Naming stillborn children in civil registers in France. A step toward reducing their liminality

Since the early 1990s, it has been possible to record stillborn children in the civil register in France. The decision about whether or not to make this declaration is left to their “parents,” and contributes to the emergence of the process of social recognition and individualization. Nonetheless, this process is an incomplete one, in the sense that the vesting of legal personality is not possible. This declaration is therefore simply just a way of supporting the grieving process. The act of naming these “stillborn children” moves beyond solely the familial sphere, entering into an institutional one, with the civil status of the child officially recognizing the parental project. Beyond the name that the “parents” can give their “child” for their own use, we will see that the forenames found in civil registers are generally consistent with those usually given to children born alive. Thus, the action of naming amounts to reducing the liminality of these stillborn children.