” and “usyux”, should also be avoided.

Names should be kept short, as the maximum number of characters allowed on a child’s birth certificate is 80.

People with unusual names can be found all around the world,

including Singapore

.

This includes Batman Suparman, who made international headlines when he was

jailed in 2013

for theft, housebreaking and consuming heroin.

Some countries have also come up with naming laws that restrict the names parents can legally give their children.

In 2015, a French court

blocked parents from naming their baby girl Nutella

after the hazelnut spread, arguing it would make her the target of mockery.