Germany: Couple backs off plan to call baby Lucifer

BERLIN – A baby in Germany won’t be named Lucifer after authorities intervened.

A registrar in the central city of Kassel sought clarification from the local district court after a couple sought to give their son the name. Court official Matthias Grund told news agency dpa Wednesday that the registrar suspected the name could endanger the child’s well-being.

The parents, who were not identified, were persuaded to relent during a closed-door hearing at the local court and decided to call their son Lucian instead. That saved the court from having to decide whether Lucifer was acceptable.

Authorities in Germany can decide not to accept names for children though there is no outright ban on any specific names.