Help with legal name issue
Hi guys, I've got a pretty unusual situation going on that I'm not quite sure now to deal with. Basically I am a Swedish national that has lived in England for four years (1 year short off applying for citizenship).
My my name is P S H (just the first letters, don't want to be giving out my name on the Internet. P = first name S = second name and H = surname), okay so here's my problem. In Sweden you inform the government which first name you go by (in my case S). Banks, schools, doctors etc all recognise me as S H, the only place where my full name is displayed is on my passport and birth certificate.
In england things seam to work slightly differently. The banks refuse to use my chosen name and insit I go by P, I have the same problems with all 'official' places. It is very disheartening to hear people referring to you with a name that you don't even use.
since I'm not a British citizen I can't change my name here so I am really out of ideas on what to do. People might wonder why is this important? Well tbh its a daily irritant that I just don't want to have to deal with. I'm starting uni as a fresher in afew days and if the Uni insists on using my first name I will be quite annoyed...
does anyone one have any sugestions on what I could do? Do you think if I asked the Uni to use S they would?
My my name is P S H (just the first letters, don't want to be giving out my name on the Internet. P = first name S = second name and H = surname), okay so here's my problem. In Sweden you inform the government which first name you go by (in my case S). Banks, schools, doctors etc all recognise me as S H, the only place where my full name is displayed is on my passport and birth certificate.
In england things seam to work slightly differently. The banks refuse to use my chosen name and insit I go by P, I have the same problems with all 'official' places. It is very disheartening to hear people referring to you with a name that you don't even use.
since I'm not a British citizen I can't change my name here so I am really out of ideas on what to do. People might wonder why is this important? Well tbh its a daily irritant that I just don't want to have to deal with. I'm starting uni as a fresher in afew days and if the Uni insists on using my first name I will be quite annoyed...
does anyone one have any sugestions on what I could do? Do you think if I asked the Uni to use S they would?
Original post by 0mgJohn
It's probably just going to be a little annoyance on bills and any ID you have, until you can change your name by Deed Poll. Until then, just use your preferred name in all contexts apart from those that legally require your full name (usually just contracts etc...)
How is it for unis? My student finance is in my full name since it is a contract of sorts. For the minor things I use S H but I'm kind of scared that by not using my full name here in England I might be denied some services etc.
i wouldent end mind if any written paperwork was in my full name, I just don't want to be referred to constantly by a name I don't use. As it is currently all of my contact with uni has been through P. My uni email is P ect...
My bank even went so far as to demand I changed my signature from S H to P. S H :/
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Cloudborn
How is it for unis? My student finance is in my full name since it is a contract of sorts. For the minor things I use S H but I'm kind of scared that by not using my full name here in England I might be denied some services etc.
i wouldent end mind if any written paperwork was in my full name, I just don't want to be referred to constantly by a name I don't use. As it is currently all of my contact with uni has been through P. My uni email is P ect...
my my bank even went so far as to demand I changed my signature from S H to P. S H :/
i wouldent end mind if any written paperwork was in my full name, I just don't want to be referred to constantly by a name I don't use. As it is currently all of my contact with uni has been through P. My uni email is P ect...
my my bank even went so far as to demand I changed my signature from S H to P. S H :/
You could try contacting your university and tell them about your situation. They could reissue you with a preferred name email, as well as other documentation. Then when it comes to official documents regarding exams etc... they could use your legal name?
Sorry to hear about your situation.
As has been said, you can't do much but change your name by Deed Poll, and then get that changed on your passport.
I'd say contact your Uni, and they can probably help with the Uni side of things. In my college, on the forms there's a field "First Name", then "Middle Name", then "Prefered Name", then "Surname", they may have something similar.
Have you considered using a double barrel first name for the officials, and then you can't not use someting? Like having an bank account for David Lloyd (as in D.L. George), when you are known as Lloyd? That's another option.
That's all about I can say, sorry.
As has been said, you can't do much but change your name by Deed Poll, and then get that changed on your passport.
I'd say contact your Uni, and they can probably help with the Uni side of things. In my college, on the forms there's a field "First Name", then "Middle Name", then "Prefered Name", then "Surname", they may have something similar.
