Choosing it when you register the birth#
This is the simplest moment. GOV.UK's guide to registering a birth lists the baby's name and surname among the things to know when you go, and the regulations for England and Wales say the surname entered is the one by which, at the date of registration, it is intended that the child will be known. That rule does not tie the surname to either parent's, so a double-barrelled surname can be registered from the start, and the birth certificate shows it.
Decide before the appointment. The procedure for naming a baby in the 12 months after registration is for first names: the regulations say a name given that way is entered followed by the surname already recorded, so it leaves the surname as it was. Changing a baby's name in the first year has the detail.
Changing to it later#
After registration, joining a second surname to a child's name is a change of name, with the same rule as any other: GOV.UK requires the agreement of everyone who holds parental responsibility, or a court order. It is not treated as a smaller change because one surname stays. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff lists adding a surname, and adding or removing a hyphen, among the changes to a child's name that need everyone's consent and evidence of the change.
The evidence GOV.UK names is a deed poll; for a child under 16, one made by a parent on the child's behalf and recording everyone's agreement. It sets out the child's full old name and full new name, and the new surname should be written exactly as it will be used, with or without the hyphen.
HM Passport Office's guidance also says that where the General Register Office agrees to change a child's surname during a re-registration, a combination of the two parents' surnames is one of the forms it will use, with everyone's agreement. That is not available when parents who have married since the birth re-register it: since 13 July 2026 the surname stays as registered, as changing a child's surname to the mother's or the father's explains.
Hyphen, space and which name comes first#
Both a hyphen and a space are allowed. GOV.UK's rules for a new name permit a hyphen, and HM Passport Office defines a double-barrelled surname as two existing surnames joined by a space or a hyphen; its own example is Crickle-Wood or Crickle Wood. Running the two together as one word, Cricklewood, makes a new name rather than a double-barrelled one; for a child that makes no practical difference, because either is a change of name.
Neither GOV.UK nor HM Passport Office sets an order, so which surname comes first is a family choice. The order has one practical effect. A passport application has room for 30 characters in the surname, spaces included, and if a surname is longer, HM Passport Office's guidance says it uses the first surname and fits the others in as far as it can, with initials where needed, adding the full name as an observation in the passport.
Whichever form you choose, use it the same way everywhere. For a child, HM Passport Office treats adding or dropping the hyphen later as a change of name in its own right, needing consent and evidence again.
What happens to the birth certificate#
In England and Wales, nothing: a deed poll does not alter the registration, and the certificate and the deed are shown together, as can I change the name on my birth certificate? explains. In Scotland, National Records of Scotland can record one change of a child's surname before 16, for £40, and new certificates then show both names. The General Register Office for Northern Ireland will record one change of a child's forename or surname before 18, for £35.
The passport and school records#
A child whose surname changes needs a new passport in the new name. GOV.UK asks for the deed poll, written consent from everyone with parental responsibility, and at least one record proving the child uses the new name, which can be an NHS, Child Benefit or school record. A child's passport is £66.50 if you apply online.
Tell the school early, because its records are one of the documents the passport office accepts as proof of use. Department for Education guidance says a school in England, asked by one parent to use a new surname, should first have written evidence of consent from the other parent and anyone else with parental responsibility, obtained independently of the parent who asks.
Adults double-barrelling#
A couple who double-barrel on marriage or civil partnership can use their certificate instead of a deed poll, because GOV.UK's passport guidance accepts it for double-barrelled names: double-barrelling your surname after marriage. Dropping one half later usually takes a deed poll.
Questions people ask
Can I double-barrel my child's surname without the father's consent?
Only if he does not hold parental responsibility. If he does, his agreement is needed even though his surname stays in the child's name, and without it the route is a court order: specific issue orders, explained.
Can I add my surname as a middle name instead?
You can, but for a child that is a change of name too: HM Passport Office's guidance lists adding a middle name alongside adding a surname, so the same agreement and evidence, such as a deed poll, are needed. The surname itself stays as it is. Keeping a maiden name as a middle name covers the baby and adult versions.
Do we need a deed poll for our child's double-barrelled name after we marry?
Yes. Your marriage or civil partnership certificate lets the two of you double-barrel, but it is evidence of your change, not your child's. Changing a child's surname to the mother's or the father's explains what re-registering the birth does and does not do.
Can my child choose a double-barrelled surname themselves?
From 16. GOV.UK says a 16 or 17 year old can make their own deed poll, so the choice becomes theirs: my child is 16 or 17.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
