The German parliament has approved plans to relax strict restrictions on family names, allowing couples to take double-barreled surnames and pass them on to their children. The reform is set to take effect at the beginning of May 2025 after passing through the parliament's upper house, representing the country's 16 state governments.
Currently, parents in Germany are required to give their children one of their surnames, with only one partner in a married couple being able to add the other partner’s name to their surname. The upcoming reform will enable both partners to adopt a double surname, with or without a hyphen, and for their children to inherit this name as well. However, names that are more than double-barreled will still not be permitted.
Furthermore, the legislation will simplify the process for stepchildren or children of divorced parents to change their family names. It will also allow the use of gender-adjusted forms of surnames for individuals with names from languages where this is common, benefiting minority groups such as the Sorbs in eastern Germany. Additionally, traditional patronymic and matronymic names used by the Frisian minority, based on the father’s or mother’s first name, will be permitted.
This change is part of the social reform agenda promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition, which took office in December 2021. Other reforms already implemented or approved include the legalization of limited cannabis possession, easing rules on gaining German citizenship and allowing dual citizenship, lifting restrictions on abortion services advertising by doctors, and simplifying the process for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary individuals to change their name and gender in official records. Same-sex marriage was previously legalized in 2017.
