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“There is an almost jubilant dimension”: more than 40,000 French people have changed their name since July 2022

2023-01-23T16:43:59.893Z


TESTIMONIALS - Abuse, abandonment, identity… For various reasons, thousands have started the procedure since the process was simplified in July.


For Nicole Rey, it's a new life that began in the summer of 2022. Like her, thousands of French people have changed their names since the process was simplified on July 1, 2022. From now on, it is no longer necessary to provide a justification and the act is completely free.

Supported by the Keeper of the Seals Éric Dupond-Moretti, this new law gives French people the freedom to change their surname.

If a majority substitutes the name of one of the parents for the other, it is also possible to juxtapose the two (in the desired order).

This irreversible change has upset the lives of several thousand French people.

There was a very high expectation

,” underlines Marine Gatineau-Dupré, founder and president of the “

Porte mon nom

” association.

When I did my survey two years ago, I realized the demand.

I received nearly 2,000 responses during the week, real testimonials, and then I received more than 20,000 messages on social networks,

”she testifies.

Mainly emotional motives

Since July, some town halls have panicked at the number of filings.

The demands are diverse.

As part of my investigation, people often had emotional reasons but which were not legitimate in the eyes of the old law in force

”.

Previously, it was necessary to justify its choice by insisting for example on the ridiculous dimension of the name or its bad reputation.

People concerned by personal motivations did not obtain satisfaction.

According to an Ifop poll published in February 2022, 22% of French people already expressed “

their desire to change their surname

” in the event that this would be made possible by the public authorities.

Read alsoAnne-Marie Le Pourhiet: “Law on the change of name, the end of all rules and the reign of individual whim”

I was born Marc Challande

,” a 25-year-old young man tells us shyly.

"

I was educated by my father because my mother worked a lot, and I received the values ​​of my father, for whom, among other things, the woman was secondary

", he continues with emotion.

Without naming his discomfort perfectly, Marc returns to the very difficult relationship with his father.

The idea of ​​changing his name gradually germinated in his mind during adolescence.

The turning point is on Christmas day when my father left my mother.

I had always been closer to my mother and her ideas, her vision, but from there, it was confirmed

.

Bear the name of the person who made his mother suffer,

".

Sadness also comes with practical problems.

"

Several times, my mother, who had regained

her maiden name

, suffered from not being able to identify directly as our mother

," he explains.

Symbolically, it became important to get closer to his mother and his family.

"

I wanted to reclaim my identity

."

After submitting the file in September 2022, Marc had a mandatory month of reflection.

Initially, I wanted to bear only my mother's name.

And, finally, I changed my mind, I couldn't deny 25

years of my life so I put the two names

together”, he adds, insisting on the complex nature of identity.

“It is an emancipatory act”

For others, this change is above all synonymous with a new life.

Nicole, who was abused by her father as a child, saw this change as an essential step.

"

Little things were spared me in my childhood

," she says.

"

And I felt like my name was stuck in those memories

."

When Nicole learned of the existence of this new law, her joy was immense.

I submitted the file on July 1 and I confirmed my wish on

August 3.

I had changed my name at the end of the summer

, ”she says with emotion.

In addition to healing her wounds, this change of name was also a way of reconnecting with her mother, who had recognized a few years earlier the suffering endured by her daughter.

Read alsoTreating psychological trauma with your eyes: the effectiveness of EMDR

This change of name was also reflected in concrete life.

I am 63 years old, I had not worked for years, and there I was able to do it again recently, I found a verticality

”, she affirms.

Writing her name is no longer a difficult experience that automatically sends her back to trauma or suffering.

In the same way, her new colleagues only know her under this new identity.

It does not solve everything, it is obvious, because it is impossible, it is always only a question of

taming his pain

,

she nuances, moved.

I paid for my childhood for years...

But changing my name is an opportunity to speak out, a symbolic act, there is an almost jubilant dimension

”.

More than 40,000 French people already concerned

The words that come up the most in the mouths of those concerned are “

rebirth

”, “

landmarks

”, “

recognition

”, shares Marine Gatineau-Dupré.

They are already

40,000 to have changed their name, these are the figures from the Ministry of Justice for the month of December

”, she comments, betting that the figures will be even more impressive in the months to come.

Several town halls have not yet started to process files because they do not have the right software or are sometimes overwhelmed by the number of requests.

"

At Le Mans, they have more than 168 filings and the town hall team that takes care of it did not expect such a figure

".

The existence of this law sometimes changes opinions.

While some people were firmly waiting for the law to pass and for change to be facilitated, others had not thought of it before

,” also explains Marine Gatineau-Dupré.

This is the case of Marc's grandfather who, until then, was even reluctant to this idea.

He told me that it wasn't important, that the name was tradition and I understood that very well

,” explains Marc.

And then after a while he thought, he saw that it was possible, he wanted to change his name to support me and then all of a sudden he was convinced

".

His grandfather, born after the war, was raised by his mother in a very large family.

Years later, the old man is troubled by his memory.

It is a way for him to salute his memory and his courage.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-01-23

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