Made my son's name Yoda, did I. A father in Poland is celebrating on social media after winning a court battle to name his son after the legendary Star Wars character
ADVERTISEMENTA father in Poland is elated after winning a battle against linguists to name his son after Yoda.
Journalist Wojciech Staszewski wanted to change the middle name of his 4-year-old son to reflect the legendary Star Wars character, but Polish linguists were a little less keen.
According to local reports, the civil registry office in Warsaw consulted with the Polish Language Council, an opinion-based and consultative Polish linguistic council, after receiving Staszewski's request for the name change.
Initially, the council concluded the boy should not adopt the name, due to the fictional character's green skin and short height, Staszewski wrote in a Facebook post. But, he said, the linguists eventually backed down after Staszewski reminded them that such decisions based on the colour of a person or creature's skin counted as discrimination.
King Władysław Łokietek of Poland, also known as Władysław I the Elbow-High, was believed to have been between 130-140cm in height, he added.
While the Polish Language Council does not have any legal right to reject names, Polish authorities can turn to it for suggestions. According to the council website, it is recommended to take names deriving from the Polish language, and they should indicate the gender of the child. Names should not come from common nouns, nor relate to geographical information, the council adds.
Euronews has reached out to Warsaw's civil registry and the Polish Language Council for comment.
On his personal blog, Staszewski wrote about his longtime fandom for Star Wars and how he shared this with his children.
"And Master Yoda is with me," he said. "Throughout my whole life."
After suggesting the name to his pregnant partner, Kinga, at the time, he said, she was open to the idea. And so, the process began.
Reaction
Reactions to Staszewski's story from Polish social media users have been fairly mixed. One Twitter user suggested Staszewski was disregarding his son's future, that he could "not see a man in his child, only a toy."
Other users simply asked: "why did Daddy not change his middle name?"