Choice of the surname of a child by its 2 mothers

Verified 16 September 2024 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

What surname can you give your child when you are a couple of women who have used a MPA: titleContent (or LDCs: titleContent) with donated gametes? What happens if there is disagreement? Here are the main rules to know.

Please note

Specific pages show the rules for choosing the child's name for a heterosexual couple, and in the event of adoption plenary or simple.

The rules vary depending on whether it is the 1er child of the following couple of women or children.

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1st child

A child whose parentage shall be established by early joint recognition can be one of the following names:

  • Either the name of one of the couple’s wives, or a single vocable of the double name of one of them
  • Let their two names be placed side by side, in the order chosen by them, and within the limit of a surname for each of them in the case of a double name.

Example :

Mother Name #1: Dupond Durand

Mother's name 2: Dupuis

Child Name: Dupond Durand or Dupuis or Dupond Dupuis or Durand Dupuis or Dupuis Dupond or Dupuis Durand or Dupond or Durand

Subsequent Children

If the 2 mothers appear on the birth certificate of their 1er child, the choice of the name made for this 1er child is imposed on their next children.

Example :

Lea Ledru-Rollin and Fanny Dupont have chosen the name Dupont for their 1er child born on 1er October 2022.

Their 2e child is born on 4 january 2024. That child must be called Dupont.

Women designated in the early joint recognition must choose the surname of their child at the latest at the time of birth declaration.

The two mothers have to make a joint statement mentioning the choice of surname of their 1er common child.

The joint declaration shall be made on the cerfa form no. 15286.

The two mothers sign every 2 the form on the same date.

The joint declaration of choice of a surname shall be submitted to the registrar during the birth declaration, with early joint recognition.

The registrar shall enter the surname in the birth certificate of the child provided that the link between parentage is established in respect of each of the two mothers.

Joint declaration of choice of surname

Who shall I contact

If the two mothers do not make a joint declaration of choice of a surname, the child takes a double name, composed of their 2 names in alphabetical order.

When one of the two mothers has a double name herself, only sound 1er Name is used to compose the name of the child.

Example :

If the mother's name #1 is Susini and the mother's name no. 2 is Delmas, the child name is Delmas Susini.

If the mother's name #1 is Susini and the mother's name no. 2 is Delmas Moreau, the child name is Delmas Susini.

Statement of disagreement

If the two mothers disagree on the name of their child, one of the mothers has to report it in writing to the registrar of his choice.

The process has to be done by the day of birth declaration.

In practice, the mother has statement of disagreement to the registrar before the birth of the child.

You can download the circular of 29 may 2013 containing a model declaration of disagreement on the name (annex 5).

The registrar checks the declaration, puts in his visa and returns it to the mother of the child.

The mother must deliver this document the day of the declaration of birth to the registrar of the place of birth of the child.

Who shall I contact

Child's name

The registrar shall give the child a double name, consisting of the 2 names of mothers placed alphabetically.

When one of the two mothers has a double name herself, the officer only uses the 1er to compose the child's name.

The name given to this child is imposed on the following children of the couple.

Example :

If the mother's name #1 is Susini and the mother's name no. 2 is Delmas, the child name is Delmas Susini.

If the mother's name #1 is Susini and the mother's name no. 2 is Delmas Moreau, the child name is Delmas Susini.

Joint declaration of choice of surname

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