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Soon, the Dutch naming law will be modernised further. It will probably become possible to give children a double surname, of both the father and mother. For instance, 'De Boer Jansen', or 'Jansen de Boer'. A bill to regulate this is in the making, because, according to a poll conducted by the Ministry of Justice, about one third of the Dutch population wants such an option.

Professor of family law Wendy Schrama explains in NRC that "the wider possibilities for naming are in line with more equal roles for men and women. And for children it fulfils a need to show where you come from - actually, there is no proper argument that the father's name alone should determine your origin."

Compared to other types of family law, such as divorce and children's rights, the law of names has been much slower to adapt to a changing society, says the professor of family law. "Still, some emancipation is taking place."