How do we choose a child's name and can the registrar refuse?
Conditional — parents choose the name freely and by agreement, but within a few legal frames. Under the Personal Name Act, a child's personal name is determined by the parents by agreement, and the child may bear the surname of one or both parents. Croatia has no official list of allowed names, and here the most common myth falls: the „at most two words” rule no longer applies — under the current Act a name and a surname may consist of more than one word, with a duty to use the registered name consistently in legal transactions. If the parents do not agree, the name is set by the competent social welfare centre within 30 days of one parent's request; and if no name is given to the child within 30 days of birth, the registrar notifies the centre. Freedom still has a limit: the name must be a genuine personal name and must not offend the child's dignity or public morality.
📋 The rules
- Parents' agreement: a child's personal name is determined by the parents by agreement (Personal Name Act, Art. 3), and the child may bear the surname of one or both parents.
- More than one word is allowed: a name and a surname may consist of more than one word; the old limit of „at most two words” has been abolished, with a duty of consistent use in legal transactions.
- No agreement, the centre decides: if the parents disagree, the name is set by the competent social welfare centre within 30 days of a request by one of the parents.
- Deadline from birth: if the parents do not set a name within 30 days of birth, the registrar responsible for the entry notifies the social welfare centre to determine it.
- The limit of freedom: the proposed name must be a genuine personal name and must not offend the rights and freedoms of others, the legal order or public morality — a standard that also protects the child's dignity.
🔓 Exceptions
- One parent: if the other parent has died, is of unknown residence, or is deprived of parental care or legal capacity, the name is set by the other parent alone.
- Parentage established later: for a child whose maternity or paternity is established up to age 18, the parents may agree on a new name, with the consent of a child older than 10.
- Adoption: for an adopted child the name is set under the family-relations legislation, not the ordinary procedure at birth registration.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There is no fine for the choice of a child's name itself, yet the consequences of missteps still exist. If the parents do not agree, they lose the right to choose — the name is set instead by the social welfare centre, just as when no name is set within 30 days of birth. Changing an „unwanted” name later is no longer a simple entry but a formal change-of-name procedure before the competent administrative body. Here lies a kuna trap: the same Personal Name Act is still written in kuna, so it sets a fine of 3,000.00 to 4,500.00 kuna for anyone who, after a registered change, does not use the new name in legal transactions — at the fixed rate (1 € = 7.53450 kn) that is roughly 398 to 597 euros. A name that does not match the documents also causes constant administrative delays.
📎 Official sources
- zakon.hr — Personal Name Act / Zakon o osobnom imenu (naming a child, Arts. 2–3) →
- gov.hr — registering a child's birth and determining the name →
- Narodne novine — Personal Name Act (NN 118/12, 70/17, 98/19) →
❓ Frequently asked
Is it still true that a name may have at most two words?
No, that is outdated. Under the current Personal Name Act a name and a surname may consist of more than one word, and if there are several, the parents declare for the child which of them it will use in legal transactions.
Who sets the name if the parents disagree?
If the parents do not agree on a name, the decision is made by the competent social welfare centre within 30 days of a request by one parent. The same applies when no name is set within 30 days of birth, of which the registrar notifies the centre.
May a child bear the surname of only one parent?
Yes, a child may bear the surname of one or both parents, by their agreement. The law does not dictate whose surname must prevail, so the choice is up to the parents as long as they agree; only if there is no agreement does the social welfare centre decide.
Can the registrar refuse a name?
Croatia has no official list of names and parents choose very freely, but the proposal must be a genuine personal name and must not offend the rights of others or public morality. A name that endangers the child's dignity can meet refusal and intervention by the competent bodies.
Can we change the child's name later?
You can, but that is no longer a simple correction; it is a change-of-name procedure before the competent administrative body, and for a child older than 10 the child's consent is also required. Changing a minor's name generally needs the consent of both parents.
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