The Italian law provides the following precise rules governing the attribution of the surname and first name for the registration of birth:
- SURNAME
- The Ministry of the Interior, with circular no. 397/2008, has stated that only for children born abroad and holding both Italian citizenship and the citizenship of a foreign country, the Italian civil registrar will proceed to register the birth act, attributing the surname as indicated in the birth certificate. In this case, parents MUST present valid documentation proving the child’s foreign citizenship.
- The ruling of the Constitutional Court no. 131 of April 27, 2022 (Official Gazette, 1st Special Series, no. 22 of June 1, 2022) see HERE, on the attribution of a double surname to children, has established that the child’s surname “must be composed of the surnames of parents,” in the order decided by them, unless the parents, by mutual agreement, attribute only one of their surnames. In the absence of mutual agreement, the intervention of a judge is necessary.
- NAME
According to Article 34 of DPR 396/2000, it is forbidden to give a child the same first name as the living father, a living brother, or a living sister, a surname as a first name, or ridiculous or shameful names.
According to Article 35 of DPR 396/2000, the name given to the child must correspond to their gender and may consist of a single name or multiple names, even if separated, not exceeding three.
If two or more names are given, separated by commas, the civil registrar and the registry officer must report only the first name on the birth extracts and certificates.