Germany to Ease Restrictions on Family Names.

Germany's justice minister has proposed a draft legislation to relax the country's strict restrictions on family names, allowing couples to take double-barreled surnames and pass them on to their children. The reform will also make it easier for stepchildren or children of divorced parents to change their family names and allow the use of gender-adjusted forms of surnames for people with names from languages in which that is common. The legislation is set to take effect at the beginning of 2025, pending approval from the Cabinet and Parliament.