Tongue Twisting Name Change Goes Back Four Generations

 By Rebecca Appleton, 11 Feb 2010.

Matthew Ryan, from Surbiton changed his name to "Levi Samuel Matthew McBride Hanna Bailie Hamilton Martin Jarvis Whitmey Leggett Karoubi Mesguich Chouraqui Chouraqui Ferguson Miller Grimshawe Ryan".

He used the easy four step name change application on The Legal Deed Service web site. The formerly Mr Ryan has been studying his family history through genealogy for some time along with other relatives.

The hobby is one that various family members have contributed too over the years and played a significant role in Mr Ryan's new name. He said, "The sixteen last names are the surnames of my great, great, great grandparents. I thought that it would be quite nice to celebrate the fact that I'd gotten that far in my research and change my name to reflect all the different parts of my ancestry.

"Various parts of my family have been chasing our ancestry for a number of years. Relations on my dad's side have done quite a bit and on some particular lines, we've gone back quite far. I think on average we've got around four generations back."
Thousands of Briton's change their name each year but none coming through the Legal Deed Service doors have recounted a tale that reaches so far back into the mists of time. Jamie Jackson, managing director of the Legal Deed Service said, "When the name change came in via our web site I thought, 'here we go again with a crazy name change' but after hearing Matthew's story I was touched by how much effort has gone into choosing his new name.

"Very often we will help clients change a name by deed poll to that of new partners, back to maiden names after a relationship break down or change a child's name from something that has gone out of fashion but I think this is the first time that four generations of a single family have all had a hand in fashioning a wonderful new name!"

The £10 name change specialists are no strangers to crazy new monikers after helping former MP's wife Christine Hamilton change her name to Mrs British Battleaxe. The Legal Deed Service also helped a second man from Surrey change his name to Animal Stephen Leonidas, Floyd, Mayweather, McManus Edmunds last year. Stephen Edmunds of Fordwater Road, Chertsey, Surrey changed his first name to Animal after a school nickname, which stuck after he bit a fellow classmate. Animal set up a Facebook group called 'If 5000 people join this group I'll change my first name to Animal' before completing the deed poll in December 2008.

As with all deed polls, the name change is legally binding and can be used on documents such as driving licenses, passports and bank accounts. Mr Ryan has confirmed that he will change his name on his driving license and passport when they are due for renewal.

Text: © 2010, The Legal Deed Service Ltd.

Picture: © 2010, Mr. L Ryan

This page was last updated: 10 March 2010