Can I put a hyphen in a surname?

Since Act No. 2002-304 of 4 March 2002 on the family name, parents can choose the family name of their child. The Civil Code specifies that the surname may consist in the names of both parents being placed side by side in the order chosen by them, within the limit of a surname for each of them. When parents make use of this option, the legislator has prescribed that the two names be placed side by side, without mentioning the possibility of introducing particular signs between them.

In his decision of 22 june 2022, the Conseil d’État confirms that the 2011 circulars relating to the name, which deal more specifically with the double parental name, provide that a single space separates the two names. According to the Council of State, these circulars are not illegal but give an exact interpretation of the law. He refuses to repeal them.

It should be remembered that if the parents object to the addition of this space to the name they have chosen, the registrar may then refuse them the opportunity to exercise the choice provided for in the Civil Code.