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| Information and advice about changing your name by Deed Poll |
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About Deed Polls Applying for a Deed Poll Services for previous clients General name change information UK Deed Poll Service |
About Deed Polls Are there any restrictions on names? This page explains the restrictions we impose on what you can change your name and title to.
 1. Name restrictions We will not accept an application for a name that:
2. Title restrictions If you are changing your name, we can also include a change of title on your Deed Poll - so long as it is a genuine and generally recognised British title. Please read the following paragraphs for further information about title changes and the restrictions we impose: 2.1 General titles (Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms) There are no restrictions to changing your title from, for example, Mrs to Miss. We will also allow a change of title for transsexuals e.g. from Mr to Miss, Miss to Mr etc. We do not need to see any documentary evidence of your entitlement to use a general title. Please note, it is perfectly acceptable for a single woman to use the title Mrs. 2.2 Academic titles If you require a change of title from a general title to an academic title, we will need to see documentary evidence of your entitlement to use your desired title. For example, if you require Dr as your new title, we will need to see a copy (by fax or post) of your Ph.D certificate. If you are a medical doctor or a dentist, you only need to advise us of your GMC or GDC reference number in the comments box on your application form. Please note, your academic award must have been conferred by an academic institution or body approved by either Royal Charter, Act of Parliament or the Privy Council. 2.3 Nobility titles and honours If you require your title to be changed to a title of nobility or honour e.g. Lord, Lady or Sir, the title must relate to an honour granted by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and you must be entitled to use the title in accordance with the honour's traditional style of usage. Please note, we only recognise genuine British titles. If you have purchased a title purporting to allow you to use a title such as Sir, Lord, Laird or Lady, we will not recognise such a title because you cannot purchase a genuine British title. In all cases, if we do not accept your desired title or we do not receive documentary evidence of an approved title, your Deed Poll will be issued showing your name change only. 3. Fun names Some people like the idea of having what we call a fun name. We have issued Deed Polls for fun names such as Jellyfish McSaveloy, Toasted T Cake, Nineteen Sixty-Eight, Hong Kong Phooey, Daddy Fantastic, One-One-Eight Taxi, Ting A Ling, Huggy Bear, Donald Duck, Jojo Magicspacemonkey and James Bond. To visit our media page to see newspaper articles about our most unusual and bizarre name changes during the past years, please click on this link (opens new window). If you are considering a fun name and belong to a professional body, you should check to ensure there will be no problems registering your new name with them. The Law Society would not be happy with a registered solicitor being call Mickey Mouse! We reserve the right to refuse an application for a fun name from a person who is under 18 years of age. 4. Copyright and trade mark protection of names There is no copyright or trade mark protection of people's names. Therefore, if you want to change your name to David Beckham or Aston Martin, you can. However, you cannot use your new name if it results in passing-off or deception. For example, if you changed your name to Elton John and you published songs in that name, you will find yourself subject to trade mark infringement legal action by the artist Sir Elton John on the grounds that you are passing yourself off as him. On a more every-day level, because there is no copyright or trade mark protection of people's names, following divorce, a man cannot stop his ex-wife from continuing to use his surname (unless his ex-wife is deceiving people or companies into believing she is still married to him). Last updated: 9 June 2008
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