Official measure | By decision of the Government, no child will be able to be registered with the surnames on this list

However, there are surnames that, if proposed to the authorities, will be automatically rejected for failing to comply with the regulations set by the Alabama Administrative Code, which governs birth registration within the state.

In Alabama, state regulations are characterized by the flexibility they offer parents when registering their newborn children in official documents.

Registering newborns with the surnames on this list is prohibited

According to regulation 420-7-1-.04, corresponding to “Child’s Name for Birth Registration,” it is established that no infant may be given a surname that

This regulation has been in force since July 25, 2007 and continues to apply to all birth registrations carried out in the state.

What other current rules regulate children’s surnames?

There is no legal obligation in Alabama for parents to pass on their surname to their children. They are free to register their descendants with a surname that does not necessarily match that of their father or mother, following the relevant regulations.

The implementation of this rule allows parents not only to choose different surnames for their children, but also to opt for invented surnames or to give them an existing surname in a symbolic sense.