Do I have to abandon my old name?

One of the requirements for changing your name by Deed Poll means that you need to forgo your old name and from then on be known by your new name. Is this strictly true? What if you want to keep your old name for something? Can you do that?

Despite one of the main requirements for changing your name being that you must henceforth be known by your new name, you can still remain using your previous name for various reasons. One of those reasons is if you have a business

If you have a business and are a sole trader, your company name may be the same as your current name. If you’re about to change your name, what does this mean for your business? Do you have to change the name of your business? No, you don’t. The company name can still remain the same even after you have changed your name via Deed Poll. However it will be different legally. Say your current name is “Jeffrey Smith” and your company name is the same, if you change your name to “Jeremy Burns”, your company name will legally be “Jeremy Burns trading as Jeffrey Smith”. On any business stationary that you have, your previous name can remain on it, but you need to mention that the proprietor is you under your new name. In addition, when you notify the bank of your name change, your business account name will be amended to include your new name

Another work related reason to maintain being known by your old name is if you have good relations with your clients. If you have gotten to know your clients very well and don’t want to complicate things or change your relationship with them by getting them to call you differently, with the permission of your employer, you can continue to use your previous name for business purposes. Most companies don’t have an issue with this, so if this is something that you would like to do, it shouldn’t be an issue. Also, when applying for a passport in your new name, you can ask HM Passport Office to include your professionally-known-as-name on your passport’s observations. This can be very useful if you  have to present an ID in your professional name, or if a client has booked a flight for you in your professional name. This will prevent the time and cost of having to change the ticket to your legal name.

Using you previous name for business purposes is fine, but it is important to note that it should only be for business related reasons. Legally, your name will be what you changed it to via Deed Poll. So if you’re applying for things (such as a driver’s licence), be sure to apply using your legal name – the name you changed to via Deed Poll.

So, if you’re a sole trader or someone who greatly values their relationships with business clients, you can change your name by Deed Poll. If you had reservations about changing your name, we hope we were able to put them to rest

Contact Us.