UK Name Checker

Almost — the UK gives you more naming freedom than nearly any other country. You can adopt any forename and surname you like by deed poll, including invented names, as long as the name uses only letters (plus hyphens and apostrophes), is pronounceable, doesn't imply a title or honour you don't hold, and isn't offensive, fraudulent or against the public interest. The checker above tests your idea against each of these rules.

No — no UK law lists banned names. In practice the limits come from HM Passport Office and other organisations, which refuse to put unacceptable names on official documents. That makes certain names effectively banned: you could sign a deed poll, but you couldn't use the name where it matters. See our full guide to what names are not legal in the UK.

No. GOV.UK is explicit: a new name must not include symbols, numbers or punctuation. The only two exceptions are hyphens in double-barrelled names (Smith-Jones) and apostrophes in established name forms (O'Hara). So "R2-D2", "Ke$ha" and "Jon 2.0" are all out — but accented letters from any language written in the Latin alphabet are fine.

Not unless you genuinely hold the title. HM Passport Office refuses names that imply an honour, rank or profession — Sir, Dame, Lord, Lady, Dr, Judge, Major and the like — precisely because they could be used to mislead. Buying a novelty "Lord of the Manor" certificate doesn't count. The nuance: many of these words are perfectly normal surnames (King, Knight, Bishop, Pope) — the problems start when the name reads as a title, like "King John Smith".

It's legally possible but practically difficult. UK common law doesn't require two names, but nearly every organisation's systems do — and HM Passport Office generally expects a forename and surname. If you're set on a single name, read our complete guide to single-name (mononym) deed polls first.

In practice, yes: HM Passport Office allows up to 30 characters for your forenames and 30 for your surname. Longer names may be truncated on your passport or queried. Other organisations' systems have similar limits, so very long names cause everyday friction even where they're technically allowed.

Each organisation decides for itself, and HM Passport Office is the one that matters most — if they won't put a name on a passport, it can't function as your identity. This checker applies their published rules and known practice, but it's guidance, not a ruling. A correctly drafted deed poll with an acceptable name is, in practice, accepted everywhere — see our complete deed poll guide for how the whole process works.

No. Every check runs locally in your browser — the names you try are never stored, logged or sent to our servers. When you've settled on the one, you can get your deed poll from £14.49.