General name change
information
A woman's
name rights upon marriage
Contrary to popular belief, a woman's
surname does not automatically change to her husband's surname upon marriage. Neither will your marriage
certificate indicate in any way what surname you will be using following your
marriage. A marriage certificate simply records the names of the
couple who are marrying.
After your marriage, it is your own personal choice
what you want your surname to be. Your options, which are explained in
detail in this article, are:
- Continue using your current surname.
- Take your husband's
surname.
- Change to a double-barrelled surname.
- Take your husband's surname and
make your current surname a middle name.
- "Mesh" your surnames to make a
new surname.
Information about changing your
title to Mrs is given in the section titled "Changing your title to Mrs"
towards the bottom of this article.
Options
that do not need a Deed Poll
The following two options do
not require a Deed Poll:
1. Continue using your current surname
If you decide to continue using
your current surname, you do not need to do anything following your marriage
because you are not changing your
legal name. However, if you wish to change your title to Mrs, please
refer to the section titled "Changing your title to Mrs" towards the bottom
of this article.
2. Take your husband's surname
If you decide
to follow tradition and take your husband's surname, your marriage certificate
provides you with the necessary documentary evidence that you have changed
your surname to your husband's (as it appears on your marriage certificate). By sending
a copy of your marriage certificate to all concerned,
with a covering letter, your documents and
records will be changed to show your new surname. Please note, for
important documents like your passport and driving licence, you will need to
send your original marriage certificate - so buy a few extra marriage
certificates from your registrar or minister after your marriage ceremony.
Options
that may need, or will need, a Deed Poll
Many
brides today are deciding against following the tradition of giving up their
surname for their husband's surname because they wish to maintain a link to
their family name by including their family name in their new married surname.
Options that accommodate this are:
1. Double-barrelling your surnames
A
double-barrelled surname uses both the couples' surnames. The two
elements of the new surname can be linked by a hyphen or kept separate e.g.
Smith-Jones or Smith Jones. It is personal choice whether a hyphen is
used and which order the names are placed - although there is a tradition in
some social circles to place the man's surname last.
Most couples however decide the order by what sounds better when the new
double-barrelled surname is spoken.
If you decide to have a double-barrelled surname, a Deed Poll is
often required. Although some companies and organisations will
change their records to show a double-barrelled surname upon presentation of
the marriage certificate, many will not, particularly the financial
institutions. A Deed Poll will guarantee that your double-barrelled
surname will be accepted by everyone without question. Please note,
government departments, including the Passport Office
and DVLA, now accept marriage certificates as documentary
evidence of a woman changing her surname to a double-barrelled surname.
The only way to find out if you need a Deed Poll to get your non-government
documents and records changed is to contact, for example, your bank,
building society, credit card company and mortgage company etc and ask what
their policy is for changing your surname to a double-barrelled surname upon marriage.
No doubt, in time, all companies and
organisations will follow the government's lead and allow women to
double-barrel their surname by presentation of the marriage certificate.
2. A further option if you plan to double-barrel your surnames
If
you will both be double-barrelling your surnames by Deed Poll, the cost of a second Deed
Poll can be avoided if your husband-to-be changes his surname by Deed Poll before
you marry. Consequently, upon marriage, you can take your husband's
double-barrelled surname, in the traditional way, by using your marriage certificate as documentary evidence of
your
change of surname (because your husband's double-barrelled surname will be on
your marriage
certificate). Please note, your husband-to-be should only follow the
above advice if he has sufficient time to get all the documents he will be
taking with him on your honeymoon changed to his new double-barrelled
surname, for example, his passport, travel documents, driving licence,
credit cards etc. We suggest he should apply for his Deed Poll at least two
months before your wedding to allow sufficient time to get everything
changed before you travel on your honeymoon (he is strongly advised not to
travel overseas carrying documents in different names). Your
husband-to-be will also need to notify your minister or registrar that he has
changed his surname by Deed Poll so your marriage notice can be amended to
his new double-barrelled surname. Please note, before your marriage
notice is amended, your husband-to-be may be asked to prove he has changed
his name "for all purposes" by producing supporting documents such as his
passport and driving licence showing his new double-barrelled surname.
