How do I choose a new name or surname?

How do I choose a new name?#

Start with the rules, then test the name against your daily life. The rules are few. GOV.UK says a new name must be pronounceable, must not include symbols, numbers or punctuation, other than a hyphen or the apostrophe of an established name such as O'Hara, and must not be offensive or against the public interest. Within those limits the choice is yours: HM Passport Office's guidance to its own staff says "the name the customer uses is up to them". The checks below are worth making before you sign, because changing your mind later means a new deed poll and the same paperwork twice.

Does it meet the rules?#

Two things are outside what a deed poll can do: GOV.UK says it cannot change which letters are capitalised, or change a title such as Mr, Sir or Doctor. HM Passport Office applies its own standard when it prints a passport. It will not use a name that may cause public offence, and when it decides whether a name might, it considers how the name sounds as well as the words. Can I change my name to anything? explains each rule, and the name checker runs a name past them as you type.

How does it sound, and what do the initials spell?#

Say the full name aloud with the surname, the way a receptionist or a teacher would read it from a list. Spell it out to someone who has never seen it written. Write down your initials and see what they spell. Look at the name surname first, as many forms show it, and in capitals: passports are printed in capital letters, so a capital in the middle of a name will not show there. Practise the new signature too, because you sign the deed in both your old and your new names.

Will it fit on a passport?#

HM Passport Office's application takes up to 30 characters for forenames and 30 for the surname, spaces included. A longer name is shortened, or extra names are reduced to initials, though never the first forename or the first surname, and the full name is written in an observation. Accents and other marks on letters cannot be printed at all: the passport system follows the international standard and uses an agreed alternative spelling instead. What if my name is too long, or has accents? goes through other documents too.

Can I choose a family or heritage name?#

You may want a name with a history: a grandparent's surname, a mother's maiden name, a name in your family's language, or the surname a family used before it was anglicised. As an adult you need nobody's agreement for any of these, because GOV.UK says anyone aged 16 or over can make their own deed poll. Taking a parent's or step-parent's surname and changing a name from another language cover the details, and the surname combiner shows the ways two surnames can be joined.

What about work records, qualifications and online accounts?#

Think about everywhere your current name is attached. Exam certificates can stay in the name you sat them in: AQA, for example, does not amend a certificate for a change of name made by deed poll after the results are issued, so you show the deed alongside it. A professional registration, published work or a portfolio under your old name needs the same link. It is also worth checking that the email address or username you would want in the new name is free. Online accounts and professional regulators cover the changes themselves.

Can I try the name out first?#

Yes. The National Archives points out that it is perfectly legal for anyone over 16 to start using a new name at any time, as long as it is not for a fraudulent or illegal reason. So you can live with a name among friends, at a club or online for a few weeks before you make it official. When you are sure, the deed poll is what organisations need to change their records, and HM Passport Office asks for it together with a document showing you use the name. Using another name without changing it legally explains where the line falls.

How do I choose a new name when I transition?#

GOV.UK's rules for a new name say nothing about gender, and our deed poll records your names, not a gender, so any name that meets the rules is open to you. Two points from GOV.UK are worth knowing first. The name on a Gender Recognition Certificate cannot be updated once it is issued, so if you may apply for one, change your name before you apply and keep copies of the deed poll, which the application asks to see. And non-binary genders are not legally recognised in the UK; a deed poll still changes anyone's name, and a title such as Mx is something you tell each organisation rather than part of the name. Changing your name when you transition and Mx and other titles go further.

How do I choose a new surname after divorce?#

Going back to a former name is the simple case: GOV.UK says you may be able to do it by showing your marriage certificate and decree absolute, though some organisations will want a deed poll. A surname you have never had, whether a family name or a new one, needs a deed poll. Your children's surnames do not change with yours; changing theirs needs everyone with parental responsibility to agree, or a court order. Can I change my name back? and changing your name after divorce cover both routes.