Child Name Changes: A Baffling Legal Battle?

Online, May 12, 2011 (Newswire.com) - With a marked increase on last years figures, the name change experts at The Legal Deed Service are putting these increases down to celebrity culture, and an increase in separation rates.

Tina Clough from The Legal Deed Poll Service, who offer child name changes for as little as £10.00, said: "Celebrity culture has certainly contributed towards the increase in child name changes. We have seen celebrities opt for baby names including Princess Tiaamii, Blue Angel and with recent reports that Victoria Beckham may allegedly call her new baby Santa, it is not surprising that mere mortals are now looking to change their child's name to something more star-studded!

"More and more couples are also going through divorce and this too fuels many of the children's name changes that we process here at The Legal Deed Poll Service. We are finding however, that with increased application numbers comes increased confusion.
"Once a birth has been registered, a child's legal name can only be changed on the birth certificate for up to twelve months afterwards. There are exceptions to this rule, but in general terms, only forenames can be changed. Once the twelve month period has elapsed, the only way to change a child's name is by Deed Poll. We get many instances of parents wanting to change their child's name by Deed Poll after the break-up of a marriage and this is where most of the problems begin."

If the child's parents are separated, the child was born after 2003, and the father was named on the birth certificate it is not possible to change your child's name without the fathers consent. In some cases, however, it is possible to get a court order if the father does not give his consent, but then there is an issue of how a court order many effect the emotional wellbeing of the child in question.

Tina added: "I think making a name change an issue of the court can in some cases be a very difficult decision to make. I think that any court order could have a detrimental effect on the child and only in extreme cases should this be considered. Despite this, some couples want to re-marry and I can see how they would want their child to have the same family name as everyone else.

"There has been reports of schoolyard bulling, in cases where a child has a different name from his or her family, in which case opting for a court order may well be in the child's best interests. For the most part, many couples tend to wait until the child is old enough to make their own decision, which often works very well"

According to English law, with any name change application being brought to the courts, the welfare of the child is paramount and the court refer to the guidance and the criteria laid out in section 1(3) of the Children Act 1989.

Tina continued: "Not all clients are able to get the consent of the other parent. In some circumstances it is possible to change the child's name if you are unable to satisfy the necessary requirements of parental consent, but only if the father has been absent for five years or more. If on the other hand, there is a problem with getting consent, we are more than happy to provide free support and assistance using our 24 hour advice line on 0800 612 68 24."

For more information, please visit http://www.thelegaldeedpollservice.org.uk/

Please direct all press enquiries to Tina Clough, Media Liaison Officer on 0330 660 0478. Calls are charged at standard/local rates.