, Canada
Canadian Surnames

In English Canada, names follow much the same convention as they do in the United States and United Kingdom. Usually the "first name" (as described in e.g. birth certificates) is what a child goes by, although a middle name (if any) may be preferred—both also known as "given names." The "last name" is usually taken from a child's parents, which may be from either or both (joined by hyphenation).[note 1][1] Outside Quebec (with distinct civil law system), either spouse has the right to assume the other's last name, as long as it is not intended for the purposes of fraud. Getting married does not result in a legal change of name nor automatically change identification records.

It is not uncommon to see names that follow patterns differing from the English and French naming conventions.

French Canadian names
Given names in Quebec
In French Canada, up until the late 1960s, children of Roman Catholic religion often were given three names at birth (usually not hyphenated): the first, Marie or Joseph, were honorific in nature to honor the mother and foster father of Jesus. The second was usually the name of the godfather or godmother, while the third and last given name was the name used in everyday situations.[citation needed] Thus, a child prenamed Joseph Bruno Jean on his birth or baptismal certificate would indicate the baby was a boy, the godfather's first name was Bruno and that the child would be called Jean (and not Joseph) for all intents and purposes of everyday life. A real-life example of this naming convention was that of Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was born Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien.

Although it is still permitted to list multiple names on a birth certificate, it is uncommon for people to even be aware of their other given names, and the practice of using religious names became increasingly rarer after the Quiet Revolution as baptism ceremonies gradually became less common. The Quebec government officially recommends not using more than four given names.

Surnames in Quebec
Currently, most couples give the child the surname of the father, though the Quebec civil code allows a couple to combine at most two of their surnames, with or without hyphens. Thus a couple named Joseph Bouchard-Tremblay and Marie Dion-Roy could give to their children the surnames Bouchard, Tremblay, Dion, Roy, Bouchard-Tremblay, Dion-Roy, Bouchard-Dion, Bouchard-Roy, and so on.

Following traditional French custom, Quebec women did not change their legal names upon marriage, but were referred to by their husband's surname in common speech. This latter practice fell out of favour following the Quiet Revolution, and spouses now retain their surnames after marriage in all contexts. A name change for marriage is difficult or impossible to do if desired, as requests to adopt a husband's name after marriage are typically denied.

The "nom-dit" tradition (Dit name)
Until the late 19th century, several families also had a nom-dit tradition. This was a family nickname (literally a 'said name'). The origins of the noms-dits were various. Some noms-dits were the war-name of the first settler, while he was a soldier: Hébert dit Jolicœur (Pretty Heart, cf. Braveheart), Thomas dit Tranchemontagne (mountain chopper). Some denoted the place of origin of the first settler: Langevin (Anjou), Barbeau dit Poitevin (Poitou). Others denoted a characteristic of the person or of his dwelling: Lacourse, Lépine, Larivière.

Indigenous Canadian names
Many, if not most, Indigenous Canadians (primarily in this First Nations and Métis people, but also Inuit to an extent) carry European surnames, and most of those are French names, either because of intermarriage with French Canadian and Métis men and indigenous women or because a surname was assigned to an indigenous person by a French-speaking Christian missionary. The most notable example is the Cardinal family, which started with a few French Canadians moving to the West and now includes thousands of Cree and Métis people in Alberta, Saskatchewan and beyond. Other examples would include Belcourt. Other European groups have contributed notably to indigenous, and especially Métis names, such as Isbister (Scottish), Hardisty (English) and so on.

On the Great Plains, many First Nations people have surnames that are direct English translations of an ancestor's given name. Often these are multiple words long; examples would be Born with a Tooth (Blackfoot), Chief-Moon (Blood), or Whiteknife (Cree).

For others, a name in their ancestral language is rendered in English or French spelling such as Tootoosis (Plains Cree), Newashish (Atikamekw), or Yahgulanaas (Haida).

Some people have a legal or baptismal name in English or French and separate name in their ancestral language, for example Oronhyatekha (Mohawk), who was also called Peter Martin.

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