Where you live, how can you name your baby?
For example in my country we have a list of the authorised names that can be used and those cant be foreign or have spellings or sounds that arent recognizable… the first name must also be clear on the gender (so… no unisex names)
We can also only use one middle name the only exception is if we use a hyphenated middle name but it also has to be authorised and there arent many options
However, unlike in the usa where i think there is only one last name and its usually the father’s … here the babys have the last name of the mother and last name of the father and can have up to 4 (i think) last names (and they dont have to come just from the parents but from other people in the family too
For exemple: Maria Ines (first and middle name) Pereira (mom’s last name) Dias (dad’s last name)
Tell me your opinions on this naming method and tell me what are the rules in your country when it comes to naming a baby
I think in the US which is where I live, you can name the kid whatever you wish unless it’s purposely malicious (Ex: Someone named their kids [name_m]Adolf[/name_m] Hitler & [name_f]Eva[/name_f] [name_m]Braun[/name_m] & they got taken away).
I live in the US where the rules on naming are pretty lax and you can name your baby pretty much whatever you want. I think if you try to name your baby something super inappropriate then CPS (child protective services) might step in, but that would only be in extreme cases. And a baby can take the mother’s last name, father’s last name, or a hyphenated version of both. I’m really glad my country doesn’t have many naming rules because I prefer less common names and I couldn’t imagine if I had to pick from a list.
From the website of the [name_m]Dutch[/name_m] government:
"Which surname can I choose for my child?
For your first child you can choose either the mother’s surname or the father’s surname. This surname will be given to all subsequent children. This is to ensure that all the children in a family have the same surname.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you already have a child from a previous relationship and are you expecting a child with your new partner? In this case the child does not have to be given the same surname as his or her half-brother or half-sister by law. This is because the child is not being born to the same parents.
If you have more children with your new partner, they must all have the same surname.
If you do not choose a surname, your child will automatically be given the father’s surname or the mother’s surname. This depends on the family situation.
Parents who are married or registered partners (of different sexes)
Your child will automatically be given the father’s surname. However, you can choose the mother’s surname instead. To do so, both parents must go to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships to register the choice of the mother’s surname. You can do this before the birth or when registering the birth.
Unmarried parents (of different sexes)
Your child will automatically be given the mother’s surname. If you would prefer your child to be given the father’s surname, he must acknowledge the child. At the time of acknowledgement you will also be asked for your choice of surname. To acknowledge the child and choose its surname both parents must go to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships. You can do this before birth, when registering the birth or at a later time after the birth.
Parents of the same sex (2 men)
If you adopt a child with another man, you can choose either of your surnames. However, this only applies to your first child. Your other children will be given the same surname as your first child. You choose the surname of your child in court when formalising the adoption.
Parents of the same sex (2 women)
If 2 women who are married or registered partners have a child, the following applies:
- if the child was conceived through an anonymous sperm donation under the terms of the Human Fertilisation (Donor Information) Act: the child is given the surname of the co-mother. This only applies if the co-mother automatically becomes the child’s lawful parent when the child is born. The parents can also choose the surname of the biological mother;
- if the child was conceived through a known donor and the co-mother acknowledges the child: the child is given the surname of the biological mother. The parents can also choose the surname of the co-mother by signing a declaration of surname choice.
What should I bear in mind when choosing a given name for my child?
Your child’s given name or names must not be inappropriate. You may not choose offensive or embarrassing words or a name made up of several names. You may not use an existing surname as a given name, unless this is generally considered to be a given name too, e.g. the [name_m]Dutch[/name_m] name [name_f]Roos[/name_f].
The Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships can refuse a given name. If the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships refuses the chosen name you can think of a new name. If you do not, the registrar will choose your child’s given name for you. If you do not agree, you can request the courts to change the given name within six weeks. You will need a lawyer to arrange this for you."
In practice, most people I know have their father’s surname. Often people have no middle name or one middle name, sometimes two middles but I also know people with up to four middle names.
Names being refused by the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships is rare.
UK rules are lax, too. There is no legislation, all there is, is:
"Our advice to registrars is that a name should consist of a sequence of letters and that it should not be offensive. The reason for limiting the registration of names to a sequence of letters is that a name which includes a string of numbers or symbols etc. has no intrinsic sense of being a name, however the suffix ‘II’ or ‘III’ would be allowed.
The only restriction on the length of a name is that it must be able to fit in the space provided on the registration page. There are no leaflets or booklets available giving guidance on this matter.
Where the registrar has any concerns over a name they will discuss this with the parents and point out the problems the child may face as they grow up and try to get them to reconsider their choice."
So you are not allowed to use vulgar, offensive names on the birth certificate, nor surnames that promote hate and criminal activities. No symbols or numbers, either. It is pretty lax.
