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The Federal Council is in favor of reintroducing the double names that were abolished in 2013. This arouses criticism in the conservative camp.
Double names used to be common. They still exist colloquially. Officially – in the passport or on the ID, for example – they have not been legally permitted for over ten years. That should change now.
The Federal Council has now backed a proposal that should make all possible name combinations possible: Widmer Schmid. Schmid Widmer – with or without a hyphen. Or just Widmer. Or just Smith. Married couples should be free to choose what they call themselves. And they don’t have to agree. Each spouse would decide for themselves.
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Adjustment of naming rights planned: The National Council Commission now also wants to allow double names for children if their parents wish.
Keystone/Gaetan Bally
In the relevant parliamentary commissions, parliamentarians have been pondering this name revolution for years. The idea: married couples should be able to express their togetherness again through their names.
No rigid rules – children could also choose
Now the Federal Council is also proposing small changes for a new practice. The choice of name should be easy and free in the future. Ingrid Ryser from the Federal Office of Justice emphasizes that rules that are too rigid make things unnecessarily complicated.
Freedom also affects children: in the future they should also be allowed to have double names – i.e. the names of both parents. And this even if the parents are not married.
“But for the middle it is also clear that as a family you have to decide in some direction.
Not everyone likes the great freedom of choice. There is resistance in the conservative camp, among SVP and centrist politicians. He also wants double names again and more choice, says center faction leader Philipp Bregy: “But for the center it is also clear that as a family you have to decide in some direction. It cannot be the case that parents and children all ultimately have a different, freely chosen name.
Too much freedom, say critics. In the next step, associations and parties can comment on the proposal, after which Parliament decides.
Exciting questions open
Many questions are still open – for example, what naming options are available to couples who bring a double name into their marriage. The question of how the options would be used in the future also promises to be exciting. Today, according to the Federal Statistical Office, almost three quarters of all women take their husband’s name when they get married.