The Legal Deed Service - Deed Poll Service News

This page features articles about our service and about people who have used the Deed Poll process to change a name.

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I'm No Muppet! - Surrey man changes his name by Deed Poll

Guiness World Records - Somerset man changes his name by Deed Poll

The Legal Deed Service - Office No2 opens in the North West

What's In A Name? - Carrie Oakey or Jean Pool?

Gordon F Ramsay - Liverpool Chef changes his name by Deed Poll

Newly Weds - Exchanging vows, but what about names?

Traditional British Names - New to the UK?

I'm No Muppet!

by Tina Clough, 2 Dec 2008.

Mind-boggling name changes of 2008, include tongue twisters like 'Animal Stephen Leonidas, Floyd, Mayweather, McManus Edmunds' and the odd homeage to film characters, such as 'Dr McLovin', are amongst some of the crazy names us Brits choose to adopt, but aside from the odd pub prank, some of them are conducted for quite heart-felt reasons as Tina Clough investigates.

Animal is not just a character from the Muppets it is now the name of a Thorpe Park security guard from Surrey.

After changing his name using The Legal Deed Poll Service, Stephen Edmunds has legally become Animal Stephen Leonidas, Floyd, Mayweather, McManus Edmunds.

The 26-year-old of Fordwater Road, Chertsey, Surrey said, "After biting a child at school when I was about ten my friend's gave me the nick-name 'Animal' and it stuck."

"I set up a Facebook group called, 'If 5000 people join this group I'll change my first name to Animal'. After getting a bit board he lowered his limit to 2000. "I went ahead and did it as all my friends said I should just do it anyway." He added. The Facebook group currently has a massive 1133 members.

"I've always hated the name Stephen and have been thinking about changing it permanently to Animal for years."

Chief Executive of The Legal Deed Service, Jamie Jackson said: "Since February 2008 we have had 16000 people change their names, this is just one of many crazy name changes that we've processed. So many people come to us for a name change because we are one of the only providers of on-line deed polls costing just £10."

Based in Islington, London and Market Drayton, Shropshire, The Legal Deed Service not only offer crazy name changes but can change your child's name, your title or status quickly and easily.

Animal found The Legal Deed Service on the internet. "They were good, really quick. I did it online and I have recommended them to a couple of friends who are interested in doing the same."

His full name may sound weird but to go with Animal he wanted middle names that had a special meaning to him.

"I kept Stephen as that was my given name. I'm a big fan of history and I like the story of 300 and I just love the name Leonidas it means 'Lion-like'. Floyd Mayweather is quite a big hero of mine and McManus is the last name of a friend of mine who helped me through a lot - an awesome friend, it was a mark of respect."

All his friends and even his boss call him Animal. He is unattached at the moment but his ex girlfriends called him Animal as well! Since his name change some friends have started to call him just plain Floyd!

The reaction from most people has been very positive and most think it's a laugh. "I don't really speak to my parents, I do what I want and they accept it. My sister thinks it's hilarious and that I'm a bit of a nutter anyway - I've got loads of tattoos and piercing's."

Animal works full time on gatehouse security at Thorpe Amusement Park in Chertsey, Surrey where he has worked on and off since doing seasonal work in 2004. He grew up in Windsor and went to school at Homer First School, Dedworth Middle School and Windsor Boy's School.

He wants to be taken seriously and plans to change his passport and put the new name on cheque-books. The only drawback he sees could be future job applications. "On official forms I would use Animal because that's my legal name, but for CV's for Jobs I would probably start with Stephen, Leonides or Floyd."

Image: © S&B media 2008

The Legal Deed Service: The Worlds Longest Name

By Tina Clough, 4 Nov 2008.

A 19-year-old Glastonbury man could be the holder of the longest name in the world after a change of name by Deed Poll to Captain Fantastic Faster than Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Wolverine, Hulk and the Flash Combined.

Formerly known as George Garratt, the drummer who has played for local Somerset bands The Kiwis and The Heroin Twins said: "I decided to change my name as a bit of a laugh. I decided on a theme - superheroes - and whenever my friends offered up suggestions to me, I added them to the list.

"I can't believe that I have got the longest name in the UK and maybe even the world - it's just crazy.

"My family have begun to expect these sorts of things from me, and although my friends thought it was ridiculous most people do call me Captain and it's been a great conversation starter.

"I really like my new name, so I might stick with it. I sometimes forget what to call myself when I answer the phone, but it is just one of those things."

Damien Field, a spokesman for the Guinness Book of Records, said that it did monitor a category for the longest personal name.

