German Speaking Countries
Legally, a person has one or several given names (forenames) and one surname. Using the mother's maiden name as a given name is generally not admissible unless it happens to be a name that is accepted as a first name; using a parent's first name as the child's middle name is allowed, but uncommon. In the case of multiple given names, the individual (or parents) will choose which name to use on a daily basis, as all of these names are legally equivalent. For example, the German Chancellor Angela Dorothea Merkel could decide to be called Angela Merkel, Dorothea Merkel, or Angela Dorothea Merkel. Hyphenated names, however, count as one item. Someone called Hans-Jürgen, for instance, cannot choose to drop either part of his given name. Initials are not commonly used to abbreviate extra given names. One prominent exception is German TV personality Johannes B. Kerner with the 'B' standing for 'Baptist'.
There are very few unisex names. An exception is the use of Maria for males (among Catholics), but not as a first given name; so Rainer Maria Rilke would be admissible, but Maria Rainer Rilke would not be. If one of the forenames happens to be unisex (e.g. Robin or Toni), at least one additional, unambiguous name must be chosen. Furthermore, parents can neither choose names likely to expose the child to ridicule nor those that would normally be assumed to be surnames. Foreign names are generally admissible if the parents can prove that the name is actually in regular use somewhere in the world.
Read more about this topic: Middle Name
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