Change Your Name
In the UK it is possible for anyone to change their name any time in their life, as long as they are not doing so for fraudulent purposes. An individual may come up with a new name entirely, add/remove names or just change their order or spelling.
If you want to change your name all you actually have to do is start using your desired name, there is no official process to it. Official organisations, however, such as the passport office, will require a legal document to prove that you have changed your name. The most common document used is known as a Deed poll. If you wish to change your name a solicitor will be able to draw up a deed poll that makes it official.
Deed poll is the most widely accepted evidence of a change in name, if it has been properly drawn up a Deed poll will be accepted by all necessary authorities. Anyone who signs a Deed poll instantly becomes legally required to use only their new name, expecting all people to address them by it and abandoning the previous name completely.
If you are considering changing your name it’s a good idea to seek legal advice about the best way to do so and any potential restrictions you may face. If you are changing your surname after getting married a marriage certificate is usually sufficient evidence, in some cases a letter from a responsible person such as a GP will suffice and it is also possible to make a statutory declaration or announcement in a local newspaper.
Restrictions on changing your name
Individuals may change their name to anything they wish; recent examples include a Mr. Mike Moonshine, a Ms. Blazing Inferno and a man who decided to give himself 26 middle names, one for each letter of the alphabet. Solicitors, however, will not normally issue a Deed poll to anyone wishing to change their name to something which:
- Does not have at least one forename and one surname
- Is unpronounceable
- Include symbols, numbers or punctuation (except in the case of hyphens for double barrelled surnames and apostrophes for names like O’Sullivan
- Is vulgar, offensive or blasphemous
- Promotes religious or racial intolerance
- Advocates the use of drugs or other criminal activity, including slang terms
- Mocks other people or groups
- Misleads others into thinking you have a title or honour
Deed polls can be issued to people wanting to add titles to their name, provided proof that they actually have the title is given.
Names don’t get any protection, however, identities do. So there is nothing stopping a person from changing their name to Bob Dylan, as long as they aren’t trying to pass themselves off as the legendary folk singer.