The name you’re commonly called and known by

Your legal name is simply the name you’re commonly called and known by — especially for official purposes.

So you need to confirm that your “current name” is the name you’re known by on most of your official documents and records.

(It may be more difficult to say what your legal name is if you’re known by more than one name — see below.)

If you haven’t updated any of your official records to be in your new name

If you haven’t updated any of your official records to be in your new name, it would mean that — legally speaking — your name hasn’t changed yet, or that you’re currently just “also known as” your new name.  In that case, we should (probably) do a new deed poll for you (proving a new change of name).

(A replacement deed poll would declare that you’ve been known by your new name for all purposes since a specified date — which, after all, wouldn’t really be the case.)

If you need to prove an earlier (or more than one) change of name

If you’ve changed your name more than once, we’ll need to prepare a replacement deed poll / statutory declaration proving every change of name you’ve made, up till the present.

So you’ll need to provide details of every change of name, going back to the change of name that you really need to prove — including any change of name by marriage, divorce, deed poll, or otherwise.

There’s no extra charge for doing your document like this — the fee you pay is per person.

For example — suppose you needed to prove your change of name from Alex SMITH to Billy SMITH — but you’ve since changed your name from Billy SMITH to Charlie SMITH.  In that case you should —

• fill in your “former name” as Billy SMITH
• fill in your “current name” as Charlie SMITH
• then include the details of your change of name from Alex SMITH to Billy SMITH in the “additional comments” section of the form (remember to include the date, to the best of your knowledge)

If you’re known by more than one name

Your current legal name is simply the name you’re generally called and known by.  However, sometimes it isn’t completely clear what someone’s legal name is, because they’re known by more than one name on different documents.

Where there is doubt, or where many names are (or have been) used, names that have been used for formal, solemn, and official purposes — over a substantial period of time — have been preferred by the courts over names that are used for temporary, social or day-to-day purposes.

Examples of formal, solemn, and official purposes would be —

• formal identification documents such as passport / national identity card
• driving licence
• marriage (and divorce proceedings)
• other legal proceedings
• baptism and confirmation (as to forenames only — as baptism is not concerned with surnames)
• birth registration