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What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
About 1,000 people in Saskatchewan request a legal name change every year, and on Wednesday the provincial government introduced new legislation allowing more options when someone requests a name change.
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The new legislation permits residents to register more than two surnames, and allows for mononyms to be registered “when the name holds cultural or religious significance.” The new laws also remove a requirement that required a person requesting a name change prove that their spouse is aware of the request, in order to protect both privacy and personal safety.
Additionally, the new rules expands the list of agencies that can be notified of a name change, “including law enforcement,” and gives registrars greater powers to issues certificates and make amendments to registrations without a court order.
“Saskatchewan is becoming increasingly diverse and there are some common barriers people encounter when they want to name their baby or request a name change,” Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan’s health minister, explained in a statement.
“The removal of the maximum number of surnames, as an example, will provide greater flexibility to register different naming conventions, and remove some unnecessary hurdles that have become apparent in recent years.”
But while the new legislation allows more options for name changes, the provincial government said it is working to ensure people convicted of a serious crime are not able to fade into the background by changing their names.
The government said the Change of Name Amendment Act, 2025, lays a foundation for more regulatory changes, “which will expand the list of designated offences that would prevent those convicted of serious crimes from legally changing their name.”
The legislation will take effect by order of the lieutenant governor in council, the Saskatchewan government noted.
While the new legislation allows for some less-common names to be legally registered, the most popular baby names in the province still lean towards the traditional. According to data from eHealth Saskatchewan, the top baby names for girls in 2024 were Emma (34), Sadie (29), Scarlett (29), Amelia (28) and Emily (27). For boys, the most popular names in 2024 were Henry (53), Oliver (50), Liam (49), Noah (46) and Levi (45).
