A father's decision to change his and his young daughter's surname from "Gou" to "Jing" has sparked widespread discussion online.
The man, now surnamed Jing, explained that he had long faced teasing and unwanted nicknames due to the pronunciation of "Gou", which sounds identical to the Chinese word for "dog".
When his second daughter was born, he carefully chose a name for her but faced a wave of criticism after sharing it online. This ultimately led him to apply for a surname change for her.
His older daughter, born nine years ago, had already switched to her mother's surname "Xu" before starting primary school, partly to spare her similar childhood experiences.
The case is not isolated. In recent years, groups of residents with the surname "Gou" in places such as Henan's Xingyang and Dengfeng have collectively changed their surnames to "Jing". While such changes have been approved in many areas, some applications have been rejected.
Under China's Civil Code, individuals have the right to change their names provided the change does not violate public order or good customs.
Lawyer Ma Lihong, a senior partner at Beijing DHH Law Firm, noted that while citizens may choose surnames beyond those of their parents under certain conditions, such as adopting the surname of another direct elder relative, name changes must follow legal procedures and should not be used to evade legal responsibilities or cause unnecessary administrative burden.