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| Changing Your Name | ||
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General Information About Changing Your Name
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Introduction In the United Kingdom anyone aged 16 years and over can change their name to any name they choose. So, if Long John Silver or Minnie Mouse appeals to you, there is nothing in UK law to stop you from using such names. You would only be committing an offence if you changed your name for fraudulent purposes. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on how often you can change your name. To start using your new name, all you have to do is write to all the companies and organisations that you have dealings with advising them that from a particular date you wish to be know as your new name. Please note, throughout the rest of the article, we refer to this method of changing your name as 'changing your name by usage.' There are, however, several documents and records that you may not be able to get changed when you change your name by usage, for example, your passport, property deeds and records such as income tax, national insurance, bank and building society accounts. To ensure that you get all your records and documents without any problems or delays, you should execute a change of name by Deed Poll (see footnote below), which can be done simply and quickly using Confetti's online Deed Poll name change service. However, whether you change your name by usage or by Deed Poll, there are certain documents that you can never get changed. These are documents such as your birth certificate, previous marriage certificates or decree absolute certificates. A Woman's Legal Rights Upon Marriage There is no legal requirement for a woman to change her maiden name (her surname before marriage) when she gets married. It is purely her own personal choice, although by tradition it is generally expected. Upon marriage, there are two automatic legal options available to the woman only: A woman can either continue to use her maiden name or she can change her maiden name to her husband's surname. If a woman decides to take her husband's surname, the marriage certificate provides the necessary documentary evidence that she has changed her name. It is only if a woman wishes to be known by another name, for example, a hyphenated (double barrelled) name, that she should execute a change of name by Deed Poll. This will ensure that there are no problems or delays in changing all her documents and records into her new name. For further information about the options available to women when they get married, please read our comprehensive article Changing Your Name Upon Marriage. A Man's Legal Rights Upon Marriage A man has no legal rights to change his name when he gets married. If he wishes to use a hyphenated name after marriage or wishes to use his wife's maiden name (and wishes all his documents and records to be amended without problems or delays), he should execute a change of name by Deed Poll. A Woman's Legal Rights Upon Divorce A woman can revert to using her maiden name upon divorce. To get all her documents and records changed, she will usually be required to produce her decree absolute certificate and her marriage certificate (a marriage certificate shows a woman's name before marriage). If you do not have either of these documents to hand, you may find it more convenient to execute a change of name by Deed Poll. A Woman's LegalRights Upon Being Widowed A woman can revert to using her maiden name upon being widowed. To get all her documents and records changed, she will usually be required to produce her husband's death certificate and her marriage certificate (a marriage certificate shows a woman's name before marriage). If you do not have either of these documents to hand, you may find it more convenient to execute a change of name by Deed Poll. Changing Children's Names Only persons aged 16 years and over can change their name of their own volition (at least 18 years of age if by Deed Poll). Therefore, if you wish to change your children's names by either usage or by Deed Poll, and they are under the ages mentioned above, the written consent of both parents is required. If you wish to change your children's names by Deed Poll, they can be combined on a single Deed Poll or added to the parents' Deed Poll, if applicable. If you are divorced and have custody of your children, you will need an authority from a county court if you are unable to get the other parent to provide written consent. Footnote Although we refer to Deed Poll, we also mean Statutory Declaration, which is another method of changing your name. To change your name by Statutory Declaration, it is usual to have the document drafted and sworn before a solicitor. Since changing your name by Deed Poll is simpler and much more convenient (it can be done online from Confetti's website) we have ignored any reference to it. If you require further information about changing your name by Statutory Declaration, you should speak to a solicitor or contact your local Citizen's Advice Bureaux. [back] |
Changing Your
Name Upon Marriage
Change Your Name By Deed
Poll
Who To Advise When You Change Your
Name
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