This Mom Gave Her Baby the ‘Most Outrageous Name’ as an Experiment & Now She’s Stuck With It

Growing up in a world filled with Brittanys and Jessicas, I totally understand the urge to name your baby something a little less popular. But now, even names like Blaze and Bellamy are becoming mainstream — so parents really have to think outside the box. (Think Elon Musk and Grimes’ baby names: X Æ A-12, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus.) One Australian mom wanted to test the legal limits of what was OK to name her baby — and in a wild turn of events, the “outrageous” name passed!

Journalist Kirsten Drysdale works at the ABC’s show, What the FAQ, in Australia. She was pregnant with her third son when someone asked, “Are there any names you legally cannot call your children?” Sure, she could have just done some research or maybe called the Births, Deaths and Marriages office in New South Wales, but she wanted to experience firsthand what would happen when a baby name was rejected. So, when her baby boy was born in July, she named him “Methamphetamine Rules,” per The Guardian.

In a video shared to YouTube, Drysdale holds her baby and types out “Methamphetamine Rules Drysdale” on the birth certificate application. “OK, well. That was pretty straightforward,” she says in the video. “And, presumably, that name won’t go through, so now we wait.”

Next, the video skips ahead five weeks and shows Drysdale reveals his official birth certificate. She says, “It got through. Methamphetamine Rules Drysdale is official!” Can you imagine?

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“We thought we would submit the most outrageous name we could think of, assuming it would be rejected,” she said, per Guardian, adding that her husband took some convincing to go along with it. “But it didn’t turn out that way – unfortunately Methamphetamine Rules slipped through the cracks.”

Drysdale continued, “We chose Methamphetamine thinking there’s no way that anyone will see that word and think it’s OK. But we were wrong.” And what a thing to be wrong about! No one could have predicted that a name like Meth Rules would be approved and printed on the official birth certificate!

A spokesperson for Births, Deaths and Marriages confirmed that an actual person reviews all names and said that this “unusual name” had “unfortunately slipped through.” They added that they have strengthened the naming review process and will be working with the family to change the name. Although, it will still be on record.

“A name registered at birth remains on the NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages Register forever,” the spokesperson told Guardian. “Even if the name is formally changed.”

In addition to Methamphetamine, there are other names Australia won’t allow you to choose for your baby. This includes things that are offensive, not in the public interest, more than 50 characters, include symbols, or are an official title or rank such as princess, Queen, or goddess.

The U.S. has slightly different naming laws — if we didn’t, Nick Cannon couldn’t have named his daughter Powerful Queen. According to Dictionary.com, different states have their own laws regarding baby names, although most of them ban names deemed “offensive.” In California and many other states, you can’t include accent marks or diacritical marks in names (like Khloé Kardashian).

Other states like Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, North Carolina, and Oregon do allow accents and certain foreign letters on birth certificates, per USBirthCertificates.com. In New York, first and middle names can be no longer than 30 characters and last names can’t exceed 40 characters. In Massachusetts, the first, middle, and last names can’t be over 40 characters in total!

If you want to get a little wild with your baby name, give birth in Illinois or Kentucky, which have no restrictions.

So far, Drysdale hasn’t picked a new name for her baby boy. “My husband said maybe his nickname should be ‘Speedy’, but I’m sure he will develop his own nickname that’s appropriate to his real name and his personality,” Drysdale told Guardian. “He’s a very chill child, a beautiful baby boy, so not anything like a meth user.” Love that for her!

Baby Meth may have a new name soon, but one day, he’ll have the ultimate trump card in a get-to-know-you game of two truths and a lie. Nobody would believe that his legal name used to be Methamphetamine Rules!

From Illusia to Zillion, here are a few of the most unique celebrity baby names.

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