The National Council is reintroducing the double name. A majority in parliament said it met a need of the population. We asked newlyweds in Zurich.
The wedding rhythm is fast here in Zurich’s town hall. The couples say “I do” every ten minutes. This morning alone, ten couples are married in the wedding room. These are so-called short weddings that the city of Zurich offers.
Sarina Puschy and Cedric Regez, for example, have opted for this type of wedding. And they have decided to keep their respective names.
Legend:
New relationship, old name: You each keep your old surname even after the wedding.
SRF/Dominik Steiner
“I’m keeping my name and he’s keeping his,” says Sarina Puschy. And Cedric Regez explains: “She didn’t want mine and I didn’t want hers. And it doesn’t really matter to us.” However, if a double name had been possible for them, that would have been an option, both agree.
That would have been an option for us, that would have been cool!
That’s what most of the couples who are getting married this morning in the wedding room in Zurich’s town hall sound like. Another groom also said that they had considered a double name: “If that’s what both of them want, then I think it’s a good option.” But because they had to choose a name, they chose his – out of tradition.
Male names dominate
And tradition was also the deciding factor for the third couple. The groom, Adonis Bou Chakra, has roots in Lebanon. And the firm conviction: a double name is not a good thing.
Choosing a single common name is part of the wedding.
He thinks a couple has to make a decision. “You start a family together. It’s important to agree on a name together. I’m not a fan of half measures.” No half measures, no double names. Just one name – the man’s. That’s how he sees it.
And what does the bride, Stéphanie Bou Chakra, say about this attitude? “What can I say… With the marriage, a new chapter in my life begins. And for me, this chapter also includes a new name.”
Legend:
Stéphanie and Adonis Bou Chakra have agreed on his name.
SRF/Dominik Steiner
The tradition of taking the husband’s name into marriage is not only deeply rooted in Lebanon. In Switzerland, too, 70 percent of women give up their name in favor of their husband’s name. Only very rarely does the couple choose the woman’s name as their new family name.
Couples have repeatedly asked about it
This is one reason why Parliament has decided to reintroduce the double name. This decision is in the spirit of Roland Peterhans. He has worked at the civil registry office for almost three decades. And he is president of the Swiss Association for Civil Status. According to him, a new common surname can also be a double name.
In the eleven years since the double name was abolished, couples have repeatedly asked Peterhans about it. It actually meets the needs of many people who want to get married, says Peterhans. In addition, the solution now approved by the National Council does not take anything away from anyone. If a couple wants to decide on one name, this is still possible.
Legend:
More opportunities, more satisfied customers, that is the view of the registrar.
zvg
The reintroduction of the double name brings more options and allows him to better meet the needs of the population.