In Bauska District, seven residents change surnames, two change ethnicity record to 'Latvian'
Seven surname change applications were submitted from Bauska District in the first half of this year, all approved. Two people changed their ethnicity record from 'Russian' to 'Latvian'.
In the first half of this year, 1,192 people in Latvia changed their first name or surname, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Last year, 2,268 such decisions were made, and the year before that – 2,193. The ministry expects the total number this year could exceed previous years' figures.
The Bauska District Civil Registry Office had sent seven applications for surname changes to the ministry's Civil Registry Department by June 30, and all were approved. Of those, five people wanted to restore their birth surname, while two wished to take the surname of their direct ancestors.
In the same period last year, the office handled 14 surname change requests, one first-name change and one combined request. In the second half of last year, a further 18 surname change applications followed. Most applicants then also sought to regain their original surname or adopt a family surname from a preceding generation.
Ministry representative Evija Rimšāne said that two requests to change ethnicity records were also received from Bauska in the first six months. In both cases, individuals asked to change the entry from 'Russian' to 'Latvian'. No such requests were submitted in Bauska last year.
The ministry reminds that applications can be filed at any civil registry office in Latvia, including electronically or by mail. Therefore, figures from one office do not necessarily reflect the municipality of residence, and Bauska residents may submit applications elsewhere. For this reason, it is impossible to determine exactly how many residents of Bauska District changed their personal data in the first half of this year or during last year.
