5,104 Belgians changed their first names at their local municipalities in 2022, with a further 1,120 adopting a new surname, according to De Zondag. This is a record number of name changes in Belgium, which can be ascribed to the administrative procedure being simplified in 2018.
On Sunday, the Flemish newspaper De Zondag reported that a record number of Belgians had changed their names in 2022.
In total, 5,104 Belgians went to their municipality to alter their first name, 250 more than in 2021. In addition, 1,120 individuals changed their surnames.
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This record amount is consistent with the rise in Belgian name changes since 2018, when officials streamlined the administrative procedure.
Since then, any citizen wanting to change their first name only faces a three-month wait and can directly head to their local town hall to get this done.
Furthermore, 2022 also saw 569 Belgians choosing to change their genders on their administrative documents, which also set a new record.
