The Swedish tax agency, Skatteverket, rejected a young couple’s request to name their son Vladimir Putin, the name of the famous Russian president.

Public radio broadcaster SR recently reported the case of a couple based in Laholm, Sweden, who were banned from naming their newborn son after Russia’s president. Skatteverket didn’t explain exactly why they rejected the naming request, but according to Swedish law, names should not be offensive or risk causing problems for the bearer, nor are first names that clearly resemble surnames allowed. It wasn’t immediately clear what category “Vladimir Putin’ fell into, but the couple was forced to go for something less controversial.

Photo: Fe Ngo/Unsplash

Under the lam Naming Law, which was first enacted in 1982 updated in 2017, parents are required to report the names of their newborns to Skatteverket within the first three months after birth. However, not all get approved, and in the past, the agency has rejected names like Ford, Pilzner, Q or Allah, whole accepting bizarre monikers like  Google and Metallica.

The Swedish media has yet to report why the parents wanted to name their son Vladimir Putin in the first place.