Insee Focus · April 2024 · n° 323

Family name changes tripled since the Vignal law came into force

The number of family name changes increased since the Vignal law came into force, which simplifies the procedures when the new name is chosen among one of the parents. 144,100 people changed their name between August 2022 and December 2023, three times as many as in the previous period of the same length. Two times out of three, the change involved substituting one name for another. The addition of a second name to the initial one came next, but was three times less frequent. Half of the adults who changed their name were under 30. Moreover, more women than men took this step.