Under normal circumstances, the name can be chosen casually, but the surname needs to respect traditional culture and public order and good customs, and cannot be innovated solely based on personal wishes.
Related cases: "Beiyan Yunyi".
The court’s ruling is based on a legislative interpretation passed by relevant departments in November 2014. It is legal for citizens to change their surnames within the following three conditions:
(1) Choose the surname of other direct elder blood relatives;
(2) Choose the surname of the caregiver because he is raised by someone other than the legal caregiver;
(3) There are other legitimate reasons that do not violate public order and good customs . The surnames of ethnic minority citizens can be derived from the cultural traditions and customs of their own ethnic groups.