69
Learn More
The persistent notion that it is illegal in France to name a pig "Napoleon" is a widely circulated yet unfounded urban legend. Despite its frequent appearance in lists of bizarre laws, extensive research by historians into French legal archives has consistently failed to uncover any such statute, either from the Napoleonic era or later periods. This intriguing misconception appears to have a literary rather than a legal origin.
The most plausible source of this enduring myth traces back to the initial French translation of George Orwell's seminal novel, "Animal Farm." In the original 1945 English edition, the tyrannical pig leader is famously named Napoleon. However, when the book was first published in France in 1947, the publisher notably opted to change the pig's name to "Cesar." This decision was likely a cautious move to avoid offending French national sensibilities or disrespecting the revered historical figure of Napoleon Bonaparte so soon after World War II. It wasn't until a 1981 edition that the pig's original name was reinstated in French translations.
While no specific law ever prohibited naming a pig "Napoleon," France did historically have laws regarding insults to the head of state, which were in effect until 2013. However, these laws pertained to the *current* president, not historical figures, and it remains debatable whether simply naming an animal would have qualified as an insult. Furthermore, Napoleon Bonaparte himself, in 1803, enacted a law that restricted the names parents could give their children to those from Christian saints or ancient history, a regulation that was eventually repealed in 1966. These historical regulations concerning names for people and the protection of state figures may have inadvertently contributed to the myth's longevity, despite its lack of factual basis regarding pigs.