Swiss Passport

Question 191 of 350 · Marriage, family and housing

What surname does a child of married parents receive?

Welchen Nachnamen bekommt ein Kind von verheirateten Eltern?

Correct answer: D

  1. Aalways a double name with the mother's name firstimmer einen Doppelnamen mit dem Namen der Mutter zuerst
  2. Balways the father's nameimmer den Namen des Vaters
  3. Calways the mother's nameimmer den Namen der Mutter
  4. Dmust be decided at the wedding by parents without a common family namemuss von den Eltern ohne gemeinsamen Familiennamen bei der Heirat entschieden werden

Why

If the parents have no common family name, they decide at the wedding which of their maiden names the children will have.

Common mistakes

B: always the father's name
Since 2013, the father's name is no longer automatically the children's name.
A: always a double name with the mother's name first
Double names do not exist for children. The child gets a single name.

Topic

Marriage, divorce, family name

Two people may marry if they are at least 18 years old and capable of judgement. Capable of judgement means: you understand what you are doing. They may not already be married. They may also not be closely related, so not parent and child or brother and sister. Since 2022, two women or two men may also marry. Income, place of residence or the parents' consent play no role.

Living in Switzerland · Marriage, family and housing

Sources

Official question of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.