Overview

• A Lorient court ruled in favor of parents wishing to use the tilde (~) in their child's Breton name, Fañch, overturning a prior decision to remove it from the birth certificate.
• The prosecutor of Lorient had cited a 2014 circular restricting diacritical marks in French names, which excludes the tilde, as the basis for the removal.
• The court's decision affirms the parents' right to choose the name's traditional spelling, stating it aligns with both the French language and the child's interests.
• The case highlights ongoing tensions between regional linguistic traditions and national naming regulations in France, particularly regarding the 2014 circular that has not been updated despite prior controversies.
• A similar case regarding the name Fañch is set for a ruling later this week in Angers, where parents have appealed a decision to remove the tilde from their child's name.