Genealogy Chat

Change of name by deed pol......would this have been a requirement in the 1890s, or could you just change your name as long as it was not for illegal reasons?

Kathlyn

You can and always could use what ever name you want, it's only illegal if you use an alias for fraudulant purposes

People make a big deal about deed poll but the reality is that not many name changes was or is done by deed poll


Roy

Sorry to contradict you Roy but if you have registered with a bank/doctor's surgery and wish to change your name, you have to provide evidence of this change. You can, of course, always be called by whatever name you choose.....but for legal purposes, a deed poll document should be drawn up to change official documents, etc.

Nannylicious, My answer was based on the question asked about the 1890s so i did not feel the need to go into long drawn out detail about name changes however as you have added to the thread i will also add more details

Sorry to also contradict you but you do not need to use a deed poll to change your name with agencies as you stated above,

A simple letter will suffice for things like medical records and banks but for passports and driving licenses you may require to change by Statutory declaration or deed poll, see below

You do not have to change your name by deed poll for it to be legal proof

Evidence of change of name
You do not need legal proof that you have changed your name, provided that you can be identified by your new chosen name. However, there are some circumstances, for example, applying for a passport, when additional evidence of the change of name is required. The evidence required varies depending on the purpose for which it is needed and can include:-

A letter from a responsible person This could be your GP, solicitor, minister, priest or MP,
A public announcement in a local or national newspaper.
A statutory declaration witnessed, either by a solicitor and or a Justice of the Peace
A deed poll.

A deed poll will be required when applying for a passport and possibly a driving license for the first time, however If you already had both passport and driving licence before the name change then the Statutory declaration should suffice

Changing names for legal reasons is all about traceability, eg the authorities require to be able to trace you back to your original birth name and deed poll is their preferred method

Roy

Just to confirm, my bank did NOT require me to supply a deed poll - we completed their own documentation.

MarieCeleste, My bil did the same

Roy