Mara and Roberto Germano baptised their son Venerdi, Italian for Friday, because they wanted an unusual and original moniker. But, as officials in the Germano’s home city of Genoa are obliged by law to report odd names, the matter ended up in court.

Judges then ruled that the name Friday recalled the native servant in Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe and consequently would bar him from forming “serene interpersonal relationships” and potentially make him a laughing stock.

According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the judges also said that, as a day of the week, Friday also connotes sadness, penitence and outright bad luck. They also ordered the boy (that’s not him pictured by the way – we chose a picture that best illustrated the sadness of a young child having his name taken away) to be named Gregorio after the saint on whose day he was born.

This is not the first instance of a baby name being overruled in court. In August, Pat and Sheena Wheaton were told by New Zealand government officials that they couldn’t name their baby 4Real as it contained a digit. The couple reconsidered and re-named their child Superman.

Celebrity baby names shamed

But the Germanos unusual choice of baby name doesn’t even come close to the downright crazy monikers selected by some celebrities. Hollywood star Nicolas Cage named his second child Kal-El, the birth name of Superman. He claimed he had preferred the name Kyle but his wife Alice Kim had insisted on a longer name.

Mockney chef Jamie Oliver named his daughter Daisy Boo while A-list celebs Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin famously called their first child Apple. My Name Is Earl star Jason Lee and partner Beth Riesgraf went one better naming their son Pilot Inspektor. You can only imagine the struggles each of these children will face on their first day at school.