You can only use the letters (A-Å) in the name, as well as certain allowed special characters supported by the Danish CPR system.
> Find a list of permitted special characters on cpr.dk
Contents
Administration fee
Choice of name
Fornavn(e) ("First name(s)")
Godkendte fornavne ("Approved first names")
Ikke-godkendte fornavne ("Non-approved first names")
Mellemnavn(e) ("Middle name(s)")
Efternavn ("Surname")
Familiær tilknytning ("Family affiliation")
Double surname with a hyphen
Remove part of a double surname
Beskyttet efternavne() ("Protected surname(s)")
Patronymic name
Ikke-beskyttet efternavn ("Non-protected surname")
New surname
Consent from others
Where can you find more information about names?
How do you complete an online application for change of name?
Naming rules in Denmark
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You must fill out your own application for a name change (except if you are less than 18 years of age).
To apply you must have a permanent address in Denmark. If you live abroad, please read more information further down the page.
No matter if you want to change your entire name or just a part of your name it accounts for one change of name.
Administration fee
There is an administration fee when you apply for a change of name. The fee covers the processing of your application.
You can also read more about the rules on fees in the guidance (“Vejledning om navne”), section 8
> Find reference to the guidance (“Vejledning om navne”) (in Danish only)
Choice of name
Fornavn(e) ("First name(s)")
You must have at least one first name, but may have several first names, for example Oliver Alexander or Henrique Alexandré.
The names become 'one' name if you hyphenate them, e.g., Henrique-Alexandré - otherwise they are independent names.
Godkendte fornavne ("Approved first names")
- You can choose first names from the list of approved first names (in Danish “Godkendte fornavne”).
- You can choose between female names, male names and unisex names. A woman cannot have a man’s first name and vice versa.
- You can put two approved first names together with a hyphen, for example Anne-Elisabeth or Oliver-Patrick.
- You can check whether a first name is approved on the list of approved first names issued by the Agency of Family Law.
> Find approved first names on familieretshuset.dk (in Danish “Godkendte fornavne”)
Ikke-godkendte fornavne ("Non-approved first names")
If the first name you want is not on the list of approved first names, you can apply to have it approved. You do so when you fill out your application in the self-service on borger.dk, where you are asked to explain why you want a non-approved (in Danish: “Ikke-godkendt”) first name.
You can read more about new first names in the Act on Names, “Navneloven”, section 14(3)
> Find the online application for name change “Ansøg om navneændring” on borger.dk (in Danish only)
> Find reference to the Act on Names “Navneloven” (in Danish only)
Mellemnavn(e) ("Middle name(s)")
A middle name is a name that is inserted between one or more first names and the surname and is usually an 'additional' surname.
Example: Elisabeth Berg Jensen. In this case, Berg is a middle name, which is inserted between the first name Elisabeth and the surname Jensen.
It is optional whether you want to apply for a middle name or not. You may have multiple middle names.
Efternavn ("Surname")
You must have a surname. A surname is the name at the end of the string of names and usually refers to your family (family name).
You can only have one surname, but if you wish, two surnames can be put together with a hyphen, For example Mcmullen-Jensen or Van Houtte-Vestergård.
You cannot hyphenate more than two surnames.
Please note: If you hyphenate two surnames, it is a double surname, not a new surname.
Tilknytning ("Family affiliation")
As a main rule, there must be a family affiliation with the surname you want. This connection must be in direct ascending line: parents to and including great great-grandparents. You cannot take the surname of, for example, an uncle or a sibling of a grandparent, as they are not in direct line. Nor can you take a surname from your children.
It is possible to have your current or a previous middle name as your surname, even if the name is protected. Protection is irrelevant when the name is in the family (read above). You can take a middle name as a surname which comes from your family in direct line back to and including great great-grandparents.
The name must be a family name in order to be taken as a surname.
Dobbelt efternavn med bindestreg ("Double surname with a hyphen")
You can combine two surnames with a hyphen to get a double surname, for example McIntosh-Alexandro De Santos.
Remove part of a double surname
If you have a hyphenated double surname, for example McIntosh-De Santos, you can remove one of the names and keep either McIntosh or De Santos as your surname.
