So I want to go double-barrelled, apparently this requires Deed Poll name change.

[AnnieLobeseder]

After 10 years of marriage and using DH's name (mostly due to my maiden name being unpronounceable), I've decided I quite miss my maiden name, warts and all, and have started to use it again. I've gone double-barrelled, without the hyphen. Unofficially, but for online shopping etc and at work, it's gone well and I feel very comfortable with it and want to make it official.

So I've been looking into how to get my passport changed etc, and they say that while I can get a new passport no problem, they recommend that I change my name by Deed Poll because some banks and other organisations refuse to acknowledge double-barrels unless it's done by Deed Poll.

How can this be right? Why are the only valid options my maiden name OR his surname?

Grrrrr! So now I'm going to have to pay for Deed Poll AND a new passport.

[AnnieLobeseder]

And then there's this:

1. Changing your title to Mrs
   

Regardless of what you decide to do with your surname following your marriage, you will probably want to change your title to Mrs. This section tells you what you need to do for each of the options discussed above.

Aaaargh!!!

[HopeForTheBest]

I think you could have changed it to double barrelled straight after marriage, but any further change (regardless of what it is) needs to be done by deed poll.
So it's not just his or your maiden name.

[KRITIQ]

I don't think it costs alot to change a surname by deed poll. I'm sure I saw some coupon type site flogging it for less than 20 quid.

A couple I know decided that both would change to a double-barrelled name. He had to change his by deed poll. She changed hers to the double-barrelled name after marriage.

She said that they found out a man couldn't change his name upon marriage - only a woman could. I presume there must be some time limit between the marriage and the name change.

Having said that, a professional colleague just decided to use her DH's surname, and they were married a year ago. No idea whether she had to do the deed poll route.

I kept it simple and never changed my surname when I married 22 years ago or when I married last year (yes, there was a divorce in between! :)) I couldn't face the idea of changing all sorts of official stuff on two sides of the Atlantic. Now, with so many more things with your name on it, I think it would be little short of a nightmare of bureaucracy to get everything changed. Sometimes folks get it wrong and call me Mrs DH's surname, or call him Mr DWs surname, but that's no biggie.

Hey but good luck with it!

[jumpy2012]

Deed poll is easy and cheap, don't stress about that. I changed back to my maiden name years before divorce and have had to show proof several times eg passport office, DVLA, Land Registry.

[KRITIQ]

Ah, but I'd never, ever choose to use the title "Mrs." I really do loathe it and hate being asked whether I'm a "Miss or a Mrs."

[AnnieLobeseder]

KRITIQ - no less beaurocracy than it would if I was getting married and changing my name now!

I'll be qualifying soon and want my 'new' name on my degree, and want to be professionally known with the full set of names.

Good to hear Deed Poll isn't too expensive.

I'd love to give the DDs both names but it's a mouthful and seems cruel to expect littlies to have to learn how to spell and pronounce the whole lot, and then teach everyone else to spell it. So I'll leave it for now, and they can decide when they're older.

[AnnieLobeseder]

And I've been Ms DHName for most of our married life. I'm ashamed to admit I forgot my feminist principles and was Mrs for a while.

[AnnieLobeseder]

I am, however, quite impressed that Mx is a title option on the Deed Poll!!

Tempting, but I'll stick with Ms for now.... until I'm Dr....

[KRITIQ]

One of my work colleagues got us a kitsch "Mr & Mrs" photo frame, which I do have on display in a sort of feminist-being-ironic sort of way! :)

(Hey, congrats on the qualification btw!)

[AnnieLobeseder]

Still two years to go, way too early for congratulations. But I want people to start getting used to the idea.

DH is now having a grumble about being left out of the discussion. What? About MY name? Rolls eyes.

[sashh]

You can call yourself anything you want. And a deed poll doesn't have to be a costly one, you can do your own in five mins (I did) and it be accepted for passport / bank / DSS etc.

[SimplySoo]

You can include your preferred title on deed poll too.

[Lakota]

You don't actually have to pay to change your name by deed poll, all these companies do is print out the relevant words on thick 'legal' type parchment. The page below will tell you how to do it.

www.gorge.org/experiences/deedpoll.shtml

[Trazzletoes]

When you get married, the only options are keeping your name exactly as it was or changing to partner's name. Anything else, including keeping your own surname as a middle name, requires deed poll to be a legal change of name tho you can call yourself whatever the heck you want. Deed polls shouldn't cost more than £20 and don't take more than 10 minutes. You might be able to do it online but it's always safer to get a solicitor to do it.

[chibi]

really? i was sure that you could call yourself anything here, legally, unless it were for nefarious purposes

[perplexedpirate]

I double barrelled and never used deed poll, though to be honest I generally use my old name.
I'm ms myname-hisname on official stuff.

[seeker]

My understanding is that you can call yourself anything you want so long as it's not for purposes of deception.

[NotALondoner]

You can change your name (and title) by deed poll totally free on the internet. Just print out about 10 or 15 copies, get them signed by 2 witnesses and you can send them all off to the banks or whatever all at the same time. Some organisations don't send them back, so try and print off at least 10 to keep you going.