The longest name to appear on a birth certificate is for Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenk Koyaanisquatsiuth Williams, born to Mr and Mrs James Williams in Beaumont, Texas, on September 12, 1984.

The chief executive from The Legal Deed Poll Service, which helped the drummer formerly known as George Garrett to change his name, said: "We get so many outrageous name changes that these days it barely fazes us, but when this one was brought to my attention I knew there was something special about it.

"We have seen an increasing number of customers seeking to change their name to that of their favourite superheroes - but not usually all of them."

Video: © BBC MMVIII

The Legal Deed Service Opens Office No2.

by Tina Clough, 31 Oct 2008.

Chief executive, Jamie Jackson said, "We are really excited about our offices expanding, it just goes to show how many people are wanting to change their names by Deed Poll."

Mr Jackson, who is opening the new office to establish a presence in the North West, added, "Around 90 per-cent of our name changes are serious ones for couples who choose to separate, or parents seeking to change their child's name, but we do get people changing their name after a pub prank and these never cease to amuse us even now."

Strange name changes encountered by The Legal Deed Poll Service so far this year include, 'Lord Reverend Dark', 'Heath Ledger', 'Fluffy Bunny', 'Gordon f Ramsay' and wait for it, 'Captain Fantastic Faster than Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Wolverine, Hulk, and the Flash combined', which was chosen by 19 year-old George Garatt from Glastonbury, Somerset.

Mr Garratt, a recent music graduate said, "It all started as a bit of a laugh, I wanted to change my name and found that it was so easy to do that there was literally nothing stopping me! I decided to call myself after a superhero and if my friends offered up any solutions I would just add them to the list!"

Mr Garratt, who regularly forgets his new name, added: "My friends all thought it was ridiculous that I should have a total of 13 names and prefer to just call me 'captain', which I quite like as it's a good conversation starter!

Costing just over £10 for a standard adult name change and just £11.50 to change a child's name, the online service offered by The Legal Deed Service, now based at Poynton House on Shropshire Street, will organise a name change after a simple form is filled out and returned online at www.thelegaldeedpollservice.org.uk. When this has been completed, a document is then sent out through the post and the rest is history.

Mr Jackson added, "We are really pleased to come home to Market Drayton, it is a great place to be based and we are proud to contribute to the business growth here in Shropshire."

What's In A Name?

By Sally Beaumont, April 2008.

We used to grin and bear the name our parents burdened us with, whether that was Carrie Oakey or Jean Poole. It has been possible to change names by deed poll since 1760 but a decade ago, only 15,000 people did so each year.

Now, spurred on by separations, pub pranks and thanks to The Legal Deed Poll Service, more people than ever are doing so. As any school-age Hieronymus, Orlando or Guinevere will attest, having an unusual name is not the surest route to popularity in the playground. For example, imagine yourself a young boy growing up in the tough American mid-west and your parents saw fit to name you Marion Morrison.

You might be forgiven for wishing that your parents had perhaps chosen a name a little less feminine. However, in 1930 Marion took matters into his own hands, changed his name and became the epitome of ruggedness and masculinity that made him an enduring icon. He became better known as John Wayne.

In the UK it is possible to change your name at anytime and as often as you wish, so long as the desired name isn't intended to deceive or can be construed to be offensive or blasphemous. You must use a Deed Poll to officially change your legal name you execute it by signing it in the presence of a witness. The witness can be anyone, but not a member of your own family, and once you have executed the Deed, your name is officially changed.

Jamie Jackson, CEO of The Legal Deed Service says: "There are many reasons why people decide to change a name by Deed Poll, for example, a couple may decide to have a double-barrelled surname when they marry, people of foreign extraction living in the UK may wish to anglicise their name to make it easier for others to pronounce, or simply for novelty, some people choose to change their name to a 'fun name' such as James Bond. However, our clients can rest assured safe in the knowledge that all relevant employees deployed within our organisation have undergone extensive training and thus fully understand the law pertaining to a change of name."

Liverpool Chef Changes Name to Gordon F Ramsay

By Sally Beumont, June 2008.

Liverpool Chef Craig Davies has changed name by Deed Poll to Gordon F Ramsay, a name Craig's staff team adopted as a consequence of the exceptionally high standards he sets, and according to Craig, "the fact that I take no s*** from my staff". Craig did not specify a middle name, leaving it to speculation on what the letter 'F' stands for.

Jamie Jackson, Chief Executive of The Legal Deed Service say's "We advised using just the letter 'F' as we cannot allow applications which can be construed as being offensive. This isn't the first high profile name change that we have had, so far this year we've had two James Bond's, a Harry Potter, and we did have one lady request a name change to 'Queen Elizabeth II', but, although perfectly legal, we declined this application".

