Changing Childs Surname

[fairycakes69]

My granddaughter has not lived with her dad, and has very little contact with him. On her birth certificate she has her mums maiden name, her father is named on the certificate. She is 7 and mum has married and the child would like the same surname as the rest of the family. Can this be done without the fathers permission?

[EDDIE51]

You can't change a birth certificate.
But you can use any name you choose for 'day to day' purposes , as long as there is no attempt at fraud.

[naomi24]

Have a look here:

https://deedpolloffice.com/change-name/children

[AliceTickband]

not sure if this applies but we changed our surname and our kids' years ago and as youngest child was still under 18 his father had to be the one named on the change of name deed as for proof of child's identity. But if you do not legally change the child's surname, in the future the child will legally be known by his birth surname and will have to sign any documents using the original surname, even though by usage his surname may be different. When he reaches 18 he can legally change his name without recourse to anyone.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Absolutely correct, you can legally change the name you are known by but NOT change what is on the birth certificate!
That is what I was trying to say but naomi has has said it better!

[bhg481]

Eddie is perfectly correct but I could foresee problems arising if, say, a passport is applied for; I would go the Naomi route.
Another option, although it would need the father's consent, is for daughter and husband to adopt the child. This might feel like overkill but it would put her on an even standing with any other children which might come into the family. Imagine the situation where another child is born and then mum dies; your granddaughter is then no relation to her "dad"; he will have no say in her upbringing and she has no claim to any inheritance which could be relevant in the future.

[EDDIE51]

bhg481, It has already been established that when you apply for a passport the original birth certificate and the deed poll both have to be sent to the passport office for verification, then the passport is issued in the 'deed poll' name.

[bhg481]

Perhaps using passport was a bad choice Eddie. What I was trying to say is that your first comment "you can use any name you choose for 'day to day' purposes , as long as there is no attempt at fraud" is correct but there could be situations where "jobsworths" could make a fuss and,incorrectly, make life difficult for you. The deedpoll route would avoid that.

[fairycakes69]

Thank you for the replies, my daughter is going to ask the father, hoping that he might agree as it's what the child wants, (the father has had the same problem, taking on his stepdads name but not changing through deed poll) so hoping he might see sense. If he does not agree she will be known as the same as the rest of the family, (there are already younger siblings) and once she reaches an age to do through deed poll it will be her desision again if she chooses to make it official.

[woofgang]

I kind of remember when this has come up before, what the child is known by at school has been an issue....perhaps a good idea to make enquiries there?

[Peter Pedant]

whatever you do get it right
( so I suppose follow Nytoraomi's route )

my dad Pyotr Pavel pedant had one certificate from ruritania in the name of Pavel Pyotr Pedant and my god didnt the english civil servants scribble for years afterwards. o that was 1935.

and I can tell you when english civil servants in whitehall scribble, the bogs are blocked for years .....

[ummmm]

My boss (cousin) has always used two surnames.

[whiskeryron]

My goodness PP, Pavel Pyotr Pedant. I like the sound of that name, if your dad has finished with it can I have it ?

[atalanta]

Please, please be very careful. I know of a terribly sad case where a mother and stepfather changed a boy's name by custom and usage, but not officially. That was without the knowledge or consent of the natural father. The repercussions were dreadful, and are still going on, forty years later.

[Peter Pedant]

yes atalanta I can well imagine the sort of problems caused

and yet and yet my forebears just changed their spelling
Caught to Cort in the censuses 1881 - 1891 and no one turned a hair, or even seems to have noticed ( until around 2005 )

[deedpoll]

I think it can be done without the father's consent if he has been out of her life for a certain number of years. However to make sure that you are doing the right thing, you can check here: https://www.ukdeedpolloffice.org/contact-us/