Yes — you can legally change your child’s name in the UK. A child’s first name, surname, or whole name can be changed by deed poll, and the document is accepted by HM Passport Office, schools, the NHS and the DVLA. There is one golden rule: for a child under 16, everyone with parental responsibility must consent in writing, while a young person aged 16 or 17 can change their own name themselves. There is no court involvement and no government fee when everyone agrees — a professionally prepared child deed poll costs from £14.49. This guide covers everything parents need: what you can change, who must agree, the exact steps, the costs, and what to update afterwards.
What You Can Change
A child’s name change is not all-or-nothing. You can change as much or as little as the situation needs:
- First name (forename) — for example, switching to a preferred name the child already goes by.
- Surname (last name) — the most common request, usually after divorce, separation or remarriage, or to reflect a step-parent’s or both parents’ family names, including creating a double-barrelled surname.
- Middle names — adding, removing or changing them.
- The whole name — first, middle and surname together.
Two special cases are worth knowing. If your baby is under 12 months old, a first name can often be corrected through birth re-registration rather than a deed poll — see our guides to changing a baby’s name before registration and the 12-month rule for changing a child’s first name. And titles (Master, Miss and so on) are not legally part of anyone’s name, so they never need paperwork.
The Age Rule That Decides Everything
Who is allowed to authorise the change depends entirely on the child’s age. Check this before anything else.
Children under 16
A child under 16 cannot change their own name. The change is made on their behalf using a child deed poll, signed by the adults with parental responsibility — all of them. The child’s own wishes still matter: for older children especially, organisations expect the new name to reflect what the child actually wants, and the deed asks for the agreement of a ‘Gillick competent’ child (broadly, one mature enough to understand the decision).
Young people aged 16 and 17
From their sixteenth birthday, a young person can change their own name and sign their own deed poll, exactly as an adult does — using an adult deed poll, with no parental consent legally required. If your child is in this bracket, our dedicated guide to a deed poll for a child over 16 covers the specifics.
Who Has Parental Responsibility — and Why It Matters
For an under-16, ‘consent of everyone with parental responsibility’ is the rule that trips families up most. Parental responsibility (PR) is the legal authority to make decisions about a child’s upbringing, and changing their name is one of those decisions. You usually hold PR if you are:
- The child’s mother — automatic from birth.
- The child’s father, if married to (or in a civil partnership with) the mother when the child was born, or named on the birth certificate for births registered in England and Wales from 1 December 2003 onwards.
- A second female parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or special guardian with PR through an agreement, court order or adoption.
Crucially, PR does not disappear when parents separate or lose contact. An absent parent who still holds parental responsibility must still consent. If a parent has died, their consent is not needed, though you may be asked for a copy of the death certificate. And a parent without PR does not have to consent in law — though it is usually wise to keep them informed.
Step by Step: Changing Your Child’s Name or Surname
Once everyone with parental responsibility agrees, the process is quick — changing a surname works exactly the same way as changing a first or middle name:
- Confirm consent. Every person with parental responsibility must genuinely agree and be willing to sign. Forging a signature is fraud and invalidates the document.
- Choose the new name. You can replace the surname entirely, add a parent’s name, double-barrel two surnames, or adjust a spelling. The name must not be offensive or chosen for fraudulent reasons.
- Order the child deed poll. Provide the child’s current full name, the new name, and the details of each adult with parental responsibility. Our child deed poll service prints a professionally drafted document from £14.49, dispatched same-day on orders before 3pm with free Royal Mail Tracked delivery.
- Sign and witness it. Each adult with PR signs in wet ink in front of an independent adult witness aged 18 or over — not a relative, partner, or anyone living at your address.
- Update the child’s records. Use the original signed deed poll to update the passport, school, GP and everything else (details below).
Around 98% of UK name changes use an unenrolled deed poll like this. It is legally valid and accepted by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, the NHS, banks and schools. Enrolling at the Royal Courts of Justice is entirely optional — it costs £53.05, publishes the change in the London Gazette, takes two to three weeks, and adds no extra legal validity.
What It Costs
A professionally printed child deed poll from UK Name Change starts at £14.49. There is no government fee for changing a child’s name itself, and no court involvement when everyone consents. A solicitor would charge £150–£300+ for the very same document. Updating most records afterwards is free — schools, the GP, HMRC and banks don’t charge. The one paid update is a new child passport in the new name, at the Passport Office’s standard child fee. If you also want to change your own name to match — common after separation or remarriage — you can order an adult deed poll at the same time and keep the whole family’s documents consistent.
If the Other Parent Disagrees or Can’t Be Found
If someone with parental responsibility refuses to consent, you cannot simply proceed — a deed poll signed without every required consent is invalid. Your route then runs through the family court: a Specific Issue Order, where a judge decides based on the child’s best interests. These situations have their own rules, so we cover them in dedicated guides: start with changing a child’s surname without the other parent, and read deed poll vs court order for a child’s name change to understand when court is genuinely needed. A name change can also carry emotional weight for a child — our guide to the psychological effects of changing a child’s name helps you weigh the timing.
Updating the Passport, School and GP Afterwards
The deed poll is the legal foundation; the name becomes real once the child’s records match. Keep the original wet-ink document safe — HM Passport Office requires the original, not a photocopy.
- Passport: apply for a new child passport in the new name, enclosing the original deed poll. Until it is reissued, the old passport remains valid — just book travel in the name the passport shows.
- School: notify the school office in writing with a copy of the deed poll; they update the register, records and exam entries. Early in a term is easiest.
- GP and NHS: contact the surgery to update medical records — free, and it keeps prescriptions and referrals in the right name.
- Everything else: dentist, clubs, child savings accounts and — for older teens — a provisional licence at the DVLA. All free.
Our full walkthrough of updating a child’s passport and school records covers each organisation in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my child’s surname without the father’s consent?
Not if he holds parental responsibility — his written consent is required for an under-16, and without it your only route is a court’s Specific Issue Order. If he does not hold PR, his consent is not legally needed. Our guide to changing a child’s surname without the other parent covers every scenario, including absent and uncontactable parents.
At what age can a child change their own name in the UK?
At 16. From their sixteenth birthday a young person can sign their own deed poll without parental consent. Below 16, the adults with parental responsibility make the change on the child’s behalf.
Do both parents have to sign the deed poll?
Everyone with parental responsibility must consent for an under-16 — usually both parents, but it can be more or fewer people depending on who legally holds PR. A parent without PR does not need to sign.
How much does it cost to change a child’s surname?
From £14.49 for a professionally printed child deed poll, with free tracked delivery. There are no court or government fees when everyone with parental responsibility agrees, and optional enrolment (£53.05) is not required.
Can I give my child a double-barrelled surname?
Yes — combining both parents’ surnames is perfectly legal and very common. The same consent rules apply.
Is an unenrolled deed poll enough to change a child’s passport?
Yes. HM Passport Office accepts an unenrolled child deed poll — send the original wet-ink document signed by the adults with parental responsibility, not a photocopy.
Do I need a solicitor to change my child’s name?
No. A solicitor would charge £150–£300+ for the same document. A correctly drafted, signed and witnessed deed poll is all you need.
How long does the whole process take?
The deed poll itself is dispatched same-day on orders before 3pm. Once signed, most organisations update their records within days to a couple of weeks; a new passport takes longer depending on the service you choose.
Ready to Change Your Child’s Name?
If everyone with parental responsibility agrees, there’s no need to wait or pay solicitor fees. Order a professionally printed, legally valid child deed poll from £14.49 with same-day dispatch and free tracked delivery — trusted by more than 160,000 customers across the UK.
