Can you change your kids name? If so, up until what age?

Coriolanus

Idle curiosity. Presumably you can't on a baptismal cert (if you get it baptised) but what about the birth cert or whatever?

Nevore

Nevore wrote: »

Idle curiosity. Presumably you can't on a baptismal cert (if you get it baptised) but what about the birth cert or whatever?

It is almost impossible to change a birth cert.

You can change your own name or the name of a child by deed poll. It's done by the Courts Service, and changing a child's name requires the consent of all the child's legal guardians.

Tayla

No I don't think so but I call my son by his second name and when I went for his passport they said I could use the name he was called by as the name on his passport if I submitted proof that that was the name he went by ie. a letter from a school or similar.

I don't know if they would allow the name change for a name that is not on the birth cert but I don't see why not if that is the name they are known by.

I know a passport is not the same as a birth cert but having a passport with the new name would probably be as close to changing it as you could get...ie. opening bank accounts etc. in their name.

Moonbeam

1st name or surname?

metrovelvet

As far as I know you can change a last name by deed poll up until 18. Then its up to the child once they become an adult.

Coriolanus

First name I meant, sorry.

Susannahmia

Nevore wrote: »

Idle curiosity. Presumably you can't on a baptismal cert (if you get it baptised) but what about the birth cert or whatever?

A friend of mine was named Jason until he was 3 years old, then his parents thought that it really didn't suit him and changed it legally to Thomas! So it can be done.

I'm currently changing my last name via deed pole too.

cynder

MY dads name on his birth cert was Stephen second name Mark, he was always called Mark by name, but on drivers licences it was Stephen and on pass port it was Mark on all back and socail wlefare it was Mark.

When he was in intensive care 2 years ago, i phoned up looking for mark ******** and they said they was no one in by that name, however i insisted that he was there in intensive care and they had a look and a Stephen matched my dads surname, they asked if my dad has any other name, i said 'yes' and we worked out that Stephen was Mark.

The hospital refused to call him Mark as his legal first name was Stephen. My dad died 2 days later and on his death cert it is Stephen and not Mark.

pickarooney

It's perhaps a little off topic but I have never been able to figure out why people give a child one name and call him another. Both my parents go by their second (third in my Dad's case) but neither of them has ever been able to tell me why (some vague thing about saints, although the names they go by are also saints' names so I don't get that). I've no surviving grandparents to ask

Tayla

pickarooney wrote: »

It's perhaps a little off topic but I have never been able to figure out why people give a child one name and call him another. Both my parents go by their second (third in my Dad's case) but neither of them has ever been able to tell me why (some vague thing about saints, although the names they go by are also saints' names so I don't get that). I've no surviving grandparents to ask

With my sons name it was simply a case of not being able to decide between 2 names so we registered his name as the name we thought we wanted with the other as his middle name and then like a lot of new parents we just called him 'the baby':) for weeks but then we decided the other name suited him more.

CrazyRabbit

I know a couple who called their son 'Apollo XIV' (Apollo 14). I wonder if they'll ever legally change it, as everyone just calls him Apollo?

Kildrought

...why people give a child one name and call him another...

One explanation comes from our tradition of calling eldest grandchildren after their paternal (if a boy) or maternal (if girl) grandparents, or older members of the family who had recently deceased or even brothers and sisters who had passed away at a younger age.

Second names or nicknames would be used to distinguish the generations.