Karlsruhe, Germany - Married couples cannot combine their surname with their partner's name if one of them is already double- barrelled, Germany's Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday.

The verdict, which confirms a ruling handed down in 1994, came in the case of a Munich-based couple. The court found that the woman, a dentist, could not retain her name and add her husband's double-barrelled name.

In Germany it is common for couples to combine their names when they marry. As a result of Tuesday's ruling this practice can continue, but only if the resulting name consists of no more than two hyphenated surnames. (dpa)