Have you considered using a double barrel first name for the officials, and then you can't not use someting? Like having an bank account for David Lloyd (as in D.L. George), when you are known as Lloyd? That's another option.
That's all about I can say, sorry.
Original post by Cloudborn
My my name is P S H (just the first letters, don't want to be giving out my name on the Internet. P = first name S = second name and H = surname), okay so here's my problem. In Sweden you inform the government which first name you go by (in my case S). Banks, schools, doctors etc all recognise me as S H, the only place where my full name is displayed is on my passport and birth certificate.
In england things seam to work slightly differently. The banks refuse to use my chosen name and insit I go by P, I have the same problems with all 'official' places. It is very disheartening to hear people referring to you with a name that you don't even use.
In england things seam to work slightly differently. The banks refuse to use my chosen name and insit I go by P, I have the same problems with all 'official' places. It is very disheartening to hear people referring to you with a name that you don't even use.
Your situation is quite common here. I know a few people, including in school, who use/used there second or even third name. One of my current colleagues is using a nickname as his first name and we use that on all the IT systems, personnel systems and payroll!
My wife uses her second name. Her bank account uses her full name as does anything legal. But most organisations, once told what she prefers to be known as, can and do make a record of that.
What annoys her is when people take her first name, turn it into a nickname, then refer to her by that. Nurses and receptionists are worst for that. For example, if her name was Roberta, calling out for Bobbie, or if it was Elizabeth, calling out for Betty or Lizzy. That does make her angry.
(a) Never tell new people your first name. Just say "I am called S."
(b) When dealing with officials learn to say "I prefer to be known as S".
(c) Tell employers, utilities, libraries, college, letting agencies, employment agencies and anyone you can that "My name is S H". Only when they ask to see your ID do you say "I do not use my first name".
You do not need to explain yourself to anyone.
Now imagine how hard it is for the cultures who use their family name as their first name and the last name as their name, with second or third names being grandfather, or village or tribe or region or family god. How do they cope in Sweden?
On most forms etc there is a 'known as' box - you could put the name you'd like to go by in there? Also, if you make your uni lecturers aware they probably won't call you by your first name
Original post by Simes
Your situation is quite common here. I know a few people, including in school, who use/used there second or even third name. One of my current colleagues is using a nickname as his first name and we use that on all the IT systems, personnel systems and payroll!
My wife uses her second name. Her bank account uses her full name as does anything legal. But most organisations, once told what she prefers to be known as, can and do make a record of that.
What annoys her is when people take her first name, turn it into a nickname, then refer to her by that. Nurses and receptionists are worst for that. For example, if her name was Roberta, calling out for Bobbie, or if it was Elizabeth, calling out for Betty or Lizzy. That does make her angry.
(a) Never tell new people your first name. Just say "I am called S."
(b) When dealing with officials learn to say "I prefer to be known as S".
(c) Tell employers, utilities, libraries, college, letting agencies, employment agencies and anyone you can that "My name is S H". Only when they ask to see your ID do you say "I do not use my first name".
You do not need to explain yourself to anyone.
Now imagine how hard it is for the cultures who use their family name as their first name and the last name as their name, with second or third names being grandfather, or village or tribe or region or family god. How do they cope in Sweden?
My wife uses her second name. Her bank account uses her full name as does anything legal. But most organisations, once told what she prefers to be known as, can and do make a record of that.
What annoys her is when people take her first name, turn it into a nickname, then refer to her by that. Nurses and receptionists are worst for that. For example, if her name was Roberta, calling out for Bobbie, or if it was Elizabeth, calling out for Betty or Lizzy. That does make her angry.
(a) Never tell new people your first name. Just say "I am called S."
(b) When dealing with officials learn to say "I prefer to be known as S".
(c) Tell employers, utilities, libraries, college, letting agencies, employment agencies and anyone you can that "My name is S H". Only when they ask to see your ID do you say "I do not use my first name".
You do not need to explain yourself to anyone.
