what am i?

Question

my granfather was fostered never adopted, by a man sir name smith ,his name at birth was campbell(my grandfather) he started using the name smith got married using smith and registered my father as smith.i always thought you had to do something legally to change youre name or can you just decide one day i want to be called such and such from now on?

Answer 1

Hello,

Currently, you can change your name to whatever you like informally but to use your new name legally you would have to change your name by a process of "dee pole or deed pole?" this requires the services of a solicitor and you have to fill in special forms and swear under oath, which is witnessed by the solicitor. The whole process only takes a few minutes but getting used to a new name can take abit longer.

**After a name change ALL legal documents have also got to be changed too, such as passports, bank accounts, drivers license,etc.

**If your talking about your grandfather and the change of name to smith, it depends very much how long ago that was? they may NOT have had the same legally binding process we have now, back then and of course that may be more problematic for you.

Hope thats of help?

IR

Answer 2

In the old days you could easily change your name and no one cared, today that is not so - your name is the one on your birth certificate if it is Smith than that is your name. If you wish to change it you file with the clerk of the court and go before a judge to swear you are not wanted for any crime and you are changing your name for (insert reason here). It costs about $180 and takes 6-10 weeks to complete. Then you are that name until you change it again by court or if you choose marriage. Hope this helped.

Answer 3

Right after I was born (I think I was 8 months old) my parents decided to change their last name (mine too). I think it was to hide from someone (LONG STORY). But they went through the courts. I have to get an amendment to my birth certificate to show my new last name. I think my father had to get the same thing for his birth certificate. Mother just got to assume the new last name, she did not have a social securtiy card or driver's license at that time, so she did not have to really change anything.
37 Years later I found out that my biological father's name was never put on my original birth certificate and my name should have been something different than the 2 names I used as a child. WHAT A MESS to figure all this out.
I went on to get married and assumed my husband's late name.

The name game, lol! I should write a book!

Answer 4

Intruiging story. I wonder what age your Grandfather started using Smith. He obviously knew he was a Campbell at birth. He may have thought he had been abandoned and therefore disliked his real father and his surname. Dont forget in those days people were very poor and it may have been that they thought they could not afford to bring up a child and that he/she would be better off with a more well to do family.

Answer 5

As long as it is not for fraudelent reasons you can change your surname whenever you feel like it. I did. When I was 18 and pregnant with my daughter I decided I didn't want her to grow up with my crap surname (Letch) so I changed my name to that of my mother's new married name (Turner). All I had to do was inform the relevant government organisations (NHS, DSS, Child benefit etc). All you need do is write a letter to them to say: 'from this date onwards I wish to be known as.....'.

It really is as simple as that.

You will always have to declare previous surnames when completing official forms.

Can I just add to all those who keep referring to deed poll - you do not need to do this. I never did and my name is now Turner on ALL official documents - passport, medical cards, everything. I only have to declare that I once had a different surname on forms where it asks 'were you known by any other names'. Otherwise, I never refer to my old name.

Answer 6

You can call yourself any name you wish without changing it by deed poll, but you have to use your real name for official documents such as passports, driving licences etc. I've always said to my friends that they can call me anything they like, so long as it's not early!

Answer 7

I think you can just change your name but you need to put an advertisement in the papers for the government and the general public stating the change in name with your photograph.

Answer 8

your name is officially Campbell as you have to get your mane changed legally before you can start calling yourself that

Answer 9

you are Campbell-Smith

Answer 10

a little confused probably