State encourages Russians to change names

TALLINN - The Estonian Interior Ministry believes that Russian-speakers would better blend into society if they adopted Estonian-sounding names, and is planning to make changing one's family name easier with a legal amendment, report the daily Postimees.

"Willingness to integrate" will be added to the Names Act as one of the reasons for changing the family name. Officials meanwhile say that integration is one of the main reasons why name changes are being undertaken anyway.

In 2007, a new name was given to 980 people the and a name change was refused on 13 occasions. Of the cases of name change, a new first name was given in 167 cases, a new surname in 739 cases and a new name and surname in 74 cases.

Authors of the bill say the new regulation will make changing one's name easier and cheaper for residents, particularly by eliminating the need to put together a name file in each individual case and have it reviewed by the names commission.

Estonia underwent a big name change campaign in the 1930s when German family names were changed to Estonian names.