Choosing a Last Name for Your Child

The following table shows how the child's last name and the recording of the father's information is affected by:

  • The mother's marital status
  • The last names the parent(s) currently use
  • Who signs the Registration of Birth  

Parents are Married to Each Other and Both Parents Use the Same Last Name

  • If both parents sign the Registration of Birth:

    • The father must be recorded on the Registration of Birth

    • The child may have any one of the last name options

  • If only one parent signs the Registration of Birth according to Alberta law:

    • The father must be recorded on the Registration of Birth
    • The child must be given the same last name as the parents
Parents are Married to Each Other and Parents Use Different Last Names

  • If both parents sign the Registration of Birth:

    • The father must be recorded on the Registration of Birth

    • The child may have any one of the last name options

  • If only one parent signs the Registration of Birth according to Alberta law:

    • The father must be recorded on the Registration of Birth
    • The child's last name will be the mother and father's last name hyphenated in alphabetical order
Parents are Not Married to Each Other and Parents Use the Same or Different Last Names

  • If both parents sign the Registration of Birth:

    • The father must be recorded on the Registration of Birth

    • The child may have any one of the last name options

  • If only the mother signs the Registration of Birth according to Alberta law:

    • The father's information cannot be recorded on the Registration of Birth
    • The child's last name will be the mother's maiden last name or the mother's currently used last name

Parents Not Married to Each Other and the Mother's Marital Status Is Married

When a married woman's husband is not the father of the child, the mother may be eligible to complete a Statutory Declaration Re: Registration of Birth (REG 3111)

  • If the mother can declare all following four statements to be true (on the statutory declaration) her husband's information may be left off the Registration of Birth:

    1. My husband is not the natural father of this child
    2. At the time of this child's conception I was living separate from my husband
    3. During my pregnancy, I was a married woman

    4. I am the natural mother of this child

  • If the mother cannot declare the above four statements to be true, her husband must be listed on the Registration of Birth, as the father of the child. The child's naming options are the same as if the parents are married to each other.

The Statutory Declaration Re: Registration of Birth must be completed at the time of the child's birth and  must accompany the Registration of Birth to avoid registration delays.

Additional Information

Guidelines for Choosing a Given Name or Last Name for Your Child

Last Name Options for Your Child
  • Mother's maiden name or mother's currently used last name
  • Father's last name
  • Mother's maiden or currently used last name hyphenated or combined with the father's last name (the order of names is optional)

A combined name is the joining of two last names with or without a space or hyphen (example: Jones Smith; JonesSmith or Jones-Smith). Only one hyphen and only two last names may be used. Do not used a slash ( / ) or a comma ( , ) between the two last names.