changing name by deed poll? anyone ever done it?

I changed my last name. Family stuff. Wasn't difficult at all, and no one had ever actually called me by the old name anyway...

So I say go for it if you really want to, but if you rarely use it, it may be a bit pointless. Can I ask why you want to chage your middle name?

its just for myself really, my middle name is not english and its kinda cool choosing your name and also i wanted it to reflect my heratige and my conversion to catholicism

how did you explain it to people? and did you haveto get a whole load of paperwork re-done? eg passport, bank, driving licene, uni, all colleges, work etc? how did you tackle all of this?
also is the deed poll online any different to getting it done with a lawyer?

You will have to get all that stuff changed if your middle name is actually used on any of it, I'm pretty certain. I was lucky, I had none of those things at the time

But it should be the same getting the online form I would have thought, I can't see why they'd have one if it wasn't the same as with a lawyer... But not completely sure.

thanks yeah, i guess i only have my middle name on my official government documents. all my degree certs etc dont have it on there.

i want to change it my favorite Catholic saint's name, a bit like muslims who choose a islamic name when they convert eg John Brown changes name to Iqbal Brown after conversion.

folk

has anyone ever changed their name? why? was it hard? with deed polls availible online for £10, is it worth anything? im thinkgin to change my middle name which i rarely use anyway

did you feel happy or worse after changing?
did people still call you the old name?

shiny toy did you pass your driving test?

aww thanks for remembering!

no sadly i got 18 minors and 3 majors (hitting kerb on left reverse, speeding and something else)

but i have another one next thurs so fingers crossed!

I changed my name primarily because the meaning of my name (Daniel) professed something that I do not believe in: 'Elohim (a name/title of the Judeo-Christian god) is my judge', which is *******s as far as I'm concerned. Secondly because I have no interest in or association with the culture (Christian/Jewish) and language (Hebrew) of it's origin. Thirdly because it is ridiculously common, so much so that there's generally more than one Daniel in any given room. Fouthly, because I'd rather my name was associated with a culture that I'm fascinated by, have immense respect for, and which I am descended from (specifically Norse; my grandmother is Norwegian and my English blood is from the old Danelaw in eastern England)

I changed my surname too. Again, it was a generic, meaningless (it was purely topographical, taken by or given to my ancestors only to appease the taxman) and common surname so I had no real attachment to it plus it didn't fit with my new name. I took a patronym in the old Anglo-Saxon/Norse tradition: my father's name in the genitive case plus -son. I feel, personally, that taking a patronym honours my father more than carrying a generic surname ever could.

I got my deed poll from the UK Deed Poll service, then had it notarised and stamped by a notary public (a specialised solicitor) which you have to do if you plan on living abroad, which I do. It was fairly easy but quite a hassle and time-consuming.

I don't know how much these online things charge you, but all you need for a deed poll is the right wording and a legal stamp (or signature and witnesses). You don't even technically need a deed poll - you're entitled to be called whatever you want, but a piece of paper is good for convincing bureaucracies.

omg you sound really extremely cool!!!
that is awesome.
most young people dont evenn think about these things. how old were you when you changed it? how did you explain your radical name change to everyone? what did your family think?

how much did it cost in total ? the lawyer sounds expensive? was there alot of paperwork to update? did you ever regret it?

I changed it when I was 21, in my 3rd year of univeristy. I've been wanting to change my name since I was about 15-years-old and had made this known to my parents, sister and some of my extended family. I told most of my friends in casual conversion, some years before I did it. The reason I had waited so long to change it was firstly that although I knew I wanted to change it I didn't know what I wanted to change it to until maybe 18 months ago, I then decided to wait a year and if I still wanted to I'd change it. So, it was a long time in the works and most people were at least vaguely aware that I was thinking of doing it.

My parents didn't really mind, and are quite used to me doing slightly strange things at times. My dad didn't like the idea of my losing the surname, but has warmed to the idea of a partonym (I sincerely doubt that I'll ever have a partner/wife or have children anyway so the family name would have ended with me regardless of my name change). Besides my parents I don't really care that much about how others perceive my name change, but the reception has generally been neutral to good with a bit of bemusement thrown in.

The lawyer was priced at £50 for an hour consultation, but as it was a fairly simple matter taking no more than ten minutes so he only charged me £20. I've updated my passport, univeristy records, bank details, driving license, the electoral register, National Insurance, the tax office and am thinking of putting a notification in the London Gazette. All and all it was time consuming and cost about £150, but I've no regrets and would do it all again if I had to.

thanks for your advice. do you mind me asking which law firm you used? you can pm me if you dont want to say. reading online, it looks like most law firms charge alot more.

also, i read online the witness can be anyone who isnt a relative - does it need to be a lawyer?

was it weird to re-invent your signature?

since your name is part of your identity, did you think your personality changed?

what did your friends think?

and how comes are you not getting married?