What’s In A Name: a practical guide to name changing for transgender, intersex and non-binary folk in the UK

By: Dr Rhy Brignell

Dr Rhy Brignell BA MA Ph.D

Rhy is Director of Service Delivery at Eden New Life and is responsible for ensuring all of our subscribers get fast, high quality care in accordance with our treatment protocols. They hold a PhD from the University of East Anglia and have specialised in gender services for more than four years, managing and advising on service delivery for thousands of patients. This is one of a series of articles where Rhy shares guidance and ideas with our members.

As Eden New Life has grown to hundreds of subscribers we very commonly receive questions about new name issues and know that the subject, while exciting, can be the cause of stress and confusion. This article aims to help you understand what is involved and how it might affect the care you get from us.

I changed my name legally in 2020. I had wanted to change it since 2009 (!) as I had gone by my preferred name all that time, but I didn’t understand how and felt a bit intimidated by all the conflicting advice online. I assumed that it was a lengthy, complicated process.

Luckily, my very good friend (who is trans and had also changed her name) explained how it all worked and did the administration as a gift to me. When I received my shiny replacement driving license in the post with my new legal name, I really felt like a decade-old weight had been lifted.

It’s quite common for clients to come to us with a difference between the name they use every day and the name on their legal documents. Sometimes, clients don’t want to change their legal name, which is totally fine*. Other clients do, but don’t know how, or are expecting it to be a long, expensive process like me.

It is actually quite simple (and free!) to change your legal name. It’s the same process for everyone no matter what their reasons for changing their name are - trans people don’t have to follow different rules to everyone else.

In the UK, you change your name using a Deed Poll. A Deed Poll is a legal document that evidences your change of name. There are two types of Deed Poll - enrolled and unenrolled.

An enrolled deed poll is a public record officially registered and recorded with the Royal Courts of Justice. There is a fee for enrolling a deed poll. However, it typically isn’t necessary to get an enrolled deed poll unless an organisation specifically requires one from you.

An unenrolled deed poll serves the same purpose, but is not officially recorded on any public register. The majority of organisations and companies accept unenrolled and enrolled deed polls. You can use an unenrolled deed poll to change the name on your UK passport or driving license, just as I did.

You can make an unenrolled deed poll yourself for free. You need to use specific wording for it to be legally valid, which you can find on the UK Government website. There are also websites that make this easy by providing a free form you can fill out with your details, which then generates a downloadable PDF with all the necessary wording that you can share and print. 

You may also find other websites (such as this one) online offering to issue you with an ‘official’ unenrolled deed poll for a fee. The document that websites such as these provide is no more legally ‘valid’ than one you can make yourself, but you may find their official-looking certificates appealing!

Once you have your deed poll, you just need to send copies to the necessary organisations to let them know about your name change, such as your bank, local council, university, etc.

It’s important to know that changing your gender marker on official documents involves a few different steps. I’ll provide more information about this in my next post.

At Eden New Life, we will of course always refer to you (and file your records) according to your preferred name. We don’t mind if you change it - just let us know. You won’t need to repeat any sessions and it won’t affect your account or care. We’ll be supportive while you find the right name for your true self (exciting!).

We also know very well, and understand, that you might not easily have ID documents in your new name (yet). If so, just let us know, and our skilled team members will let you know how to work around it. We’ll do all we can to help you embrace a new name that truly feels like you. It’s a huge, exciting step towards living fully and confidently as your authentic self.

*If you are considering gender-affirming surgery, sometimes surgeons will expect to see that you have changed your legal name to match your gender, to signal that you aren’t likely to change your mind about being trans after life-changing surgery. 

If you are considering applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate, the panel will likely expect to see that you have changed your legal name to match your gender, as evidence that you are living in your affirmed gender.