From 2021 to 2024, 3,344 applications for a change of name or surname were submitted in Luxembourg
Lino C., Unsplash
In Luxembourg, between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2024, 3,344 applications for a change of name or surname were submitted in accordance with the law of 19 December 2020 on the change of name and surname. Of these, 2,359 have been approved, while 679 applications remain pending.
The law provides for the refusal of a change of name or surname if the applicant fails to provide compelling reasons or exceptional circumstances justifying the need for the change. For example, if the change is requested solely on the basis of personal preference, it will be refused.
Among the main reasons why people apply for a change of name or surname, the most popular are the following: the desire to remove one or more components of the name, to adapt the name to Luxembourg traditions, to change the surname to match a surname used abroad, or to use the name by which a person is known in everyday life. It may also be due to a lack of contact with one of the parents whose surname the child bears, or to personal circumstances.
By law, all name change decisions are referred to the Attorney General, the local civil registry and, in the case of dual citizenship, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Updating of data in the National Register of Natural Persons is carried out by the Ministry of Justice. Applicants themselves must take care of replacing documents (passport, identity card, driving licence) and updating data in banks and insurance companies.
