• Adding a middle name
• Can I change my child's name?
• A woman's rights upon marriage
• A man's rights upon marriage
• A couple's rights upon a civil partnership
• A woman's rights upon separation
• A woman's rights upon divorce
• A transsexuals' name change rights
• A child's rights upon adoption
• A change of name by Deed Poll - an alternative to marriage

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1. The alternatives to tradition

If you decide against tradition and wish to change your name then this article will explain how married men can go about changing their name(s) by Deed Poll.

1.1  Double-barrelling your surname - OR taking your wife's surname

A double-barrelled surname uses both the couple's surnames. Some people choose to hyphen the two surnames while others keep them separate e.g. Smith-Jones or Smith Jones. 

Which you do is entirely up to you, as is the order the names are placed. Some couples choose to place the man's surname last however most couples simply go for what sounds best when the new double-barrelled surname is spoken aloud.

If, following your marriage, you wish to double-barrel your surname with your wife's surname, or take your wife's surname as your own, you may need to apply for a Deed Poll. 

Some organisations that hold your official name records on file, such as government departments (e.g. the passport office and DVLA) will accept a marriage certificate as documentary evidence of a man changing his surname to a double-barrelled surname - or a man taking his wife's surname. Many other organisations will also accept a marriage certificate. However some, and in particular financial organisations like banks and building societies, may need to see a Deed Poll as evidence of the change of name.

The only way to find out if you need a Deed Poll is to contact everyone involved (e.g. the bank, building society, credit card company, mortgage company, etc) and ask what their policy is on surname changes upon marriage.

1.2  A further option if you plan to double-barrel your surnames

If you do need a Deed Poll to change your name on marriage then both you and your wife will need to apply for a separate Deed Poll. However there is way to avoid this and go ahead with the name change using a single Deed Poll.

If the husband changes his surname by Deed Poll before the marriage takes place then, upon marriage, the wife simply takes his surname in the usual way. This is because his new double-barrelled surname will be on the marriage certificate, just like any other surname.

However if you plan to change your name in this way, you will need to allow for sufficient time to change all the documents you will be taking on honeymoon. Your passport, driving licence, travel documents, credit card, etc will all need to be in the new name – and to get this done you will need to have a Deed Poll.

Because you are strongly advised not to travel overseas carrying documents in different names, we suggest you apply for your Deed Poll at least three months before your wedding. This way you allow sufficient time to get everything changed before you leave on honeymoon.

Your marriage notice will also need to be amended to the new double-barrelled surname. So it’s important to notify your minister or registrar that you have changed your surname by Deed Poll to this can be done in time.

They will probably need to see two or three documents as evidence that you are using your new name for all purposes e.g. passport, driving licence and, for example, a credit card.

1.3  Making your wife's surname a middle name

Some women who take their husband’s surname upon marriage choose to keep their maiden name as a middle name – and sometimes the husband opts to take this as a middle name, too.

It’s a popular way to keep the wife’s family name alive and avoid the name change process following marriage being one-sided.  If you wish to make your wife's surname a middle name, this can be done by Deed Poll.

1.4  ‘Meshing’ your surnames

‘Meshing’ a surname is when you take elements of each surname and combine them to create a brand new surname. (For example, if Marie Thomas marries David Simpson, they might mesh their surnames to become Marie and David THOMSON.)

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Sections in this article
Click on the links below to view each section of this article.

1.   The alternatives to tradition
2.   When to apply for your Deed Poll
3.   Making other changes to your name

This page was last checked today by Amanda Dawson, Senior Deed Poll Officer.