Z historie předpisů a zákonů o příjmeních. Znalecké posuzování příjmení a soudní spory

The study traces the development of approaches to the regulation of family names in the Czech Lands. It summarizes the main legislative principles and changes made to the Czech anthroponymic system by the state, from the first orders in 1770 to today’s Act on Civil Registration, Names and Surnames No. 301/2000 Coll. The law of 1786, which established the obligation to have a hereditary, unchangeable family name, was particularly significant. Major changes in registry practices occurred after World War II. Among other things, this concerned the obligation for women to use the feminine form of their surname. The study discusses the consequences of these rules for registry practice. The second part of the study describes the issue of expert opinions on surnames. The third part analyses several court decisions concerning the number of surnames that can be used in the Czech Republic.