Surnames of both parents to be used when naming children in the Netherlands
By Simone Jacobs
A proposal to stop a child from automatically receiving their father’s surname has received a majority in the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). This means children in the Netherlands can have both parents’ surnames even if one parent disagrees.
The Netherlands to stop automatically giving children father’s surname
PRO (formerly known as GroenLinks-PvdA) and D66 submitted a proposal to replace the system of automatically naming children after their fathers with one where both parents' surnames are combined “on equal standing”.
This could be done, for example, by giving a child the surnames of both mother and father in alphabetical order. With support from VVD, CDA and JA21, the motion was passed by the House of Representatives and will now be taken to the Senate (Eerste Kamer), reports NU.nl.
Spain is ahead of the Netherlands when it comes to surnames. Since the 1500s, it has been a tradition for a child to have two last names, and as of 2017, the father’s name is no longer automatically listed as the first surname.
Current surname system not aligned with parental quality
Under the current “safety net standard”, children in the Netherlands are automatically given their father’s surname at birth. Since 2024, it has been possible for a child to have a double surname, but only if both parents agree, otherwise the father’s surname applies.
"The current safety net standard does not align with contemporary views on parental equality," argued MPs Songül Mutluer (PRO) and Joost Sneller (D66) in their proposal. Another concern is that the current surname system can be used to pressure or coerce the mother, reports NOS.
The women’s rights organisation Bureau Clara Wichmann has seen situations where this is the case. If a couple separates, disagreements often follow over the child's surname. A man can hold his consent for a double surname hostage to get something he wants from the mother. For this reason, the parties also want some form of conflict resolution available in these situations.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more