Appeals to vulnerability in Icelandic personal name law discourse

The notion of vulnerability is a recurring theme in the discourse surrounding personal name law in Iceland. On the one hand, the Icelandic language has been perceived as fragile and at risk from foreign influences and changes. On the other hand, the individuals who wish to give or take names that do not fulfil the legal criteria are often presented as helpless in the face of capricious legislation and bureaucracy. They may be in vulnerable positions relative to the population as a whole – for instance, having immigrant background or representing sexual and gender minorities. Many cases involve children, who usually do not choose their own names. In name law debate, these different vulnerabilities are played against each other in a variety of ways.