austria name-title
Does the &quot;Adelsaufhebungsgesetz&quot; apply to Austrian citizens world wide?
<p>I just stumbled accross the English(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Zvonimir_von_Habsburg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg</a>) and German(<a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Zvonimir_Habsburg-Lothringen" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ferdinand Zvonimir Habsburg-Lothringen</a>) version of a descendant of the Austrian Nobility. In the English version the name of the person includes a <em>von</em> (engl. of). But I thought the <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelsaufhebungsgesetz" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Adelsaufhebungsgesetz</a> made it illegal for him and his family to have the <em>von</em> in his name.</p>
<p>So my question: Is this ban only valid in Austria or should it be changed on wikipedia?</p>

<p>The Adelsaufhebungsgesetz removed “von” and other nobility-related honorifics from names, and made it illegal for Austrian citizens to use such honorifics as part of their own name. It is not illegal for <em>other</em> people to use such nobility indicators, even when addressing no-longer-noble Austrian citizens.</p>

<p>Thus, it is not illegal for the English Wikipedia to use this name. Wikipedia also notes the full name without the “von” in the sidebar, although the intro text is arguably misleading. But from a Wikipedia editorial perspective, it would matter by which name he is generally known, even if it isn't the legal name.</p>
