Never before have so many Belgians changed their name | Interior

In the past year, many people decided to change their name. 2022 was an absolute record year for both first and last name. A total of 5,104 compatriots approached their municipality or city to change their first name, and 1,120 people chose a new surname.

Since 2018, the procedures to change the name have been relaxed a lot. Year following year, more and more people use it.

2022 was also a record year for the number of gender changes in the civil register. A total of 569 persons had their sex changed from male to female or from female to male. It is mainly 18 to 29 year olds who make this decision.