Europe | What’s in a name?

Turkish women should soon be allowed to keep their maiden names

But the law is still fuzzy

A Turkih wedding in a park in Istanbul
Photograph: Alamy
|ISTANBUL

AYSE CICEK is not particularly fond of her surname, which means “flower” in Turkish. But she was even less pleased at the prospect of being forced to change it. In 2022, when she got engaged, Turkish law decreed that she would have to take her fiancé’s surname on marriage, or double-barrel it with her maiden name.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “What’s in a name?”

From the May 18th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Europe

The Russian Army Attacked Kherson With Guided Bombs

Russian trainee pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians

Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones

The “Trumpnado”, a wave shaped like Donald Trump's profile, crushing a boat with a European flag.

Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?

Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat


Demonstrators march, shouting slogans against tourists in Barcelona

Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage

Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply


A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched

The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command

A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy

With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever

France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left

François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy