Baby Messiah DeShawn anyone?
Apparently not, said a Tennessee judge ordering the name change of a 7-month-old declaring that one person earned that name "and that one person is Jesus Christ.”
According to WBIR, an NBC affiliate, the parents of the little boy were in Cocke County Chancery court due to a disagreement over his last name, but Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew decided Thursday to address what she saw as a bigger issue, ordering Messiah DeShawn Martin’s name be changed to Martin DeShawn McCullough.
“The word Messiah is a title and it's a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ,” Ballew said, according to WBIR-TV.
Ballew said she was looking out for the best interest of the child, adding that naming him after Jesus could put him at odd with a lot of people.
It is reported that Jaleesa Martin, the child’s mother, plans to appeal the decision.
“I never intended on naming my son Messiah because it means God and I didn't think a judge could make me change my baby's name because of her religious beliefs,” told the station.
Martin said she liked how the name sounded alongside her two other children, Micah and Mason.
Interesting fact, according to the
Social Security Administration, Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names for boys last year, in the company of Major, Gael and Jase.
Was the judge out of place handing down this judgment?
Are certain names off limits or... frowned upon...when naming kids?
Would a similar order have come down had the baby been named Judas DeShawn McCullough?
That name surely may have put just a few people at odds with the little boy.
Follow the Pop blog on Twitter.
SCENE: Visit the home to all things food, movies, TV, music and local entertainment.
