Parents who won battle to name their son LUCIFER say registrar compared choice to calling their baby Hitler and complain it was ‘very hurtful’ on what should have been a ‘joyous day’
- Dan and Mandy Sheldon won battle with local register office to call son Lucifer
- A registrar in Chesterfield objected to the idea and said ‘he’ll never get a job’
- Hit back at comments on This Morning, told name means ‘bearer of light’ in Latin
A couple who won a battle to call their son Lucifer have revealed that a disapproving registrar compared the choice to naming their son after Adolf Hitler.
Dan and Mandy Sheldon, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire visited their local register office earlier this month to name their four-month-old baby, but were met with backlash from the registrar, who said the child would ‘never succeed in life’.
The couple were told their son would ‘never get a job’ with the name Lucifer – which in the Christian faith is synonymous with the devil or Satan – but hit back explaining that they are in no way religious.
After complaining, the unnamed woman begrudgingly approved Lucifer’s name and appearing on This Morning today, Dan said the couple found the comments ‘very hurtful’, and explained the name means ‘bearer of light’ in Latin.
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appearing on This Morning today, Dan (pictured) told the couple found the comments made by their registrar ‘very hurtful’ and explained the name means ‘bearer of light’ in Latin
Dan and Mandy Sheldon, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire visited their local register office earlier this month to name their four-month-old baby (pictured)
Dan said: ‘The christian meaning is that Lucifer is the fallen angel, but before the Christian meaning, in Latin, it means the bringer of life. So it depends on what part of history you choose to take the meaning from.
‘At one point she referee to Hitler and said “Why don’t you call your little boy Hitler?”. And that was a bit of a strange comment.’
The father went on to insist he was ‘gobsmacked’ at the reaction of the registrar and told she ‘wouldn’t leave it’ after they explained they understood the connotations of the name.
Dan said: ‘It was very hurtful yeah, we were gobsmacked. We didn’t know what to say. We said we understood the name and thanks for her opinion, but she carried on and wouldn’t leave it.
Dan told hosts Rochelle Humes and Ore Oduba (both pictured) their registrar had said the child would ‘never succeed in life’
The couple were told their son would ‘never get a job’ with the name little Lucifer – which in the Christian faith is synonymous with the devil or Satan
‘At one point, we were asked to leave the room and we had to ask if it was law we couldn’t call our baby Lucifer.’
Viewers were divided on the choice, with many throwing their support behind the couple and insisting Lucifer is a ‘lovely name’ while others felt the name was ‘asking for trouble’.
When quizzed on whether the religious implications influenced their decision, Dan insisted that ‘everyone is entitled to their views’.
He told: ‘I think in this day and age it shouldn’t be a concern, everyone is entitled to their views.
Viewers were divided on the choice, with many throwing their support behind the couple and insisting Lucifer is a ‘lovely name’
Meanwhile others weren’t convinced on the name, with one saying the decision was ‘asking for trouble’
‘I’m not religious but they have their views and the council did and it was very hurtful, on a day which should have been very joyous.’
Explaining their choice of name, Dan told that the couple felt the name was ‘strong’ and unique because it’s not widely used.
‘We were struggling to come up with a name, said Dan. ‘It means bearer of light and we thought this was a strong name.
‘It’s one to remember and it’s not very popular, so we chose that one’.
Derbyshire County Council said of the incident: ‘We apologise if they were offended but it is the job of our registrars to advise in these matters as sometimes people are not aware of certain meanings or associations around certain names.’