Nom d'Usage
nom d'usage
The name a French person uses in daily life when it differs from their legal birth name, most commonly a married person who uses their spouse's surname without formally changing their nom de famille.
The nom d'usage (usage name) is a distinctly French legal concept that allows a person to use a name in daily life that differs from their legal nom de famille recorded at birth. The most common case is marriage: a French woman who chooses to use her husband's surname does not legally change her nom de famille — her birth name remains her legal surname — but she may adopt her husband's name as her nom d'usage on correspondence, professional materials, and many official documents.
Legal Framework
French law explicitly distinguishes between the nom de naissance (birth name, legally immutable except through specific procedures) and the nom d'usage (the name used in practice). Article 43 of the French Civil Code allows a person to use their spouse's surname, a combination of both spouses' names, or their own birth name. Since the gender equality law of 2013, men may equally adopt their wife's surname as a nom d'usage. The nom d'usage appears alongside the birth name on French identity documents (carte d'identité and passport), clearly distinguished.
Social Significance
The nom d'usage concept reflects a French legal philosophy that preserves individual birth identity as permanent while allowing practical flexibility. A French woman remains 'Marie Dupont' in law even if professionally and socially she is known as 'Marie Martin' (her husband's name). This dual-identity system can create administrative complexity but also reflects the French Republican principle that a person's legal identity, assigned at birth, belongs to them independently of their marital status or social choices.