31 Changing Your Name
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2. When may I want to change my name?
3. When am I allowed to change my name?
5. What if I enter into a civil partnership?
6. What if I want to change my child´s name?
7. What sort of name can I choose?
If you want to choose a completely new name (that is, something other than that of your husband or wife), there are a few things you should avoid. You should not choose a name that:
- has punctuation marks (except for hyphens or apostrophes) or numbers; or
- is offensive or blasphemous.
You should not choose a name that might deceive or defraud, for example one beginning with Sir, Lady or Princess. In the same way, you should not take the name of a famous person. If you did, they could go to court to try to get an injunction to stop you using it.
8. How do I prove I have a new name?
9. Who should I tell about my name change?
This leaflet is published by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). It was written in association with Citizens Advice.
The leaflets are regularly updated but the law may have changed since they were printed so the information in them may be incorrect or out of date.
Leaflet version: February 2007