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A judge in Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy's name to Martin from Messiah, saying the religious name was earned by one person and "that one person is Jesus Christ."
The boys parents ended up in court because they could not agree on a last name for their baby son.
But when the appalled local judge heard the boys first name she ordered it changed too.
The word Messiah is a title and its a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ, said Lu Ann Ballew, a child support magistrate.
Judge Ballew added that the name could cause embarrassment for a young child.
It could put him at odds with a lot of people and at this point he has had no choice in what his name is, she said.
She added that she had never ordered a name change before but that Messiah could cause problems within Tennessees large Christian population.
Jaleesa Martin, his mother, plans to appeal the decision, arguing that it was a unique name and had a nice ring to it when listed with his siblings Micah and Mason.
Everybody believes what they want so I think I should be able to name my child what I want to name him, not someone else, Ms Martin said.
She said she was shocked by the courts intervention, adding: I didnt think a judge could make me change my babys name because of her religious beliefs.
As it stands the baby is being called Martin DeShawn McCullough, a compromise that includes both parents names.
It may disappoint Ms Martin and surprise the judge to learn that Messiah is a far from uncommon name in the United States. It was the 387th most popular name in 2012, according to the Social Security Database.
