My birth certificate has me down as a James, but all my family etc call me Jamie, and in a bored moment I was wondering whether it would just be worth getting it changed legally?

Just curious as to how much of hassle it is informing banks, passport bods, DVLA etc?

Why don’t you just call yourself James instead? It’s much nicer.

Or Seamus 😀

I don’t think you actually need a deed poll, Jimbo. Google it, but it’s a lot simpler than most people think. Mostly it involves using it yourself a lot.

Why don’t you just call yourself James instead? It’s much nicer.

That of course is the alternative…..might be easier 8)

Meant to say actually Jimmy, I use a different name to that on my birth cert for most things other than with the revenue.

Does it really matter apart from “official” things?

My mum was christened Susan, but is known as Sue and my sister was christened Katherine, but is known as Kate.

I have a different name on my passport to that on my birth certificate 😯

I have two different names on my driving license. One for the printed. One for the signed.

I have. I just took my unused first name off, as it was annoying to have to use my full name for official stuff and that, when I never ever used it.

I downloaded a form off tinternet, got my doctor and I think a priest to sign it, then submitted it with my passport application. Because I have been issued a passport with my new name, all other documents can now legally carry this.

Apparently it’s quite common for people to do this, to drop unused names or alter something like James to Jamie. Changing to a completely different name is a bit different though I think.

I like Jimariah or Jimbobalouie.

Jimbobalouie.

😆

Yes, but I did it via a Statutory Declaration. Same result, different method, that’s all. It’s not expensive – cost me £5 at the local solicitor’s for them to notarise the document that I printed off myself from the internet.

As far as changing your name elsewhere, it’s pretty easy but labour-intensive – you would be surprised how many places have your name!!!

Main ones to change (and how much it cost me where I can remember…)

Passport £83
Driving Licence £20
Gas
Electricity
Work details
Bank
Mortgage
Land Registry (actually, still not done this one!!!)
Gas
Electricity
Water
Telephone
Broadband
…
…

So, it’s not a simple matter!!

TBH – it’s a big deal for just a little change and it is perfectly acceptable in law to call yourself anything you want to – you don’t actually have a “legal name” as such. All the law requires is that you are consistent and do not use aliases as a method of deceit. If you want to call yourself Jamie, you can simply just go ahead and do it…

I guess in your case it’s no big deal but I still get junk mail etc in my old name and that’s really upsetting. (mind you, not quite as upsetting as getting Christmas cards from relatives my mum STILL doesn’t want to tell about me!!!)

Rachel

I knew a guy called Arthur Smells, he went down the registrars & said he wanted to change his name by deed poll, the registrar asked him what he wanted to change his name to & he says ‘Fred Smells’

I’m already wearing me coat.

Passport runs out in 2012, so might leave it till then as kill 8 birds with 4 million stones.

@dd

Do you mean diff spellings or actually different names on passport/birth cert?

Yeah, the House of Windsor (nee Shicklegruber)

Jimbobalouie

Might as well go for Jimbelushi.

I guess in your case it’s no big deal but I still get junk mail etc in my old name and that’s really upsetting. (mind you, not quite as upsetting as getting Christmas cards from relatives my mum STILL doesn’t want to tell about me!!!)

Rachel

Cheers for that Rachel, was kinda hoping you would post, as knew you had gone through the name changing process. Does seem a lot more faff than I thought originally.

Jimbalaya?

Did mine in 2002 to adopt my late mums surname. I was surprised how easy it was TBH.

JimboAndTheJetSet???? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimbo_and_the_Jet_Set)

Yes, I changed my surname by Deed Poll at the beginning of the year. That was the easy part, the worst being bank/building society etc and they require different amounts of ID. I did get quite a few copies of the actual Deed Poll as some places actually retained a copy.

I found it extremely frustrating that despite written confirmation, some companies still managed to not change it, or use the incorrect salutation.

actually, just remembered the solicitor made me stand and read the declaration out aloud, which was rather amusing…

oh – and the Passport agency require the original document – and managed to lose a friend’s!!

why not go the whole hog and get the “op” done too?

“op”??

To be honest, for a first name it’s hardly worth worrying about surely?

I only changed mine cos my divorce won’t be through for a while so wanted to ditch my married name and move on.

To be honest, for a first name it’s hardly worth worrying about surely?

Probably not CG, like I said in my first post, more of a bored rumination than a statement of intent. Just think of me as an evening Molgrips 😉

Has anybody changed their name TO Deed Poll?

@dd

Do you mean diff spellings or actually different names on passport/birth cert?

Yeah kind of. Just gaelic and english versions but they’re spelled fairly differently. I use the Gaelic version of my first name as it doesn’t sound as common 😳

An ‘evening molgrips’? Heaven forbid. 😉

An ‘evening molgrips’? Heaven forbid.

I know. After writing that I had to go take a shower….

Take a shower to feel clean again or cool down???????

So it sounds like it’s easier to change my real life name than it is my forum name?

There’s only one thing to do then.

molgrips is fine in real life. 😀

As are all the more vocal STW’ers I’ve met. 🙄

Take a shower to feel clean again or cool down???????

Bit of both really….

molgrips is fine in real life.

I am sure he is, but I just cannot get rid of the image that he is an 8 year old asking a million questions per minute in real life as well 8)

Ah – have a go!!!

Here you go – fill in the details on this form and it will produce the text you need to print and take into the solicitor…

Rachel

Yeah, the House of Windsor (nee Shicklegruber)

😆

Jimbelina?

I changed mine a few years back to S657HVN, can’t remember how much it cost, but my memory is that is was fair bit less than something like a private plate for your car.

allthegear: can I just ask; how difficult is it to legally change gender? I can’t imagine it would be quite as simple as changing your name!

And is the legal ability to do this a relatively recent thing? I would have thought it would have been absolutely impossible in the past.

Well, it kind of depends what you mean by legally change gender!

Any one of us is freely able to use any prefix to our names that we like, so long as it is not done fraudulently. For example, you can happily call yourself Mr, Miss or Ms but not Prof or Dr (unless you happen to be a Prof or Dr).

As far as identity is concerned, my specialist writes to people like the Passport Office detailing how it’s a permanent change and they then issue my Passport, Driving Licence etc in the correct gender (yes, your Driving Licence indicates your gender – most people don’t know how, though)

After two years, I can apply for a new birth certificate and all my old records are destroyed. 😀

Rachel

What about ????? – the Japanese for James

Rolls off the pen/keyboard/tongue nicely

Rachel, I salute you for being honest with yourself (unless I’m too drunk for my own good in which case I beg for forgiveness).
C_G, so now you are legally known as Auntie C_G?
Jeez, time to sing off, Bushmills rules my fingers.

Thanks, HairyC, you’ve not jumped to a bizarre conclusion!!

Rachel