Switzerland’s Federal Council supports the reintroduction of double-barrelled surnames for spouses and children, reported RTS. Double-barrelled names were abolished in Switzerland in 2013.
Although many still use double surnames in Switzerland, they cannot be used on official documents such as passports or other identification documents.
Questions surrounding surname syntax are surprisingly political in Switzerland. Double surnames are a tradition in nations such as Spain and Portugal. In Germany, like Switzerland, surname rules are political.
Swiss parliamentary commissions and parliamentarians have been pondering the subject for years. This week, the Federal Council backed a proposal that would make all possible name combinations possible. So for example, Widmir, Schmid, Widmer Schmid, Schmid Widmer, Widmer-Schmid and Schmid-Widmer would all be allowed. And spouses could also have different surnames. The rules would also apply to children.
Currently, three quarters of women in Switzerland take their husband’s surname when they get married.
At this stage there is no final agreement on the subject across government. The Centre Party would like there to be name uniformity across a family. Others would like the current rules to continue.
The next step in the process is a parliamentary discussion and vote.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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