Therefore, it is advisable to get these documents changed first so they can
be taken, with his Deed Poll, to your registrar or minister.
3. Making your current surname a middle name
Although most women
are happy to take their husband's surname upon marriage, many do not like
the idea of totally abandoning their family name and would like a way of
keeping a link to their family without having a double-barrelled
surname. The solution is to have your current surname added as a
middle name. For example, if Sarah Ann WILLIAMS marries Michael
JOHNSON,
the new name will be Sarah Ann Williams JOHNSON. Furthermore, in
recognition of the woman giving up her surname and taking her husband's
surname, the man could add his wife's surname as a middle name too.
Using the example above, the husband would change his name to Michael
Williams JOHNSON. Such name changes
can be accomplished by Deed Poll.
4.
"Meshing" your surnames
Meshing
surnames is a term used to describe the blending of elements of each of the
couple's surname to create a new surname for both of them. For
example, if Sarah WILLIAMS marries Michael JOHNSON, they could mesh their
surnames to become Sarah and Michael WILLSON (or JOHNAMS). Because
meshing can be accomplished by Deed Poll, you could also consider
adding your original surnames as middle names, thereby maintaining a link
with your original family name.
Using the above example, Sarah WILLIAMS would become Sarah Williams WILLSON.
When to
apply for your Deed Polls
If you need to
apply for Deed Polls to change your surname, there are two options to consider in respect of the timing
of your application:
1. Apply in time for signing on your wedding day
If you wish to sign your Deed Poll documents on your wedding day (immediately following your ceremony or later at your reception), you
should order your Deed Polls at least three weeks before your wedding
(this allows for any delays).
When you complete your application forms, please write in the comments box the date of your wedding. We will then date your
Deed Polls for your wedding day, which looks so much better than hand
writing the date. After you sign your Deed Polls after your ceremony,
you will keep them safe at home and upon your return from your honeymoon
you will start the process of letting everyone know of your change of
name by Deed Poll.
2. Apply upon returning from your honeymoon
If you do not wish to sign your Deed Polls on your wedding day, you can
order your Deed Polls upon returning from your honeymoon. You can
of course still order before your wedding if you wish, particularly if
you want your Deed Poll documents to hand for signing upon returning from your
honeymoon.
Changing
your title to Mrs
Regardless of what
you decide to do with your surname following your marriage, you will
probably want to change your title to Mrs. This section tells you what
you need to do for each of the options discussed above.
1. If
you will be applying for a Deed Poll to change your name
If you
choose an option that requires you to apply for a Deed Poll, you can request
the addition of a change of title declaration on your Deed Poll document
(you will see a change of title section on the application form).
Therefore, both your name and title change appear on your Deed Poll.
Your Deed Poll Pack will include an example covering letter to use when you
notify everyone of your change of name and title by Deed Poll.
2. If
you will be taking your husband's surname
If you choose
the traditional option of taking
your husband's surname upon marriage, when you send your marriage
certificate to all concerned notifying them
that you have taken your husband's surname following your marriage, you
should mention in your covering letter that you have also changed your title
to Mrs.
3. If
you will continue using your current name
If you decide
to not to change your name following your marriage, but wish to change your
title to Mrs, you only need to write to all concerned notifying them that
following your marriage, you are not changing your surname but have changed
your title to Mrs. A copy of your marriage certificate will suffice.
Please note, your title does not appear on your passport or driving licence,
so there's no need to get these documents changed.
Making
other changes to your name
If you will be
applying for a Deed Poll to change your name following your marriage, you
can also take the opportunity to make other changes to your name. For
example, you may wish to change, add, rearrange or remove forenames.
Last
updated: 22 January 2008
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A woman's rights upon
marriage