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The whole family

Changing the whole family’s surname

A new family surname, whether it’s a blended name, a fresh start or one name for a stepfamily, works best with a deed poll for each person. Adults and 16 or 17 year olds sign their own, and younger children’s are signed by their parents. Order them together and you can sign the lot in one sitting.

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A deed poll for each person
Sign them all in one go
Update everyone at once
How a family name change works

Checked against GOV.UK, HM Passport Office guidance and Coram Children’s Legal Centre. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerWho needs whatWhy one eachSigning dayUpdating everyoneFAQs

The quick answer

Give everyone their own deed poll. Adults and 16 or 17 year olds sign their own, and children under 16 have a child’s deed poll signed by everyone with parental responsibility for them. If one of you is simply taking your spouse’s surname, your marriage certificate covers that instead.

Our deed polls are £14.95 each, prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. A family of four changing to a new surname orders four, and you can sign them all on the same day with the same two witnesses.

The plan

Who needs what

Family memberWhat they needWho signs
You and your partner, choosing a new surnameA deed poll eachEach of you, in front of two witnesses
A spouse taking the other’s surnameTheir marriage or civil partnership certificateNo deed poll needed
Children under 16A child’s deed poll eachEveryone with parental responsibility, in front of two witnesses
Teenagers aged 16 or 17Their own deed pollThe teenager, in front of two witnesses
Grown-up childrenTheir own deed poll, if they want the new nameThemselves, in front of two witnesses

GOV.UK says 16 and 17 year olds can make their own deed poll. For anyone under 16, HM Passport Office and Coram Children’s Legal Centre both say everyone with parental responsibility must consent. GOV.UK: change a child’s name HM Passport Office: change of name applications Coram Children’s Legal Centre: changing a child’s surname

A brand new surname for a married couple needs a deed poll for both of you, because a marriage certificate only covers taking your spouse’s surname or a double-barrel. Our guide to combining surnames explains.

Why it works

Why a deed poll for each person works best

With a deed poll each, everyone can send theirs off at the same time, so the passports, the school and the bank don’t queue behind each other. And each child keeps a document in their own name for life, ready for their first adult passport.

If a child’s other birth parent has parental responsibility, they need to sign that child’s deed poll too, even if they aren’t part of the new family. Our guide to changing a stepchild’s surname covers that, including the double-barrel compromise.

One sitting

Signing them all in one go

Book two witnesses

Two adults who aren’t close relatives and don’t live with you. The same two can witness every deed poll. See who can witness a deed poll.

Adults and teenagers sign their own

Each signs in ink, with the witnesses watching. Our guide to how to sign a deed poll shows where.

Parents sign each child’s

Everyone with parental responsibility signs each child’s deed poll, in front of the same witnesses.

Witnesses sign and add their details

Each witness signs every deed poll they watched being signed, and adds their name, address and occupation.

Start with the first one

Order each person’s deed poll and we’ll post them all out free. Order by 6pm, Monday to Friday, for same-day processing.

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Afterwards

Updating everyone at once

Extra copies, each signed and witnessed like the original, let several organisations have one at the same time. Our guide to how many copies you need helps you choose, and our free checklist keeps track of who you’ve told. Every deed poll we prepare is backed by our acceptance guarantee for the Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC and other UK public bodies, as long as everyone with parental responsibility has signed the children’s.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Some deed polls name several people, but we prepare one for each person. That way everyone can send theirs off at the same time, 16 and 17 year olds can sign their own, and each child keeps a document in their own name for life.

Our deed polls are £14.95 each with free tracked delivery. Passports and other documents have their own fees.

Everyone with parental responsibility for that child, in front of two witnesses. That can include a parent who doesn’t live with you.

Yes. The same two witnesses can witness every deed poll, as long as they aren’t close relatives and don’t live with you.

No. A spouse or civil partner taking the other’s surname can use their marriage or civil partnership certificate. A brand new surname needs a deed poll for both of you.

From 16, they can make their own deed poll, and HM Passport Office says nobody with parental responsibility can object to a change of name they make themselves after turning 16.

Check the detail

Sources for this guide

Guidance and reference pages

The official rules this guide is based on, checked in October 2026.

Continue your name change

Related guides

Changing a stepchild’s surname

Who has to agree, and the compromise that often works.

Combining surnames when you marry

Double-barrelled and blended names for couples.

How many certified copies do I need?

Update everyone at once.

Ready when you are

One family name, all at once.

A deed poll for each of you, prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. £14.95 each, all in.

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ChangeYourName.co.uk is an independent UK deed poll provider.

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