Name changes for adults

The law on names offers adults various options for changing their birth name, subject to certain legal conditions. Which option is available in each individual case depends on the person’s personal circumstances.

Choosing one parent’s surname or creating a double-barrelled surname

If your parents did not have a shared married name at the time of your birth, you were given the surname of one of your parents as your birth surname. You may change this once to the surname of the other parent.

Alternatively, it is possible to combine the surnames of both parents to form a double surname – with or without a hyphen. Similarly, an existing double surname can be reduced to a single surname.

However, these rules do not apply if your surname has been changed following a change of name under public law in accordance with the Name Change Act.

Following a parent’s change of name

If your parents had a joint married name at the time of your birth, this automatically became your surname at birth. If one of your parents has reverted to their former surname following the dissolution of the marriage, you may follow suit. This is subject to the consent of the parent concerned.

Acquisition of a married name by taking the spouse’s surname

If a parent has remarried and shares a married name with their spouse, you may, under certain conditions, adopt that name as your surname at birth. This requires the consent of all persons with a legal interest in the matter.

Gender-neutral form of the name

Some foreign legal systems, as well as Sorbian naming law, provide for gender-specific forms of names. Provided the relevant conditions are met, it will in future also be possible under German law to declare a corresponding gender-adapted form of one’s birth name.

Rules on the naming of members of the Frisian or Danish minority

Under the relevant legislation, members of the Frisian or Danish minorities have the option of re-registering their birth names in accordance with the respective rules governing names.