Woman in name-change first

26 January 2004

ALICANTE – A judge set a precedent Monday by allowing a woman to change her name.

Luis Segovia, judge of Alicante’s Civil Registry, gave a woman authorisation to change her name legally from Josefa to Pepa, setting a precedent in Spanish law.

Name changes were illegal until now.

But according to Segovia, the laws should be interpreted according to social reality, and in the same way, laws governing names should evolve, making it possible to choose foreign or invented names, as long as they are not offensive.

He added that the registry office has also changed and currently considers some diminutives as names in their own right, such as Alex for Alejandro, Josefina for Josefa and Lola for Dolores.

The judge argued that by accepting “Lola”, there are no reasons not to accept “Pepa”, and pointed out that “Pepa” is the name of the first Spanish Constitution of 1812.

Segovia recognised the seriousness of the precedent and insisted his decision is not an open door for any extravagant name that might exert a negative influence on children, since a name is unanimously considered a fundamental right.

Segovia concluded by saying that a name change is a complex process that affects under-age children, as well as all personal documents such as passport, national identity card or testament.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news