Children in Italy are now allowed to be given the surname of both parents, the Constitutional Court in Italy rules. This overturns the tradition by which all newborns are automatically named after their father.
The court in a statement called the current practice "discriminatory and harmful to the identity" of the child.
The court also added that children should be given both parents' surnames in the order they decide, unless they agree their children should take just one of them.
A new legislation, to be approved by parliament, is now required to implement the decision.
"We need to give substance (to the decision)...and it is a high priority and urgent task of politics to do so",Family Minister Elena Bonetti wrote on Facebook.
She added that parents should take equal responsibility for the upbringing of a child.
Pope Francis and Italy's political leaders have expressed concerns about the impact of a declining birth rate on the country, with the cost of raising children seen as one of the factors.