Gordon's staff team at his Liverpool restaurant no longer answer "yes Chef", but simply "yes Gordon".

It's been a record year for the name change game as thousands of people choose a new moniker for one reason or another. An increasing number of newly-weds are deciding to double-barrel their names, immigrants taking on a more traditional British name, as well as those choosing the name of their favorite celebrity.

It has been possible to change names by deed poll since 1760 but a decade ago, only 15,000 people did so each year. Now, spurred on by separations, pub pranks and thanks to the innovative online deed poll service, www.thelegaldeedpollservice.org.uk, more people than ever are doing so.

Anyone who feels like a change of identity can simply log on to www.thelegaldeedpollservice.org.uk, and with a couple of clicks they can set the wheels in motion, and if after a few months, the name loses its appeal, just change it again.

Newly-Weds Exchanging Vows, What About Your Name?

By Sally Beaumont, April 2008.

The question about whether or not to change name after marriage is one that many brides-to-be, and increasingly nowadays, grooms-to-be, wrestle with for months before the 'Big Day'.

Then there's the puzzling over what's involved, who should be notified and what the options are. But with the UK's leading online name change experts The Legal Deed Service, can guide and explain what's what, and help take the strain out of changing your name.A frequent question from many brides-to-be is: "Will I have to change my name when I marry?"

The short and simple answer is no, there is no legal requirement for you or your partner to change your name when you marry. It is purely a matter of personal choice. However, it is traditional for the bride to take her husband's surname in place of her own after marriage and in the UK around 85% of women still choose to take this option.

However, Jamie Jackson, Chief Executive and founder of The Legal Deed Service says: "If you don't want to go down the traditional route and take your husband's surname in place of your own, there are several increasingly popular alternatives. You can continue to use your maiden name if you wish, but if you want an option that allows you to keep your family identity whilst demonstrating a clear link to your husband, there are ways of having the best of both worlds.

For example, you could consider hyphenating (double-barrel) your surname with your husband's surname. This is becoming increasingly popular, and the groom often hyphenates his name too so that both partners share the same double-barrelled name. The husband's surname is often shown last, so sticking with the Brad Pitt example your name would be Smith-Pitt. The decision on which name to use first or second is often down to which way around the new surname sounds the best."

Mr Jackson goes on to say: "Another option is to consider using your maiden name as a middle name. For example, you could change your name to Mrs. Jane Smith Pitt. You would be known in every day life as Mrs. Jane Pitt but your family name of Smith would still be there on all your personal documents, passport etc."

Whatever your reasons for considering changing your name The Legal Deed Service ensures that the process is both quick and great value. In only four swift steps, and with the fee starting at only £10 for a standard adult deed poll change, you will have official proof of your new name delivered to your inbox in only three hours with the printed deed poll sent to you within 24 hours.

The reasons behind these name changes are as varied as the names themselves. No longer is it just the domain of the new bride changing her name to her husband's; people are now changing their names for charity, for sponsorship deals, after changing their gender, or simply for fun. With the process now simpler, cheaper and faster than ever before, a new name is only four steps away.

Immigrants Adopting The Traditional British Name

By Sally Beaumont, May 2008.

Thousands of newly arrived migrants in the UK are adopting common British names to avoid 'discrimination' and mispronunciation. Immigrants bearing difficult to say or spell names are opting for more the more traditional Smith or Jones surname while Arabic names such as Karim and Muhammad are being changed to Kevin and Michael, according to The Legal Deed Service, the UK's premier online provider of Deed Polls.

About 70,000 people are expected to change their name using deed poll services like The Legal Deed Service this year, compared to in 2001, the number of such people was fewer than 20,000.

Even Chinese people have anglicised their names by adding prefixes such as John, Jason and Sue. In one instance, a refugee from Uzbekistan called Avlar Jon Akherov became Adrian Barry Roberts. In another case, a young Polish woman with an 18-letter surname opted for the brevity of one of Britain's most common names - Hall.

Jamie Jackson, Chief Executive of the Legal Deed Service, explains: "With an increasing number of people wanting to change their names via deed poll for all manner of reasons, from the legal to the fun, we wanted to replace the bureaucratic red tape with a simple four-step process, while keeping the cost low and offering free value-added services".

Not all names are changed by those who want to fit in. In the past few months, The Legal Deed Service recently had a restaurant owner change name to Gordon Ramsay, sound familiar?