My Opinion: Jón Gnarr - Toxic law

Last week was pretty historic in my life. As I now have an American ID number, I decided to try to apply for a change of name in a court of law here in Houston. A month ago, I acquired the necessary documents and started the proceedings. I did this myself and did not need any legal aid.

On the Internet you can find detailed information about this procedure. To apply for a name change is a rather simple process. However, it involves some nuisance and expenses. For example, I had to go to the police station and have my fingerprints taken. This is a part of the application procedure, in case you are a criminal on the run.

In my application I argued that the reason for the name change was first and foremost personal. I have called myself Jón Gnarr for 30 years. I work under this name and my other name causes me unnecessary inconvenience. All in all, this has cost me about 30,000 krónur.

There are no restrictions on names you can choose, but you are warned not to use unsavory names, names that can be unpleasant or cause offence to others. You are also warned not to choose names that can cause a misunderstanding or are associated with others.

If you want to call yourself Adolf Hitler, R2D2, Skoda Octavia or Lady Gaga, the judge is likely to reject the application or simply dismiss the case. Therefore, few people try this. I find this a sustainable and reasonable procedure. And a good source of income. Doesn’t the government always need money?

On Wednesday morning I appeared in court. When it was my turn, I came before the judge, took an oath and answered his questions. He liked my reasoning, understood that this was inconvenient for me, and the court approved my application. This was both an exciting and almost surreal experience. I found it strange to be in an American courtroom. All kinds of feelings swept through me. I was nervous, tearful, happy and thankful.

The Right of Blær

The Icelandic naming law has been debated a lot during the last few years. In the media, we hear about people who are inconvenienced by this law, and the Naming Committee regularly publishes its decisions about what names it approves, and what names it rejects.

The best known example is probably the case of Blær Bjarkardóttir. The committee refused to allow her to bear her name. It is hardly possible to go any further in paternalism and misuse of power. This case was considered so interesting that it caught international attention. Blær challenged the verdict and it was overturned by the district court with the conclusion that “the right of Blær to bear her name is stronger than society’s interests in rejecting it”.

I find these to be well-reasoned and intelligent words. The naming law does not apply to everybody, only part of the nation is affected. Family names are forbidden. Still, there are a lot of people with family names.

Ólöf Nordal, Minister of the Interior, for example, bears a made-up family name. She says she is conservative when it comes to the law. That’s an interesting attitude, bearing in mind that it does not affect herself. She and her family members are allowed to have the name Nordal, but I and my family cannot bear the name Gnarr.

Immigrants can also keep their names, and their descendants. I am writing here in Fréttablaðið in a column where Pawel Bartoszek used to write superb articles. A bill has been introduced in the parliament and the Ministry of the Interrior is examining whether there is a reason to revise the law. I sincerely hope that these changes will be made, and that this legal injustice will stop as soon as possible so that people don’t have to move to other countries to seek their self-evident rights.

To Make One’s Name

I was not given a name, I worked for it. A name is a personal thing and can have a sentimental significance that no one else understands. And that’s all right. It is nobody’s business what your name is or what you want to be called, because people’s right to bear a certain name is more important than society’s interests in rejecting it. That is the core of the matter. And the government cannot, except with the misuse of power, force some people to be some kind of torchbearers of Icelandic language and culture, while others are excepted. And if this was the real objective of these people, they would not ban names like Fenris, Gandálfur and Gnarr while many Icelanders have all kinds of Thai, English and Polish names.

“Our land shall be built on laws and not desolated with lawlessness”, said Njáll. The naming law is lawlessness which thwarts the creative thinking that is the main support of the Icelandic language and culture. It hampers development. We should, therefore, revise the law and disband the Naming Committee. The committee can continue to have meetings. The only change is that they don’t get paid and have no authority. They can blog about their opinions like all other Icelandic grumblers and those who want to can read and even comment.

Have a nice weekend.