Can I change my title to Lord or Lady?#
Not by deed poll, and not by any other document you can make yourself. GOV.UK says a deed poll cannot change a title, giving Mr, Mrs, Sir, Lady and Doctor as examples, and HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff, at version 25.0 of 1 June 2026, says there is no legal basis for a person to change their title. Lord and Lady as titles come from the Crown, from inheritance or from marriage to someone who holds one.
What you can do is take Lord or Lady as a name. That is a different thing, and official records keep the two apart.
Lord or Lady as a first name#
HM Passport Office's guidance says a customer can change their name to include a description of a title, giving "Duke" as a forename as its example, and tells its staff they may receive applications, supported by a change of name deed, from people using Lord, Princess, Earl or Baron as a forename. The full name is printed in the passport, with an observation on another page saying that the reference to the title "is to the holder's name and not to the holder's title".
So a passport will carry Lord or Lady as a first name, and anyone reading it closely will see the note. The same guidance tells staff to remove a self-styled title, its example being "His Majesty", from the title field of an application. Will my new name be accepted? flags a title word typed as a first name.
We do not draft Lord, Lady, Sir or Dame as a forename (what we will not draft).
Real titles of nobility#
GOV.UK's passport guidance says a title does not form part of your name, with one exception: a title of nobility, for example a knight, a dame or a lord. HM Passport Office records these titles for members of the House of Lords and their spouses and families, for knights and baronets and their spouses, and for Dames of the Realm. Before printing one, its staff confirm it from online sources or, failing those, from Debrett's Peerage, Who's Who or The Gazette.
That is also where Lady comes from in most cases. Under the guidance, the wife of a knight or baronet appears as Lady followed by her surname, and the wife of a baron or life peer as The Lady followed by the title. Some children of peers use lesser family titles, known as courtesy titles.
Buying a title: Lord of the Manor#
A lordship of the manor is real, and it can be bought. HM Land Registry describes it as the title by which the lord of a manor is known, often with no land or rights attached any longer, and says whoever owns it may refer to themselves as lord of that manor, its example being "Lord of the manor of Keswick". A lordship cannot be divided, and since 13 October 2003 none can be registered at HM Land Registry for the first time.
HM Passport Office's guidance says a manorial title is not a title of nobility. With documentary evidence, its staff may add an observation reading "THE HOLDER IS THE LORD OF THE MANOR OF" and the place, and the guidance allows this only where the whole of the land was bought.
Souvenir plots#
The titles sold with a square foot of land are a different matter. HM Passport Office's guidance says that buying a small parcel of a larger plot does not entitle anyone to use the title of the land, and that such a title must not be included in a passport. It treats self-styled titles the same way.
Scots law has its own name for them. The Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012 defines a "souvenir plot" as land of inconsiderable size and no practical utility, and an application relating to one does not meet the conditions for registration in the Land Register. Under the same Act, a disposition that is not registered does not transfer ownership.
Sir and Dame#
Knighthoods and damehoods are honours. GOV.UK says they are awarded for a major contribution in any activity, usually at national level, and that the level of an honour is decided by the honours committee. A deed poll cannot confer either, and HM Passport Office's staff must not include an honour given by a change of name deed.
On your passport and driving licence#
| What you have | In a British passport |
|---|---|
| Lord or Lady as a first name, by deed poll | Printed as your name, with a note that it is a name, not a title |
| A peerage, knighthood, baronetcy or damehood | Recorded as a title of nobility, after a check |
| A lordship of the manor | An observation only, with documentary evidence |
| A souvenir plot title, or a title you gave yourself | Left out |
DVLA's guidance says changing a title on a driving licence follows the same process as changing a name, on form D1, and that no evidence is needed unless it is a hereditary title. It does not say how it treats a title that is not genuine. A first name is a name change like any other, made with the deed poll on the same form.
The everyday titles#
Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms and Mx need no document at all. You tell each organisation which to use, and HM Passport Office's guidance tells its staff to accept your choice of Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms. Can a deed poll change my title? and Mx and gender-neutral titles cover them.
Questions people ask
Is it illegal to call yourself Lord?
HM Passport Office's guidance puts the general rule this way: a person may call themselves any name they want, as long as it is not for fraudulent purposes. What you cannot do is make a title genuine by using it, and official records will not treat it as one.
Can I change my title to Sir?
No. GOV.UK names Sir among the titles a deed poll cannot change, and HM Passport Office's own example of something with no legal basis is changing Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith. Its staff must not include an honour given by a change of name deed.
Does a title on my birth certificate prove I hold it?
No. HM Passport Office's guidance says the General Register Office does not ask for evidence before a title is entered when a birth is registered, so its staff need separate evidence that the title is genuine and held by you.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
