ACTUALLY, YES! (THAT IS WHAT MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE SAYS)
2025-12-18
I've been going by the name Dan Q for almost 19 years... so like two-thirds of
my adult life. I haven't even needed to show a deed poll to anybody in over a
decade (By the time you've got your passport, driving license, bank account,
bills etc. in your name, there's really no need to be able to prove that you
changed it. What it is is more-important anyway.)
But just sometimes, somebody asks (Usually with the same judgemental tone of
somebody who insists that one's "real" name is the one assigned closest to
birth.) "Yeah, but what does your birth certificate say?"
IMG Dan, a white man with blue hair and a goatee beard, wearing a t-shirt reading 'you see a mousetrap, I see free cheese and a fucking challenge', holds up a Birth Certificate Extract on which his name appears as 'Dan Q'
It didn't used to say "Dan Q", but nowadays... yes, that's exactly what my
birth certificate says.
Y'see, I was born in Scotland, and Scottish law - in contrast to the law of
England & Wales (Pedants might like to enjoy using the comments to point out
the minority of circumstances under which a birth certificate can be modified
retroactively - potentially including name changes - under English law.) -
permits a change of name to recorded retroactively for folks whose births (or
adoptions) were registered there.
And so, after considering it for a few months, I filled out an application
form, wrote an explanatory letter to help the recipient understand that yes,
I'd already changed my name but was just looking for modify a piece of
documentation, and within a few weeks I was holding an updated birth
certificate. It was pretty easy.
IMG Adapted comic based upon frames from Rick and Morty Season 6, Episode 7 (Full Meta Jackrick). Beyond a sports-themed force field, Morty says to Rick 'That's called ret-conning; couldn't his name just BE Dan Q.' On the near side of the force field, Brett/Rhett Caan, with a comic-art version of Dan's head, says 'It is. And always has been, now.'
I flip-flopped on the decision for a while. Not only is it
a functionally-pointless gesture - there's no doubt what my name is! - but I
was also concerned about what it implies.
Am I trying to deny that I ever went by a different name? Am I trying to
disassociate myself from my birth family? (No, and no, obviously.)
But it "feels right". And as a bonus: I now know my way around yet another way
for (some) Brits to change their names. Thanks to my work at
FreeDeedPoll.org.uk I get an increasing amount of email from people looking
for help with their name changes, and now I've got first-hand experience of an
additional process that might be a good choice for some people, some of the
time (I maintain that a free, home-made deed poll is the easiest and cheapest
way to change your name, as a British citizen, and that's exactly what
FreeDeedPoll.org.uk helps people produce... and since its relaunch it does its
processing entirely in-browser, which is totally badass from both a hosting
and a user privacy perspective.).
LINKS
DIR Going by the name Dan Q for almost 19 years
HTML I've got news for you about that too
HTML Permits a change of name to recorded retroactively
HTML After considering it for a few months
HTML An application form
HTML This Rick and Morty episode
HTML FreeDeedPoll.org.uk
HTML An increasing amount of email
HTML Since its relaunch