Can a married woman keep her last name ("maiden name")?
Verified 01 July 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Yes, when a woman marries, she retains her surname.
She didn't no steps to take.
However, marriage allows each spouse to use the other spouse's name or a double name : this is a common name.
This approach is voluntary.
In any case, each spouse keeps the name on his birth certificate (last name).
That name will always be on his papers.
- Law No. 85-1372 of 23 December 1985 on the equality of spouses and parents: article 43
- Civil Code: Articles 212 to 226Use of the name of the spouse as the name of use (Article 225-1)
- Civil Code: Articles 263 to 265-2In the event of divorce (Article 264)
- Order of 1 June 2006 laying down the model family booklet
- Ministerial Response of 1 December 2020 on the choice by a married woman of the name used in letters and administrative documents
FAQ
- Change in civil statusService-Public.fr
- User name: use of wife or husband’s nameService-Public.fr
- Birth certificate: request for full copy or extractService-Public.fr