Currently, a person cannot take a surname if it is very rare or very common.
A rare name is one used by fewer than 20 people. A common name is one used by more than 500 people.
According to the new law, a person can take any surname.
Interior Minister Igor Taro says that a person can decide for themselves whether they want a very common or a rare name.
The Estonian Language Institute (EKI) does not support this change.
Fred Puss from EKI says that people already have a wide choice of surnames from their ancestors.
Puss adds that taking a very rare name is not a good choice.
According to the new law, very common names are also not sufficient.
Fred Puss mentions that other countries have different rules.
In Sweden and Denmark, only very common names can be taken.
Fred Puss says that Estonia has a characteristic low number of bearers, and this should be preserved.
Igor Taro believes that name diversity can help people identify themselves.
Taro adds that there are many opportunities to create new names in the Estonian language.