Now imagine how hard it is for the cultures who use their family name as their first name and the last name as their name, with second or third names being grandfather, or village or tribe or region or family god. How do they cope in Sweden?
Oh wow! You have actually given me hope that things will be alright!
Since moving here I have always been worried about only useing S H as my bank came down quite hard on me. However it seams that maybe I should sign up with sh for the rest of stuff? But how exactly do I know what's okay to sign as sh? I mean utility bills etc are a type of contract. Any tips?
In Sweden I've never really had a names issues (or heard of anyone else having one). Say your parents called you PSH and refered to you as P tills you changed it at 18. All you do is fill in a government form PSH and just underline the S. Two weeks later all organisations and institutes know you as S (the government does it all for you).
however thanks a lot for your post, it really made me look at this with a much more positive outlook.
(edited 9 years ago)
In the UK one used to be able to be called whatever you wanted. Only your birth certificate had your "real name". Actually, there was no "real name" and you could go by any name you wanted.
Then two things happend, the Soham Murders (two school girls murdered by someone where the Police and others had intelligence that he had been naughty in the past, but no way of sharing it) and the War on Terror.
Somehow, these resulted in the government wanting to bring in ID cards, which failed. But another effect was a clamp down on money laundering meaning one can only open a bank account for a proven identity.
Until about 2002 one could open a bank account in any name at all. Not any more. The government forced the banks to bring in a load of ridiculously strict rules before an account could be opened.
In 2003 or 2004 NatWest made an error and closed all my and my wife's bank accounts. Because we had no paperwork in her name (I paid the bills) she could not open an account anywhere, despite having a driving licence and a passport. Those were in her full, 3-part name, but her previous bank accounts were in her 2-part name.
My wife went without any bank account at all for about 3 years, because she could not get one. To fix it we had to get letting agreements in her name plus get electricity and gas and telephone bills transferred to her. Eventually, because there were millions of people without bank accounts - specially school leavers and people leaving home - the rules had to be relaxed enough so she could get a bank account of her own.
Anyway, since then the government has realised that because a bank account is now definitely associated with a person, they can get the Inland Revenue to snoop into them to see if people's income matches the tax they are paying, so the government likes it that way. Because of that, banks have to use your full name.
Note that the credit checking agencies will have you down as both P S H and as S H and will know they are the same person. They are very used to people using multiple names.
As for any other organisation, it is down to them. Anyone who gives you credit without checking your full name is foolish, so they care. But what difference does it make to utilities or most other organisations? They either know where you live or they have your bank details.
I suggest you make sure your university puts your full name on your degree certificate so that it matches your birth certificate and passport. It will make getting a job easier if everything matches. But by all means tell that new employer you don't use your first name and they can set you up using whatever name you want. They will probably have your full name on any paperwork that goes to the Inland Revenue, but it doesn't matter if they don't - it's the numbers that matter, not your name.
Most (all?) central government systems now handle aliases - the Disclosure and Barring Service, the Police, the Prison Service and I expect most others will let you have more than one name and know it is all the same person.
The Electoral Register doesn't matter much which name you use, and Council Tax systems don't care so long as you pay up and the NHS don't care.
In reality, you're only a number on a database anyway these days.
Then two things happend, the Soham Murders (two school girls murdered by someone where the Police and others had intelligence that he had been naughty in the past, but no way of sharing it) and the War on Terror.
Somehow, these resulted in the government wanting to bring in ID cards, which failed. But another effect was a clamp down on money laundering meaning one can only open a bank account for a proven identity.
Until about 2002 one could open a bank account in any name at all. Not any more. The government forced the banks to bring in a load of ridiculously strict rules before an account could be opened.
In 2003 or 2004 NatWest made an error and closed all my and my wife's bank accounts. Because we had no paperwork in her name (I paid the bills) she could not open an account anywhere, despite having a driving licence and a passport. Those were in her full, 3-part name, but her previous bank accounts were in her 2-part name.
My wife went without any bank account at all for about 3 years, because she could not get one. To fix it we had to get letting agreements in her name plus get electricity and gas and telephone bills transferred to her. Eventually, because there were millions of people without bank accounts - specially school leavers and people leaving home - the rules had to be relaxed enough so she could get a bank account of her own.
