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Last week, the Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal, the legislative branch of government of the Mexican Federal District (where the capital is), passed an amendment of the Civil Code regarding naming laws. The amended article (58) states that the judge of the registry office will exhort the parents to choose a non-derogatory and with meaning names and which are not a symbol, acronym or sign. The same amendment guarantees the right of the indigenous peoples to use their own names, according to their uses, language, culture, etc.*

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"En la reforma al artículo 58 del Código Civil establece que el juez del Registro Civil exhortará a quien presente al menor para que el nombre con el que pretende registrarlo no sea peyorativo, discriminatorio, infamante, denigrante, carente de significado o constituya un signo, símbolo o siglas ni que exponga al menor a ser objeto de burla.
“El juez únicamente hará un exhorto a que consideren otro nombre, sin que tenga la facultad de decidir con que nombre se registrará”. Esa potestad se dejará a los padres, se señala."

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http://www.aldf-prd.org.mx/noticias/2010/dictaminan-reformas-al-codigo-civil.php

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The original proposal, by the deputy Aleida Álvarez Ruiz, used the word conminar (to warn) and not exhortar (exhort). That means that the judge has not legal power to force the change or to dismiss a derogatory or ridiculous name, simply to try to convince the parents.

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I have a problem with the carente de significado (without meaning) because it is ambiguous. Do they mean etymological meaning? The names without (known) meaning but with a story of use, will be they considered "with meaning"? My main concern is that a so ambiguous redaction in combination with judges without specific training in onomastics (or without a specialised advisory institution) will generate problematic and arbitrary situations.

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*The final approved redaction of the amendment is not available yet, but here is the original text:

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"Artículo 58....
El juez del registro civil conminará a quien presente al menor que el nombre propio con el que se pretende registrar no sea peyorativo, discriminatorio, infamante, denigrante, carente de significado, o que constituya un signo, símbolo o siglas, o bien, que exponga al registrado a ser objeto de burla; así como tan bien a evitar la multiplicidad de identidades u homonimias que generen controversias jurídicas en materia de identidad.
En su caso, deberá garantizar que los integrantes de los pueblos indigenas dispongan libremente del nombre propio del registrado atendiendo a sus criterios etnolingüisticos, usos y costumbres y a su identidad y cultura indigena."
(The misspellings and gramatical mistakes were at the original.)

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www.asambleadf.gob.mx/sp/pdf/ini/ini0101.pdf

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Lumia
http://onomastica.elmeubloc.cat
http://onomastica.mailcatala.com