Which name goes on the birth announcement? Call name, middle names and surname
Put the name you will call your baby on the front of the birth announcement, in large letters, and give the full name inside: every given name, then the surname. That is how the card shop Kaartje2go lays it out in its Dutch-language guide to names on a birth card, and it tells family and friends which name to write on the card they send back.
Which name goes first on a birth card?
The call name. Kaartje2go writes that when the first name is also the name you use, it often goes on the card in big letters, often on the front and again inside, where it usually gets the largest type.
It gets interesting when the two differ. Kaartje2go takes the example of a baby whose passport says Elisabeth and who is called Isa, and gives two options:
| Option | Front | Inside |
|---|---|---|
| Call name first | Isa, large | Elisabeth, the other given names, the surname |
| Official name first | Elisabeth | The full name, then a line such as "We call her Isa" |
According to the same guide, most new parents choose the first option: the call name large on the front, the full name inside.
The front carries the name people will call your baby; the inside carries the full name.
Where do the middle names go?
Inside, with the full name. Kaartje2go says that if your baby has a second, third or even fourth name, it is nice to mention them, and that the full name is often given on the inside of the card. Its tip for parents who are proud of the second name: set it as large as the first name, on the inside.
Our advice: write them in the order of the birth certificate. In France, that is the order identity papers keep. The French government's page on choosing a child's first name, checked on 20 March 2026, says any first name on the birth certificate can be chosen as the usual first name, whatever its place - but identity cards and passports list the names in the order of the civil register. In Germany the order can still change later: § 45a of the Civil Status Act lets someone whose name falls under German law re-sort their first names by a publicly certified declaration to the registry office, though adding, dropping or respelling a name is not allowed.
Does the baby's surname go on the card?
It depends on whose names the card carries. Kaartje2go's guide sorts it by family:
- One surname for both of you. Write it once: either after your own names further down, or with the baby's name instead. If the cards only go to the people closest to you, you can also leave it off altogether.
- You have different surnames. Put the baby's surname after their first and any middle names, so everyone can see which surname your child has.
- You are a single parent. Write the surname after your own name, or after the baby's names if you want to show the child carries yours. If you are no longer together but the child carries the other parent's surname, put it after the baby's names too.
The guide adds that the surname usually sits on the inside of the card, and the front often shows only the first name.
In the Netherlands, two surnames are an option too. The Dutch government's page on giving a child two surnames says you can give your child the surnames of both parents, no more than two names, and that the combined surname applies to all children of the same parents. If you chose them, our advice is to write both in full after the baby's names, so nobody has to guess the order.
In what order do the parents and siblings go?
Parents first, then brothers and sisters. Kaartje2go writes that the parents' names often come first and the siblings after, that the mother's name is customarily mentioned first, out of respect for the hard work of the birth, and that siblings are listed from oldest to youngest.
So a card might close with: Love, Anna, Tom and big brother Sem. For twins, the guide gives two ways to order the babies' names: the order that sounds best, or the order they were born in. Our twin birth announcement guide covers the rest of a card for two.
How do you enter the name on a Babyprint Lab card?
Type the call name in the name field. It is the name the front of our folded card is built around, and the Mila style prints its first letter as a giant initial, so "Isa" gives you an I and "Elisabeth" an E. A name starting with IJ, such as IJsbrand, gets both letters as its initial.
The name field takes up to 40 characters, starting with a letter: letters with or without accents, spaces, hyphens, apostrophes and dots. If a long name does not fit the style you picked, the editor tells you and, where there is one, suggests a style it fits on.
The full name goes in the message. On the folded A5 card, the inside right prints the name with the date and the details you enter, and the inside left prints your own message of up to 60 words and 400 characters. That is the place for "Elisabeth Maria de Vries, called Isa" and your names. The flat A6 postcard has a front and a back and no message panel, so the only name it prints is the one you type.
For the words around the name, our birth announcement wording guide has opening lines to copy. When you know which name leads, type it into the folded card in the card editor in the Mila style, and see how its initial looks in the preview.