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A Nigerian woman living in Denmark has narrated how authorities have allegedly delayed the approval of her infant son’s name for almost three months because of concerns over his Igbo name, Ebuka.
The woman made the claim in a viral video shared on social media, explaining that her son’s proposed names are William Ebuka.
According to her, William, which is the child’s first name, has already been approved, while the authorities have raised concerns about the second name, Ebuka.
‘They said they can’t approve the name’
The woman said the authorities told her that they could not approve Ebuka after checking whether the name was acceptable.
She explained that she responded by informing them that Ebuka is a common Nigerian name, particularly among the Igbo people, and is a shortened form of Chukwuebuka.
“They wrote back to us and said that they can’t approve such name, that they have checked that they can’t approve it,” she said.
“So we wrote back to them telling them that the name is a very common name in Nigeria, precisely Igbo tribe, that is a short form for Chukwuebuka.”
Family asked to provide documentation
According to the woman, the authorities subsequently asked the family to provide documentation showing that the name had previously been used by their ancestors.
She said the family explained that such documentation was not available because names commonly used in Nigeria are not necessarily documented in the manner requested.
“They wrote back to us again telling us to bring a documentation that shows that the name is being answered, like maybe that our forefathers answered the name,” she said.
“We wrote back to them again telling them that there is no such documentation in Nigeria because things like that are not documented. That is a very common name.”
Nigerian embassy contacted over the name
The woman said the Danish authorities later advised the family to contact the Nigerian embassy in Sweden over the matter.
She said the family contacted the embassy, but claimed that there appeared to have been a misunderstanding regarding the information they were seeking.
According to her, the embassy requested the child’s birth certificate showing the name, while she believed the Danish authorities wanted an investigation into the origin and use of the name.
She said the situation had become frustrating because her son was still being identified as having an “unknown name” during hospital visits and appointments.
‘My son will be three months soon’
Expressing frustration over the delay, the woman said her son would soon be three months old without the proposed name being formally approved.
“Whenever I visit the hospital or whenever I have an appointment, what you will see there is ‘unknown name’, which means unknown name, then the next thing that will follow will be our son’s name,” she said.
“And it’s really frustrating. Imagine a child that will be three months very soon that is yet to approve his name.”
What Danish naming rules say
Denmark does have a formal process for naming children. According to Denmark’s official information service, parents with custody must apply to name their child, and the child must have a first name and surname by the age of six months.
The Agency of Family Law, Familieretshuset, maintains an official list of approved first names. However, parents can also apply for approval of a name that is not already on the list.
Applications for a child’s first name are initially handled by the local person registrar, which may be a priest or parish clerk, while certain cases are referred to the Agency of Family Law.
The official guidance also states that a child can be named without being baptised, meaning naming and baptism are separate processes.
The woman’s account of her individual case, including the communications with the Danish authorities and Nigerian diplomatic officials, could not be independently verified from the information available.
Watch the video here…
“They said they don’t know the name, so they won’t approve it” — Nigerian woman reacts as Denmark delays approval of son’s Igbo name pic.twitter.com/mABGM5HrEC
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) September 25, 2026