Z historie předpisů a zákonů o rodných jménech. Znalecké posuzování rodných jmen a soudní spory

The study traces the development of approaches to the regulation of first/given names in the Czech Lands. It summarizes the main legislative principles governing the Czech anthroponymic system and discusses their implications for registry practice. The main emphasis is on the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century and on the issue of linguistic expert opinions on names. It also analyses several court decisions on first names. The regulation of names can be traced back to the 16th century when the Roman Catechism was adopted at the Council of Trent. For a long time, the state did not interfere in the choice of given names among the majority population; these were determined by the Church, which dictated which baptismal names were acceptable for children. In contrast, the state was responsible for regulating the form of surnames. The situation changed in 1949 when the Law on Civil Registry No. 268/1949 Coll. was adopted, and the administration of civil registry began to fall under the competence of the state. A decree to this law then stipulated that, among other things, the registration of diminutive or unofficial forms of names was not permitted. In connection with this, in the 1950s, expert opinions on names for their registration emerged. In practice, we then see a gradual expansion of the repertoire to include foreign names. There is also a gradual easing of legal regulations. The last major change was brought about by the amendment to the Act on Civil Registration, Names and Surnames No. 301/2000 Coll., effective from 1 January 2024.