New York: A man in Manhattan has been given permission to change his name to Jesus Christ.
Jose Luis Espinal, 42, said he was moved to seek the name change about a year ago when it dawned on him that he is "the person that is that name."
Espinal, who acted as his own lawyer, got the approval by Manhattan civil court judge Diane Lebedeff, who said the application would not pose problems for anybody and hence is harmless.
The judge said name change applications are usually not denied as long as a person with the same name does not object to the proposed change.
She cited a 2001 Utah case in which a man legally changed his name to Santa Claus and a Washington D.C. case earlier this year in which a name change applicant obtained a driver's license and Social Security card in the name of Jesus Christ.
Though laws differ by jurisdiction, the judge said, there seems to be a nationwide consensus that a name cannot be changed to a number.
She cited a South Dakota court ruling against a change to "1069" and a California court rejecting "III" as name.
The judge said Espinal's "reasons were primarily those applicable to his own private religious beliefs and he stated no desire to use his proposed name to secure publicity."
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