2018 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 40 - Public Health and Safety
RS 40:34.2 - Original birth certificate; required contents; name of child

§34.2. Original birth certificate; required contents; name of child

            The name of the child shall be entered on the original birth certificate in accordance with the following provisions:

            (1) First name.

            (a) If the child dies without a first name before the certificate is filed, enter the words "died unnamed" in this blank.

            (b) If the living child has not yet been given a first name at the date of filing of the certificate, leave blank the space for the first name of the child and enter the name later when supplied by affidavit.

            (2) Surname.

            (a) Unless otherwise provided by law and except as provided in Subparagraph (c) of this Paragraph, if the child is born to a mother who either is married or was married within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, the surname of the child shall be recorded in accordance with the following requirements:

            (i) If the mother is married at the time of the birth of the child, and if the mother was not married to another man within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, the surname of the child shall be the surname of the current husband of the mother.

            (ii) If the mother, though married to one man at the time of the birth of the child, was married to another man within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, the surname of the child shall be the surname of the former husband of the mother.

            (iii) If the mother, though unmarried at the time of the birth of the child, was married to a man within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, the surname of the child shall be the surname of the former husband of the mother.

            (iv) In any of these cases, if both the man whose surname should be given to the child and the mother agree, the surname of the child may be the maiden name or surname of the mother or a combination of the surname of the man and the maiden name or surname of the mother.

            (b) If the child is born to a mother who neither is married nor was married within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, the surname of the child shall be the maiden name or surname of the mother, at her discretion. If the father has acknowledged his child by authentic act and if both the mother and the father agree, the surname of the child may be the maiden name or surname of the mother, the surname of the father, or a combination of the surname of the father and the maiden name or surname of the mother.

            (c) In the case of a child born to a mother who either is married or was married within three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, including cases in which both a person presumed to be the father pursuant to the Civil Code and a biological father exist, the surname of the biological father who has been judicially declared to be the father of the child in a filiation or paternity proceeding shall be the surname of the child. If the biological father and the mother agree, the surname of the child shall be the maiden name or surname of the mother or a combination of the surname of the biological father and the maiden name or surname of the mother.

            (d) In the case of a child born of a surrogate birth parent as a result of an enforceable gestational carrier contract, as provided in R.S. 9:2720, the surname of the child's biological parents shall be the surname of the child.

            Acts 2016, No. 434, §3; Acts 2016, No. 494, §2; Acts 2018, No. 21, §1, eff. May 7, 2018.