Can I give my baby any name?#
In England and Wales, very nearly. Neither the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 nor the regulations made under it list names you may or may not register. The regulations make just two rules about the name itself. If no first name is given, the registrar enters the surname alone. And the surname entered is the one by which, on the day of registration, "it is intended that the child shall be known". GOV.UK's guide asks you to know your baby's name, surname and sex when you register, and says nothing more about the choice.
Are there banned baby names in the UK?#
We could not find a published list. The registration pages of GOV.UK, National Records of Scotland and nidirect say nothing about a registrar refusing a name, and we found no General Register Office guidance on it.
The passport is where published rules apply. HM Passport Office's guidance on names it cannot use in passports says:
| In the name | What the passport does |
|---|---|
| Words that may cause public offence or promote unlawful activity | Refused, on a senior officer's decision |
| Numbers | Spelled out in words, so a registered 7 becomes Seven |
| Accents and other marks on letters | Not printed; the internationally agreed spelling is used instead |
| Symbols and punctuation | Not printed, except hyphens and apostrophes |
| More than 30 characters of first names, or of surname, including spaces | Shortened, with the full name noted inside the passport |
So a name the register accepts may still not appear in a passport exactly as written. The name checker tests a name against HM Passport Office's rules.
Who registers the birth, and who chooses the name?#
GOV.UK lists naming a child among the things parental responsibility covers, and the person who registers the birth gives the names to the registrar.
- Married parents or civil partners. Either can register alone, with both parents' details, and both hold parental responsibility.
- Parents who are not married. The mother can register alone, and the father is then not named. Both are named if they sign the register together, or if one completes a statutory declaration of parentage, made before a solicitor, a justice of the peace or another authorised person, and the other takes it to the register office. A father named in either way gains parental responsibility under section 4 of the Children Act 1989.
- If neither parent can register, someone present at the birth, someone responsible for the child or a member of the hospital's administrative staff can do it.
If you cannot agree on a name, the family court can settle it with a specific issue order, and GOV.UK says the judge then decides in the child's best interests. The courts treat the registered surname as always relevant but not decisive, and have noted that where the parents are not married, the mother controls the registration.
Can my baby have a different surname from me, or from both of us?#
Yes. The rule ties the surname to the name your baby is intended to be known by, not to either parent's, so it can be the mother's, the father's, both together or another surname altogether.
The limits come later. If a birth is re-registered, HM Passport Office's guidance says the General Register Office will only change a child's surname to the father's, the mother's, the two combined, the mother's maiden surname or one that follows another cultural custom. And since 13 July 2026 it no longer changes the surname when parents re-register after marrying. So the first registration is the moment to get it right. Giving a child a double-barrelled surname covers hyphens and order, and travelling with a child who has a different surname what to carry at a border.
How long do I have to register the birth?#
| Where the baby was born | Deadline | Where to register |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 42 days | The register office for the area of the birth, or the hospital if it offers it |
| Scotland | 21 days | Any registration office in Scotland, in person or remotely |
| Northern Ireland | 42 days | Any district registration office, by appointment |
You can still register later, but HM Passport Office's guidance says registration more than a year after the birth in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or more than three months after it in Scotland, needs the Registrar General's written authority. In England and Wales a short or a full birth certificate costs £12.50.
Scotland and Northern Ireland#
Scotland. Where the parents are not married, National Records of Scotland says the father or second parent is named if both register together, or if both complete declaration forms beforehand: forms 26 and DPF when the mother registers alone, or forms 27 and DPM when the other parent registers without her. Joint registration gives both parents parental responsibilities and rights. NRS can later record one change of forename and one of surname for a child under 16: changing a child's name in Scotland.
Northern Ireland. nidirect says an unmarried father is named only if both parents sign the registration or a declaration of paternity is produced, and that a father registered jointly gains parental responsibility for a child born on or after 15 April 2002. It warns that a registration cannot easily be changed once it is finished. GRONI can later record one change of a child's names before 18, for £35: changing a child's name in Northern Ireland.
Changing the name later#
In England and Wales, a first name given or changed within 12 months of the registration can be added to the birth entry for £44, and the original entry stays. The surname cannot be changed that way. After the first year, or for a surname at any age, the route is a child deed poll agreed by everyone with parental responsibility. Changing a baby's name after registration and changing a child's first name explain both.
Questions people ask
Can I register my baby without a first name?
Yes. The registrar enters the surname alone. In England and Wales a first name given within 12 months of the registration can then be added to the entry for £44: changing a baby's name after registration.
Can I register the birth at the hospital?
Sometimes. GOV.UK says some hospitals let you register before the mother leaves, and will tell you if you can. Otherwise go to the register office for the area where the baby was born, or to another register office, which sends your details on.
What if the name is recorded wrongly?
Check the entry before you sign: the regulations require the registrar to ask you to verify what has been entered. Afterwards, GOV.UK's correction route, for £83 or £99, puts right a mistake made at registration with documents from around the time of the birth. It cannot record a name you choose later.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