Anyway, since then the government has realised that because a bank account is now definitely associated with a person, they can get the Inland Revenue to snoop into them to see if people's income matches the tax they are paying, so the government likes it that way. Because of that, banks have to use your full name.
Note that the credit checking agencies will have you down as both P S H and as S H and will know they are the same person. They are very used to people using multiple names.
As for any other organisation, it is down to them. Anyone who gives you credit without checking your full name is foolish, so they care. But what difference does it make to utilities or most other organisations? They either know where you live or they have your bank details.
I suggest you make sure your university puts your full name on your degree certificate so that it matches your birth certificate and passport. It will make getting a job easier if everything matches. But by all means tell that new employer you don't use your first name and they can set you up using whatever name you want. They will probably have your full name on any paperwork that goes to the Inland Revenue, but it doesn't matter if they don't - it's the numbers that matter, not your name.
Most (all?) central government systems now handle aliases - the Disclosure and Barring Service, the Police, the Prison Service and I expect most others will let you have more than one name and know it is all the same person.
The Electoral Register doesn't matter much which name you use, and Council Tax systems don't care so long as you pay up and the NHS don't care.
In reality, you're only a number on a database anyway these days.
We used to have a Prime Minister we called James Callaghan. His full name was Leonard James Callaghan.
We used to have a Prime Minister we knew as Neville Chamberlain. He was actually Arthur Neville Chamberlain.
We used to have a Prime Minister called Gordon Brown the One-Eyed Scottish Idiot. His full name is actually James Gordon Brown the Worst PM in British History.
You must have heard of Thomas Connery who played James Bond. Or do you remember him as Sean Connery? He was Thomas Sean Connery.
What is it with these Prime Ministers? Robert Anthony Eden was known as Anthony Eden.
What is it with these politicians not using their first name? (James) Ramsay MacDonald, (Maurice) Harold Macmillan, (Andrew) Bonar Law.
We had a famous author, Rudyard Kipling, first name Joseph.
The Beatle, Paul McCartney? First name James.
The power and peril of the middle name
My middle name? I don't have one. I'm the only one in my family without one. But I "adopted" a middle initial when I was at school and I use it in the workplace whenever I leave notes for people. I sign them with my three initials which make up a word, just for effect. :-) Nobody cares.
We used to have a Prime Minister we knew as Neville Chamberlain. He was actually Arthur Neville Chamberlain.
We used to have a Prime Minister called Gordon Brown the One-Eyed Scottish Idiot. His full name is actually James Gordon Brown the Worst PM in British History.
You must have heard of Thomas Connery who played James Bond. Or do you remember him as Sean Connery? He was Thomas Sean Connery.
What is it with these Prime Ministers? Robert Anthony Eden was known as Anthony Eden.
What is it with these politicians not using their first name? (James) Ramsay MacDonald, (Maurice) Harold Macmillan, (Andrew) Bonar Law.
We had a famous author, Rudyard Kipling, first name Joseph.
The Beatle, Paul McCartney? First name James.
The power and peril of the middle name
My middle name? I don't have one. I'm the only one in my family without one. But I "adopted" a middle initial when I was at school and I use it in the workplace whenever I leave notes for people. I sign them with my three initials which make up a word, just for effect. :-) Nobody cares.
Thanks guys for your replies, it has really made me feel better about the whole issue. I will start registering everywhere as SH.
One question though, you know when you are filling out forms and it says
First Name
Surname
What would I put in the first name box? Just S or do i still have to put P S?
Thank you!
One question though, you know when you are filling out forms and it says
First Name
Surname
What would I put in the first name box? Just S or do i still have to put P S?
Thank you!
Original post by Cloudborn
One question though, you know when you are filling out forms and it says
First Name
Surname
What would I put in the first name box? Just S or do i still have to put P S?
First Name
Surname
What would I put in the first name box? Just S or do i still have to put P S?
Just put S H.
If they want other ID, just say "I don't use my first name". Eventually, you'll build up ID with just S H on it anyway.
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