As the parent, you and your child's other parent must choose your child's name, which includes:

  • the child's surname (last name), and
  • the child's given names or names (first name or names).

Surname

Your child's surname can be composed of not more than two parts taken from the parents' surnames. 

If you or the other parent already have a compound surname, you must agree on which parts to use for your child's surname. 

Example of surname composed of two parts

Mary-Beth Dobson-Lee and Simon Hill-Smith have a child, Sebastian. They may choose, as the child's surname :

  • Dobson-Hill,
  • Dobson-Smith,
  • Lee-Hill or
  • Hill-Lee.

If the parents cannot agree on the child's surname, the registrar of civil status will select it.

Application to the Court

The court will hear an application filed for one of the following reasons:

Last update: July 13, 2023

Page evaluation
Please complete the reCAPTCHA verification.

Was the information on this page helpful?

Why was this information unhelpful?

You must select an option

What issue are you experiencing?

You must select an option

Why was the information useful?

Please describe the problem