Choice of the child's first name

Verified 20 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You are going to have a child and you wonder what first name to give him? We tell you what you need to know.

General case

The parents of the child choose his first name(s).

The choice of first name is made during the declaration of birth. The registrar can then write the birth certificate.

Special cases

The rules vary depending on the situation.

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Woman giving birth under X

A woman giving birth under X may indicate the first name or names which it wishes to give to the child.

The registrar register them on the birth certificate.

  • If the mother has chosen 3 or more first names, the last one serves as last name.
  • If the mother has not chosen first names, the registrar chooses 3 first names. The last name is used as a surname.

If the child is adoptedHe will be able to take the surname of his adoptive parents.

The child may also change first names.

No first name is given to the child

The registrar chooses the child's first name himself in the following cases:

The registrar chooses 3 first names and writes them on the birth certificate.

The last name is used as a surname.

The registration of the child's sex on the birth certificate is postponed

On authorization of public prosecutor, the registrar shall defer the registration of the sex of the child to the birth certificate when the doctor cannot determine the sex of the child.

The registration of the medically ascertained sex must take place within a maximum period of 3 months from the declaration of birth.

The legal representatives of the child may ask to correct one of the child's first names or surnames.

You must follow the following rules to choose your child's first name:

  • The first name, alone or associated with last name, shall not be contrary to the best interests of the child. Example: ridiculous or rude first name.
  • The first name must respect the the right of another person to have his or her surname protected. Example: choose first name last name of a famous person.
  • The child who carries the name of only one of his parents can't have first name the name of the other parent. Example: a child has as parents Mr. Dupont and Ms. Martin. If this child has only Dupont as his last name, he cannot have Martin as his first name.

FYI  

There is no list of authorized first names. You can choose one first name already used or create a new first name.

There is no rule on the number of first names of the child.

However, the registrar may consider that the multiplicity of forenames is contrary to the interests of the child.

FYI  

Any given name entered in the birth certificate can be chosen as common first name, whatever his order. You can ask other people and public authorities to use this first name. However, for the establishment of identity cards, passports and the national register of identification of natural persons, first names must appear in the order of the civil status. A procedure for changing your first name may, however, allow the order of first names to be changed in the birth certificate and consequently in the official identity documents.

When you declare the birth of your child, you must specify spelling of the chosen given name(s). If you give several first names to your child, they are separated by a comma.

Compound first name

The first names of a compound first name are separated by a dash or a single space. If you choose a compound first name, you must indicate whether you want to separate the first names by a dash or by a simple space.

Example :

Marie-Anne and Marie Anne are compound names.

Marie, Anne are 2 simple names.

Allowed alphabetical characters 

The alphabet used must be the one used to write french. Alphabetical characters that are not used in the French language are not allowed. Example: ñ.

FYI  

You can have the birth certificate corrected if you notice an error on the first name. For example, misspelled first name, forgot dash or space for a compound first name.

The registrar control each first name chosen by the parents at the time of the declaration of birth. The control shall be over the first name only, on the first name associated with other first names, and on the first name associated with last name.

The registrar cannot refuse first names chosen by the parents. He warns the public prosecutor if the choice of parents seems to him contrary à the best interests of the child or at the right of another person to be protected last name. The public prosecutor may seize the Jaf. The Jaf can order the deletion of the first name on the civil status registers. The Jaf assigns a first name to the child if the parents do not choose another first name.

In case of disagreement between the parents on the choice of the first name, the Jaf: titleContent is competent to decide the dispute.

You must refer the matter to the judicial court.

Representation by counsel is not mandatory.

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