Canadian name

Canadian naming conventions vary based on whether one is Aboriginal Canadian, English Canadian or French Canadian.

In English Canada, names follow much the same convention as they do in the United States and United Kingdom. The first name on the birth certificate is the name the child is expected to go by, although use of a middle name in everyday life is not uncommon. The last name is usually the same as the father's last name though it is not unheard of for children to take their mother's last name, or for both names to be hyphenated. Middle names are optional and are generally only used on official documentation. Multiple middle names are rare but are officially recognized.

With the exception of Quebec, either spouse, though usually the wife, has the right to assume the last name of their spouse after marriage, as long as it is not intended for the purposes of fraud. Getting married does not result in a legal change of name or automatic change to your identification or records. Their marriage certificate is considered proof of their new name.

One of Canada's chief values is multiculturalism. As such, it is not uncommon to see names that follow patterns differing from the English and French naming conventions.

In French Canada, up until the late 1960s, children of Roman Catholic origin were given three names at birth (usually not hyphenated): the first, Marie or Joseph, usually indicated the gender of the child. The second was usually the name of the godfather or godmother, while the third and last given name was the name used in everyday situations. Thus, a child prenamed Joseph Bruno Jean on his birth or baptismal certificate would indicate the baby was a boy, the godfather's first name was Bruno and that the child would be called Jean (and not Joseph) for all intents and purposes of everyday life. A real-life example of this naming convention was that of Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was born Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien.

Although it is still permitted to list multiple names on a birth, it is uncommon for people to even be aware of their other given names, and the practice of using religious names became increasingly rarer after the Quiet Revolution as baptism ceremonies gradually became less common. The Quebec government officially recommends not using more than four given names.

Currently, most couples give the child the surname of the father, though the Quebec civil code allows a couple to combine at most two of their surnames, with or without hyphens. Thus a couple named Joseph Bouchard-Tremblay and Marie Dion-Roy could give to their children the surnames Bouchard, Tremblay, Dion, Roy, Bouchard-Tremblay, Dion-Roy, Bouchard-Dion, Bouchard-Roy, etc. In Quebec, name change upon marriage is no longer automatic, and is difficult or impossible to do if desired. Requests for a name change in Quebec require a reason, and requests to adopt a husband's name after marriage have been denied in the past.

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