Approved baby names in Portugal: the official IRN list

In Portugal, a baby's name is not entirely a free choice. Birth registration goes through the IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado), and first names follow rules set in article 103 of the Civil Registry Code. In practice nearly every name you might want is available, but it helps to know the rules before you fall for one that won't pass.

The list of approved words

The IRN keeps a list of words approved and not approved as first names, built from decisions on real requests. If the name you want already appears on it as approved, registration is straightforward.

For a name to be admissible, the law asks that it be Portuguese, or adapted in spelling and sound to the Portuguese language, and written according to current orthography. The first name can't leave doubts about the child's sex, and it can't repeat the first name of a living sibling.

The rules on how a name is built

• The full name has at most six words, simple or compound.
• Of those, as a rule, up to two first names and up to four surnames.
• Connecting particles (de, da, do, e) don't count toward the limit.

And foreign names?

There are exceptions. A foreign first name in its original form is accepted if the child was born abroad, if they hold another nationality besides Portuguese, or if one of the parents is foreign or holds another nationality. The details are on the official IRN page on how a name is composed.

On Baby Bee only names from this official list show up, so any match between you is a name you can actually register.