Names

Every person with a place of residence in Finland and whose details have been entered into the Population Information System can change their forename or surname in Finland. Finnish citizens who live abroad and have a place of residence in a country other than Denmark, Norway or Sweden can also change their name in Finland. Registering a name changed outside Finland.

Forename

Everybody must have a forename. You can have a maximum of four forenames. Names combined with a hyphen are considered as one name. Forenames must meet the requirements laid out in the Act on Forenames and Surnames.

Surname

When born, a child is given the surname of his or her parents if the parents have a common surname. If the parents have different surnames, they must state which parent’s surname or compound surname the child will receive when submitting the details of the child to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency or the parish for registration.

If the parents do not have a common surname or a common compound surname but they already have a common child in joint custody, the new child will be given the surname of his or her sibling.

Information on names in Finland

Links to acts related to the matter