If you still want both names, only without the hyphen, one name can be placed as a middle name instead.
Surname of deceased spouse
If you want a surname from your deceased spouse, consent must be given. This consent must be given by your spouse's next of kin - usually children or parents. If they do not wish to give consent, the name cannot be taken.
> Find the Declaration by next of kin (pdf.) (in Danish: “Erklæring fra nærmeste slægt”)
Beskyttet efternavn(e) ("Protected surname(s)")
If there are 2,000 or fewer people with the same surname living in Denmark, it is considered to be a protected name. You can get a protected surname if this is in your family since you then have a family affiliation (please read the section “Family affiliation”). If you apply for this, please make sure to deliver documentation on the name of family affiliation to the local registrar.
You can also get a protected surname from your spouse/cohabitant partner/foster parent if they agree.
If the name is not in the family, you can only have the name if you seek written permission from all persons over 12 years of age, resident in Denmark, who bear the name as a surname. They must all sign a Declaration of consent (in Danish. “Samtykkeerklæring”). For more information, read the guidance“Vejledning om navne”, section 3.10.
> Find out how many people have the surname you want on Statistics Denmark (choose English)
> Find reference to the guidance “Vejledning om navne” (in Danish only)
> Download declaration of consent (pdf) (in Danish: “Samtykkeerklæring” – in Danish only)
Patronymic name
A patronymic name is a surname consisting of the first name of the father or mother with a suffix.
- If your family is from Denmark, the patronymic name may have the suffixes -søn or -datter, for example Hannessøn/Hannesdatter or Erikssøn/Eriksdatter.
- If your family is from another culture with a tradition for patronymic names, the child can have a patronymic name with the suffix from that culture, for example -son and -dottir from Iceland - Vigdisson/Vigdisdottir or Sigurdsson/Sigurdsdottir
You can read more about patronymic names in the act on names “Navneloven”, section 7, and in the guidance “Vejledning om navne”, section 3.12.
Please note: Patronymic names cannot be passed on to children or spouses.
> Find reference to the act on Names “Navneloven” (in Danish only)
> Find reference to guidance “Vejledning om navne” (in Danish only)
Ikke-beskyttet efternavn ("Non-protected surname")
If there are more than 2,000 people with the same surname, the surname is non-protected (in Danish: “Frit efternavn”). You are free to take, or give your child, a non-protected surname either as a surname or middle name.
You can check the list of free surnames (in Danish: “Frie efternavne”) issued by the Agency of Family Law to see if a surname is non-protected and can be taken by anyone.
Nydannet efternavn ("New surname")
If you want to take a surname that no one else has in Denmark, you can apply to have the surname approved.
Please note: If you combine two approved surnames with a hyphen, it is a double surname - not a new surname.
There are rules stipulating which names can be approved. You can read more about this in the act on Names, “Navneloven” section 6, and in the guidance “Vejledning om navne”, section 3.16.
> Find reference to the act Navneloven (in Danish only)
> Find reference to the guidance Vejledning om navne (in Danish only)
The local registrar forwards your application for further processing at the Agency of Family Law.
Consent from others
In some cases, you need the consent of others to have their name. This could be from your spouse, cohabitant partner or stepparents/foster parents.
To get the consent by their signature is it important that you write their email address in your application.
Gender identity and change of first name
A man cannot have a female’s first name, and a woman cannot have a male’s first name. However, according to the rules on names, a person who is designated as transgender or the equivalent of this according to the act “Navneloven” may be exempted from the requirement that a first name must be gender correct if the person fulfils very specific conditions.
> Read about gender identity and changing your name on familieretshuset.dk (in Danish only)
Where can you find more information about names?
You can contact your local registrar, who can advise you both on naming rules and on how to apply for a change of name.
How do you complete an online application for change of name?
You can find guidance for completing an application with the use of a self-service with MitID below.
> Find step-by-step guide to complete an application online with MitID
Naming rules in Denmark
Naming rules in Denmark are set out in the Act on Names and the following rules:
> Find reference to the act Navneloven (in Danish only)
> Find reference to the guidance Vejledning om navne (in Danish only)
> Find reference to statutory order on names, “Bekendtgørelse af Navne” (in Danish only)