I’m [name_u]Germany[/name_u] names have to be approved but there isn’t a list of names to choose from; however, names that aren’t approved would include surnames, word names and gender-benders. Unisex names are fine, but they have to have a history of being used that way which the parents have to prove.
You can have as many first names as is being viewed as appropriate - if it isn’t immediately approved, parents can explain their choice and it may get approved depending on the explanation.
As for surnames, usually there’s only one, but you can hyphenate two surnames as well. Recently they changed it from being allowed to hyphenate up to three names to only two names, I believe. So if one parent has a hyphenated name, they can only pass down one of them if the other parent’s surname is also supposed to be included.
You also cannot change your names unless you can prove it affects your life negatively, so whatever your parents choose you’re stuck with!
Personally, I really love the practice of passing down two surnames without a hyphen, I think it gives you the option of using both of you want but also just using one of them in every-day life. However, I don’t love only being able to choose a specific number of middles, as they tend to be more meaningful to me than surnames.
Where I’m from, MOST non-immigrants have their legal name in our language (which is sometimes roughly translated into English), and an [name_f]English[/name_f] first name which may or may not be legally registered. Not sure about the government’s policy on legal names, but legally registered [name_f]English[/name_f] middle names are allowed, BUT I’ve decided that I won’t be using them unless I move to an English-speaking country because from my experience they generally make life harder (especially in school or other places where they use your legal name)
I think the idea of 2 surnames is interesting. How does the parent choose which of their surnames to pass down?
Different states have slightly different rules. Generally, any first name and whatever middle name(s) and one surname. Surname does not need to be the fathers but traditionally it is. Most places restrict characters to some extent, for example accents or special characters.
Where I live its most common to have one first, one middle, one surname. Surname could be hyphenated but its not common. Often the first or middle name has a family connection. Double names aren’t typically hyphenated. Like Mary Ellen Smith. Not Mary-Ellen. It’s common for a married woman to take her husband’s lastname and replace her middle with her maiden name.
In the US, the rules are lax, and that’s the way I like it. You can name your kid anything, as long as it’s not inappropriate or offensive. I think certain states have specific laws too, but they aren’t too strict.
Nowadays you’re often able to choose which names to pass down and in which order to put them, but traditionally there’s a set order.
In Spain and most Lat.Am. (not including Argentina) countries you traditionally pass down your first surname, which is the surname you inherited from your father (which he inherited from his father, etc…); that goes for both parents.
I believe @jenni_lynn91 talked about this before as well, but many people with two surnames only go by their first surname (their father’s) in everyday life.
In Portugal, as OP stated (probably the same in Brazil but I’m not sure about this), the order is opposite.
Yes, in Mexico and many other Latin American countries and Spain, everyone has a paternal last name and a maternal last name.
For example, if my husband’s dad is [name_m]José[/name_m] Rivera Morales and his mom is [name_f]Juana[/name_f] Gonzalez Martinez, my husband would be [name_m]Victor[/name_m] Rivera Gonzalez. Then our kids if born in Mexico would have had Rivera from him and my maiden name.
However, I gave our kids his paternal last name only since we live in the US. I changed my last name to his paternal last name so my kids and I have the same last name. He is the only one with a second last name, though it usually gets dropped.
I was wondering, does it also get dropped in Mexico? And, I’m not sure if you have knowledge of this, but is it a law that you need to have two surnames? Because that’s the case in Spain (unless you have a foreign parent), even if you become a citizen later in life.
I haven’t gone to Mexico long enough to know if some places only use the one last name. I know when I went to a few graduations, they called each student’s full name. About 75 % of the students at one kindergarten graduation had my husband’s paternal last name for one of or both last names.
Fun fact: his dad actually has the same last name twice (think José Espinoza Espinoza) because both of his parents had Espinoza for their paternal last name. I think it’s probably the most common last name in his town, though I had never heard it in the US before I met him.
When I had to bring my daughter to see a doctor in his hometown, they kept asking what her other last name was and I kept saying she doesn’t have one, it’s only one last name. They had never heard of such a thing before. If my kids are to get citizenship in Mexico, I believe they will have to have two last names, so I don’t know how that will work since I changed my last name legally. They will either be Espinoza Espinoza or Espinoza Brown if they use my maiden name.
Edit: I also wanted to mention that if the father is out of the picture, a child can be given both of the mom’s last names.
There isn’t a clear rule for the names chosen, but officers are allowed to refuse any vulgar, offensive, inappropriate name.
It has to make sense in the official language and be pronounceable. It can’t contain any letters that aren’t in the alphabet.
There are no official middle names, but you can use double barrelled or triple barrelled names. You can’t use four or more names. All of the names will have first name status.
If the child is born to married parents, they get the father’s surname, no matter what the mother’s surname is. Double surnames aren’t allowed. In case the parents divorce later, if the mother has a reason to do so she can change the child’s surname to hers.
If the child is born to unwed parents, they get automatically the mother’s surname. The father has to legally recognise the child to give his surname.