How to choose a new name in the UK

What to consider when choosing your new name

• Day-to-day readability — names that exceed 30 characters or include unusual diacritics may be truncated on cards, drivers' licences and the machinery-readable zone of a passport.
• Honour system — names implying a royal title (King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Lord, Lady, Sir, Dame, Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquess, Duke, Duchess), honours (CBE, OBE, MBE, GC), or peerage can trigger a Home Office challenge under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.
• Impersonation — adopting the full legal name of a real, identifiable person with the intent to deceive is identity fraud and a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006.
• Sex offender register restrictions — convicted sex offenders on the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) cannot change their name without notifying the police; non-notification is itself an offence.
• Child name change — court orders under the Children Act 1989 s.13 may restrict a child's name change.

Names that are restricted in the UK

There is no statutory "banned names list" published by the UK government. The narrow statutory restrictions that exist relate to:

• The Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 — using a name implying an honour or title may be challenged.
• The Sex Offenders Act 1997 and the Sexual Offences Act 2003 — those on the register must notify the police of any name change.
• The Fraud Act 2006 — obtaining property by deception includes using a name with intent to deceive.
• Identity fraud including impersonation — covered under the 2006 Fraud Act and the Identity Documents Act 2010.

Names containing numerals as character substitutes for letters ("B1ll"), otherwise non-letter characters, and diacritics that the registry cannot record (most UK registries record ASCII) are routinely rejected at HM Passport Office, the DVLA, and most banks — not because they are illegal but because they cannot be machine-encoded on the card. See ournames you cannot use guide for the full practical detail.

Practical limits — what fits on cards

HM Passport Office recommends the longest given or surname you can fit within 30 characters per name-part (forename, surname). The chip-and-PIN machine-readable zone in passports limits each line to a fixed number of characters and will truncate longer records. DVLA photocard driver records are similarly restricted. Banks are more variable — some support long names fully in their systems but not on cards.

Practically: a new "daily" name of fewer than 30 characters across both forename and surname parts keeps all cards consistent. If you want a long new name for cultural or personal reasons, choose a shorter "preferred name" for daily use; both can be evidenced in records.

Double-barrelled and combined names

Double-barrelled surnames take many forms: hyphenated (Smith-Jones), space-separated (Smith Jones), or a combined portmanteau. Hyphens are the safest form for cards and machine-readable zones. Take care over the order of the parts — the order you choose on your first deed poll becomes the legal form, and future re-orderings need a new deed poll.

See ourdouble-barrelled surnames guide for the practical rules and the most common variants couples and families choose.

Titles — Mr, Mrs, Mx, Ms, Miss, Dr

In the UK your title is not legally part of your name; it is a courtesy used by organisations. You can change your title at any organisation without a deed poll by asking each one to update it. Some choose to record a new title on their deed poll as well — especially where the title change is related to gender transition or non-binary identity.

HMRC accepts the title Mx. The DVLA accepts Mx. The NHS accepts Mx. HM Passport Office accepts Mx on the application form (the digital application specifies a title field; the legacy passport itself does not show title). The Gender Recognition Act 2004 has its own process for a recognised gender change for trans people who qualify; a deed poll is part of the supporting evidence.

See ournon-binary title guide for details and the practical update order.