Editing German name (section)

===Marriage===
Traditionally, the wife adopts her husband's ''Nachname'' on marriage and drops her own. However, due to the legal equality of sexes, the opposite is possible as well, though rare.

A few examples of the practice under German law, if "Herr (Mr) Schmidt" and "Frau (Miss) Meyer" marry:<ref>[http://www.familienrecht-ratgeber.de/familienrecht/eherecht/content_02_01.html Das Namensrecht – Doppelname, Geburtsname, Familienname]. Familienrecht-ratgeber.de. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.</ref>

# They can keep their former ''Nachnamen'': Herr Schmidt and Frau (Mrs) Meyer. In the 1990s, the law was thus changed. They can later change to variant 2, though the inverse is not possible.
# They can declare one name as a "marriage name" (''Ehename''). In doing so, they can either both adopt the husband's name, or both adopt the wife's name as an ''Ehename'': Herr Meyer and Frau Meyer; Herr Schmidt and Frau Schmidt.
# One partner, but not both, may combine both names by a hyphen. Thus, one of them then bears a double name (''Doppelname''). (Herr Schmidt and Frau Meyer-Schmidt (or Frau Schmidt-Meyer); the children have to be called Schmidt.)  Both partners cannot have ''Doppelnamen''; thus, there would be no Herr Meyer-Schmidt ''and'' Frau Meyer-Schmidt.

All children of a family have to receive the same non-hyphenated ''Nachname'' at birth, which may be either the mother's or the father's ''Nachname'' (traditionally it was the father's). If the parents adopted an ''Ehename'' this is the ''Nachname'' of the child. It is strictly forbidden to give children ''Doppelnamen'' if it is not the ''Ehename''.<ref>[http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/pressemitteilungen/bvg10-02.html Das Bundesverfassungsgericht] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513015452/http://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/pressemitteilungen/bvg10-02.html |date=2008-05-13 }}. Bundesverfassungsgericht.de. Retrieved on 2011-11-01.</ref> The latter case can arise with traditional aristocratic ''Doppelnamen'' (e.g. Faber-Castell).

In [[Austria]] (§ 93 ABGB), a couple can choose either of their surnames as married name. In the default case, each partner retains their unmarried name. The partner who is changing surnames has the possibility to use their unmarried name alongside the married name with hyphenation.

In [[Switzerland]] (Art. 160 ZGB), the couple can opt to both retain their unmarried name, or the couple can choose to use either surname as their married name. If both retain their name, they need to declare which will be the surname of any future children.