- An Australian journalist wanted to test her country's naming rules by giving her child an unusual name.
- She opted for "Methamphetamine Rules," which she thought would be rejected, per The Guardian.
When Australian journalist Kirsten Drysdale gave birth to her third child in July, she decided to use the opportunity to put her country's naming restrictions to the test.
Curious to see if any names would be rejected, the journalist for Australia's ABC decided to submit her son's given first and middle names as "Methamphetamine Rules" to New South Wales Births, Deaths, and Marriages, The Guardian reported.
According to NSW Births, Deaths, and Marriages rules, a baby name will not be approved if it is offensive, too long, includes numbers and symbols, or could be confused with a title or rank such as colonel, saint, queen, or prince.
Drysdale told the outlet that she and her husband wanted to "submit the most outrageous name we could think of, assuming it would be rejected."
The Guardian said that Drysdale also considered using another drugs-related name.
She told the newspaper that the other option was "Nangs Rule," referring to the Australian slang term for laughing gas, but she eventually decided against it because she was unsure if the registry would have known what nangs were.
"We chose methamphetamine thinking there's no way that anyone will see that word and think it's OK," Drysdale said, per The Guardian. "But we were wrong."
The name was unexpectedly approved.
A spokesperson for Births, Deaths, and Marriages told ABC "WTFAQ" that the "unusual name" had "unfortunately slipped through" the cracks.
They added that the registry's process for approving names would be strengthened in response, and that it will work with the Drysdale family to change the name formally.
The agency did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
But the baby's unique name will stay on the register forever. "Even if the name is formally changed," the spokesperson told The Guardian.
Drysdale told The Guardian that she would not yet reveal the alternative name they are opting for.
"He's a very chill child, a beautiful baby boy, so not anything like a meth user," she said, according to the newspaper. She joked that her husband has suggested they nickname their child "Speedy."
Drysdale did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.