Namensrecht

Names, Legal Provisions Governing, field of law dealing with the rules of naming. The family name is acquired by birth, legitimate children are named after their parents if these have one common family name. If they have different names, the child is given the family name of one parent. Illegitimate children are given the mother´s maiden name. Spouses bear the same family name or may retain their original name. The common family name has to be the family name of one of the two spouses and is determined before the contraction of marriage. The other spouse is entitled to add his/her former family name in a hyphenated form before or after the common family name. Pseudonyms are acquired through use. Family names and pseudonyms are protected by law. Titles of nobility were abolished in Austria in 1919. Changes of name require the approval through official notice by the district administration, which is only granted on special conditions.