Tajik baby naming rules leave parents struggling under strict regulations

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Dushanbe: Parents in Tajikistan are having difficulty naming their infants as authorities continue to enforce strict restrictions on permitted baby names.

Officials require all names to stick to national cultural standards, avoiding names that are considered foreign, unconventional, or influenced by other languages. Before birth registration can be completed, parents are often advised to choose names from an official list or to change their preferences.

The initiative is part of the government's overall attempts to protect Tajik cultural identity and strengthen national language traditions. Over time, authorities have also encouraged the removal of Russian-style suffixes like ‘-ov’ and ‘-ova’ from surnames and patronymics.

While officials believe that the rules safeguard cultural heritage, some parents and rights activists have criticized the limits, claiming that they limit personal choice and add extra stress to the registration process.