Changing Your Surname After Marriage

Tradition dictates that a woman should take her husbands surname upon marriage but this is not a legal requirement and many people now decide to take another route.

  • The couple could leave their names exact as they are.
  • The woman could take her husbands surname and drop her current one
  • The man could take his wife’s surname and drop his current one.
  • The woman could take her husbands surname and make her current one into a middle name.
  • The man could take his wife’s surname and make his current one into a middle name.
  • The couple could double-barrel their two surnames (e.g. WAKEFIELD-SMITH).
  • The couple could "create" a new surname out of their two current ones.

Leave your names exactly as they are

There is no legal requirement for either person to change their name after marriage and some couples decide to just keep using their current names. If you opt for this choice, you do not need to follow any procedure because your legal name is not changing. However, the woman may still wish to change her title to Mrs even though your surnames are staying separate. For more information on this, please refer to the “Changing your title after marriage” section at the bottom of this article.

Take your husbands surname and drop current one

If you wish to take your husbands surname after marriage, you do not need to apply for a Deed Poll because the marriage certificate provides the documentary evidence needed to have your documents and records amended to show your husbands surname. You must send a copy of your marriage certificate to everyone that holds your personal records along with a letter explaining that upon marriage you have decided to take your husbands surname. Authorities that issue identification documents such as the Identity and Passport Service (formerly UK Passport Service) and the DVLA will require sight of your original marriage certificate so it is advisable that you purchase extra certificates from whoever conducts your ceremony.

Take your wife's surname and drop your current one

If you wish to take your wife’s surname upon marriage, a Deed Poll will most probably be required. Although some organisations will amend their records to show your wife’s surname upon presentation of your marriage certificate, many will refuse to. If you want to guarantee that your new surname will be accepted by all government departments, companies and organisations within the United Kingdom, it is advisable that you Apply for a Deed Poll.

Take your husbands surname and make your current one into a middle name

If you wish to take your husbands surname upon marriage but would like to maintain a connection to your maiden name, you should consider making your maiden name into a middle name. For example, if your name is currently Jane Louise SMITH and you are marrying John Stephen WAKEFIELD, you could change your name to Jane Louise Smith WAKEFIELD (surname denoted by capital letters). If you want to change your name in this way, you will need to apply for a Deed Poll.

Take your wife's surname and make your current one into a middle name

As above, if you are going to take your wife’s surname upon marriage but would like to maintain a connection with your birth surname, you could make your current surname into a middle name. For example, if your name is currently John Stephen WAKEFIELD and you are marrying Jane Louise SMITH, you could change your name to John Stephen Wakefield SMITH (surname denoted by capital letters). You will need a Deed Poll in order to make a change like this to your name.

Double-barrel both of your surnames

Some couples prefer to use both surnames after marriage in the form of a double-barrelled surname. For example, if John Stephen WAKEFIELD and Jane Louise SMITH double-barrelled their surnames, they would become John Stephen WAKEFIELD-SMITH and Jane Louise WAKEFIELD-SMITH. Please note, it is entirely the couple’s choice as to which order the surnames go in. Most will decide the order by which sounds better when the double-barrelled name is read aloud. If you wish to double-barrel your surnames, a Deed Poll will most probably be required. Although some organisations will amend their records to show your new double-barrelled surname upon presentation of your marriage certificate, many will refuse to. If you want to guarantee that your new surname will be accepted by all government departments, companies and organisations within the United Kingdom, it is advisable that you apply for a Deed Poll.

Create a new surname out of your current ones

You may want to consider merging both of your surnames to make a new surname for use after marriage. For example, Jane Louise SMITH and John Stephen WAKEFIELD could merge their names together to make SMITHFIELD. In order to change your name like this, you will need a Deed Poll.

Changing your title after marriage

You do not have to take your husbands surname upon marriage in order to take the title "Mrs". For more information on changing your title to Mrs, please see our Changing your title section.

Related pages