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Name change?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by kawaiipotato1, Mar 5, 2017.

  1. kawaiipotato1

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    My names Emily and I'm 13. For the last 3 months I've been thinking long and hard about changing my name to Ash/Robin... But I don't know how to speak to my parents about it. I also don't know how to change my name legally. How do you change your name in the UK??? Any advice would be appriciated :help:
     
  2. randomconnorcon

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    In the UK, the easiest way to legally change your name is a deed poll. Which is easy to find on google, but you need to ensure its reputable. You have time to find a good one, because you need parental consent to change your name because you're under 18 (I think, I haven't really looked up changing your name at your age because I was 22 when I started looking, but I think you can change your name and you'll definitely need your parents).

    As for talking to your parents, I don't really know how to help with that. As an adult, my parents couldn't really stop me when I was thinking of names and, now, I'm only changing Samantha to Samuel and everyone calls me Sam/Sammy anyway, so they don't care.
     
  3. cocobean

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    You have to have parents permission until you are 18. It can be done by deed poll (you can do this online and they will send you the documents) and there is a fee (about £30 I think it is) to do this. However, both parents must give their consent, and so you may need to wait until you are old enough to legally change it yourself. In the meantime, could you maybe ask people to call you by the name you have chosen for a while, to try it out and see if you like it? If you do like it, you can speak to your parents again about changing it legally, but again if they say no you will have to wait until the age of 18.

    I'd start by having a chat with your parents and telling them all the reasons you wish to change your name. Then maybe suggest what I said above about trying out the name you have chosen for a length of time, to get used to it and see if you like it, before they can make that decision. Your parents will have to be the ones to do the application for you, as you are legally a child. And they must both give consent. They may need some time to think about it, or they might be against it in which case you will have to wait until you are 18. There is a lot involved though, as lots of other things have to be changed - the name on your medical records, school records, government documents so that when you are old enough you can get you NI number, bank account (if you have one), passport etc. Whilst all those will require a copy of the deed poll document (they usually send about 4, but you should be able to photocopy it for most of those things) it can get complicated - for example, I changed my surname by deed poll and it caused a lot of confusion with my medical records for the longest time, resulting in some of my medical records going missing. Whilst this is unusual (in my case it was because my name had been changed as a child and I was going back to the name I was born with) it can still be confusing. Also I don't remember how long it takes for things like medical records to update a name change, but it could cause confusion if you needed medical treatment and they didn't know which name to use!