Changing a surname

[behindthefrogs]

It is worth checking the London Gazette.  Quite a lot of notices of change of name were published there.  I believe that anyone serving in the forces, certainly at officer level, was required to post such a notice of a surname change.

http://www.historicaldirectories.org/


David

[Gaille]

Another way, these days for sure, of 'officially' changing ones name is to pop along to the local court (JP or Magistrate? I can't remember off hand which) and simply fill out a short declaration paper.

 They glance at it. Agree that ye not up to anything and sign it off. Costs a few quid. Lot cheaper and simpler than Deed Poll.

I think this happened in my family,  my fathers father had a name and date of birth on his war records and marriage certiificate,  but that name and date of birth cannot be found in the birth registry even around give or take ten years and I think he took a name on that was not his for some reason or other!!

If they don't have to produce their Birth Certificate at marriage then this will never be found out.

I have been left with a Brick Wall as far as finding out who he was .. parents etc., can't even find the ones he put on marriage certificate.

I had this with my Nanas father.
All I had was a 'statutory declaration' of when & where he was born - and his fathers name & Occupation from his marriage cert.

Only problem was ..................... no one of his name was born where & when he said he was born!

So I searched and came up with a few more in the right area with similar names - only non of them were him.

By sheer fluke I was talking to someone in the chat room here & I mentioned 'the elusive Henry' and my lack of info on him.

And she found him!

He was born 8 years before he said he was, a town away from wehre he said he was - and he was born Illigitimate, but his middle name gave his father away.

By tracking him thru cencus's I could see WHY he had given incorrect info - his mum re-married twice, and in each Cencus he had a different surname, by the time he was using his borth surname again he was an adult - and living in a different county.

I genuinly believe now he didnt know where or when he was born and that his father wasnt married to his mother when he was born, and when he needed to have a legal document saying when & where he was born he gave the info he BELIEVED to be true.

[Redroger]

Whilst involved in railway personnel matters I have been involved in at least three cases of where an employee changed his surname, they each happened on taking up employment when it was discovered the surname on the birth certificate was different to that under which he had applied for a job.
From memory I think the form ran something like. "To whom it may concern, I Joe Bloggs renounce the surname Bloggs, and henceforth will be known as John Smith." It was of course signed, though whether the signature was witnessed by a solicitor of JP etc. I can't remember.

[Steve G]

Checking my own documents, I now see a Deed Poll is one way of officially changing ones name.

 Another is at the local county Petty Sessional Division court.

Both are pretty similar. Loads of verbiage about renouncing one name and calling on All to know and call ye by another name, which ye declare ye'll henceforth call yeself. Pretty straightforward.

 Personally, I'd suggest the court route. Faster. Simpler. Lot cheaper 

I have these documents scanned and stored on my tree site. I also have the originals stored with my Birth Certificate. I'm trying not to leave anyone a hard time, when I keel over!