The mother sought to change the name of her child from that of the natural father to the surname of her new husband.
Held: Cairns LJ said: ‘it should be realised that the mere fact that there had been a divorce, that the mother had remarried and had custody of the child, and had a name different from that of the child, was not a sufficient reason for changing the child’s surname. The courts recognised the importance of maintaining a link with the father, unless he had ceased to have an interest in the child or there were some grounds–having regard to his character and behaviour–which made it undesirable for him to have access to the child at all.’
Judges:
Cairns LJ
Citations:
(1976) 6 Fam Law 210
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Approved – W v A (Minor: Surname) CA 1981
The mother of the child sought to change the child’s surname from that of the child’s father to that of her new husband.
Held: The application was refused. Dunn LJ referred to the importance of maintaining the child’s links with the paternal . .
Cited – Dawson v Wearmouth HL 4-Feb-1999
The parents were unmarried. The mother had registered the child under her former partner’s surname. The father sought an order that his name be used instead. The mother’s apeal against an order to that effect had succeeded.
Held: The father’s . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Children
Updated: 05 May 2022; Ref: scu.270802