Ever wondered about the reasons why people change their name? it seems such a big thing to do and hugely expensive right? Well actually no, its ‘s inexpensive and really very straightforward and you can actually do it as many times as you like. But I really don’t think I know anyone who has changed their name. by deedpoll do you?
So why would I change my name by deedpoll ?
These are some of the main reasons why people change their name:
1. They don’t like their name and want to choose a new one for themselves
2 Someone famous/infamus that they really don’t won’t to be associated with has the same name e.g Fred West
3. After adoption a child’s name maybe changed to fit with their current family or to stop them being easily identified.
4. After divorce I have known children take on the other parents surname
5. Change of identity e.g transgender. Bruce to Kaitlin for example.
6. Wanting to be incognito (after a prison sentence/ after a domestic violence experience)
7. Same gender partners sharing a surname
8. Couples wanting to join their names together and have both their last names as one joined up last name.
9. Simply fancy a new start in life
10. Really want to embrace their cultural past. I had a friend whose family changed their name during the holocaust and she wants to change her surname back.
Changing names is simple and can be really inexpensive just have a look here. The reasons behind doing so are in contrast often rather huge and complicated!
Collaborative post
I changed my name with my mums permission when I was 15. I had always hated my name, I felt it really didn’t suit my personality. I was really worried about upsetting my mum and insulting her choice but she agreed with me, it just didn’t fit. Years on I’m so happy I did it and glad I did it so young. The only extra bit of work for me is the ‘formerly known as’ bit on forms but that would be no different if I got married.
love this, what diverse reasons! my daughter changed her surname twice, once from her fathers to mine then when i remarried she wanted the same name as us 🙂
Interesting list. Hadn’t thought of some of them. Never thought of changing my name, except when I married. My sister moved cities and changed her name to her middle name, as her first name was not her. When I came to choose names for my children, I made sure they all had middle names that gave them the same choice, if they felt the same later on.