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Born 'Messiah'

Emma WallisAugust 16, 2013

In January 2013 in Tennessee a little boy was born and named Messiah. Seven months later, his parents, arguing over which surname he should hold, went to court. But the judge decided that Messiah was not a name and changed it to Martin. Now his mother is appealing the decision and hopes that her baby can keep his given name Messiah. Messiah's mother, Jaleesa Martin talked to DW's Emma Wallis.

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Is Messiah a name or a title? That is the question vexing a Tennessee judge at the moment. Jaleesa Martin who is 22 gave birth to her third child in January this year (2013). Her older two are called Micah and Mason, and with a surname of Martin, she wanted to "keep the M thing going".

Four months before the due date, she was watching a show about a rapper, whose son is called Messiah. She liked the sound of the name, and told family and friends, who all reacted positively. Seven months later, with Messiah a happy gurgling baby, whose siblings call him "Siah-bug" Jaleesa and Messiah's father went to court over his surname. But the judge had other ideas. She said that "Messiah is not a name but a title that only one person has earned the right to bear, and that is Jesus Christ". She promptly changed Messiah's name to Martin, making his father's surname his new surname.

'My baby's name is my business'

Jaleesa was "shocked that anyone had the right to change her baby's first name," as she told DW, that should have been her business alone. So, she's appealing the decision and has another hearing on September 17th. Legal experts have said that she has a strong case, but whatever the final ruling, Jaleesa says she will continue to call her son Messiah. "He is 7 months now, and he already understands his name" she explained, "I will continue to fight for my son's name, and my rights" she ended defiantly as Messiah chuckles away in the background.

Although she says that she didn't choose the name for its religious associations, some people have said that her choice of name is an insult to Christians. Nevertheless, she hopes that Messiah's name will give him an "extra boost" and that he grows up to be "a son of God" and a good person.

The name Messiah is gaining in popularity

When asked on American television about whether or not people named Jesus were also contravening a law, the judge hesitated, and then said "I thought about that, but that has no relevance to this case." In some countries like Germany, it would be difficult to choose a name like Messiah, but in the United States celebrities have started a trend which is catching on. Recent name choices have found everything from North, to Apple to Moses, so Messiah doesn't seem like quite such a crazy choice there. In fact, Jaleesa adds "Messiah came out 387th in a poll of the most popular baby names in the US" and is growing in popularity all the time.