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Single names

Can I have just one name?

Yes, legally. But your passport will show XXX as your first name, the online passport form won’t take a single name, and plenty of banks and websites insist on two. Most people who want to be known by one name get the same effect with a first name and a surname on paper, and that’s the deed poll we prepare.

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How one-name passports work
Where one name causes trouble
The two-name route that works
Single names in the UK

Checked against GOV.UK, HMRC and HM Passport Office’s caseworker guidance on uncommon names. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerYour passportEveryday problemsThe two-name routeStage namesFAQs

The quick answer

Yes, you can legally have one name. No law says you need a first name and a surname, and HM Passport Office has a process for people with only one: it puts your name in the surname field, puts XXX in the first name field and adds a note explaining that XXX isn’t part of your name.

It’s awkward in practice. The online passport application insists on a first name and a surname, and so do many banks, employers and websites. That’s why our deed poll has a new first name and a surname. Make your one-word name one of them and you can go by it every day without fighting every form.

The passport

How the Passport Office handles one name

You apply on paper

HM Passport Office’s online service makes you enter a first name and a surname, so a one-name application goes on a paper form.

Your name goes in the surname field

Caseworkers put your single name in the surname field and XXX in the first name field.

A note explains it

Your passport carries an observation saying you have one name and that XXX doesn’t form part of it, and the Passport Office writes to you to explain.

Those steps come from HM Passport Office’s own guidance for caseworkers. Anything that copies your passport details will see XXX as your first name, so expect to explain it now and then. HM Passport Office: how to show uncommon names in passports

In practice

Where a single name causes trouble

  • Forms and websites. Many insist on a first name and a surname and won’t let you leave either blank.
  • Banks. Banks check your name against your ID, so a passport showing XXX invites questions. See changing your name with your bank.
  • Work and tax. HMRC tells employers to record your first full forename on payroll, so a payroll system will want something in that box. HMRC: RTI data item guide
  • Every new account. Energy suppliers, insurers, the GP and the council will each need to know how to handle your name.

None of that stops you. It just means a single name on paper is something you’ll explain for life, which is why most people choose two.

What most people do

The two-name route that works

Keep a first name and a surname on paper, and use the one you love every day. Make your one-word name your new first name, with a surname you choose, or your new surname, with a first name. You get the name you want without the XXX.

Choose your one-word name

This is the name you’ll go by.

Put it first or last

As your new first name or your new surname, with a second name you’re happy to have on paper.

Order your deed poll

Our order form asks for your new first name and surname, so both go on your deed poll.

Go by one name every day

Use it at work, online and with friends. Your documents carry both names, so the forms stop arguing.

We don’t prepare single-name deed polls. Our order form needs a new first name and a surname, because that’s the version that works smoothly with passports, banks and everyday forms.

Choose your two names

Order your deed poll with your new first name and surname. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday, and free tracked delivery.

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Performers

One name on stage, two on paper

If you only need one name for your work, you may not need to change your legal name at all. HM Passport Office can add a note to your passport saying you’re also known by your stage or professional name, if you send evidence such as an employment contract. HM Passport Office: how to show uncommon names in passports

Our guide to stage names and pen names explains when that’s enough and when a deed poll is better, and one-name celebrities shows how famous names did it.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Yes. No law says you need a first name and a surname, and HM Passport Office has a process for issuing passports to people with one name.

It’s how HM Passport Office fills the first name field for someone with only one name. A note in the passport explains that XXX isn’t part of the holder’s name.

No. HM Passport Office’s online service makes you enter a first name and a surname, so a one-name application has to go on a paper form.

No. Our order form needs a new first name and a surname, because that’s the version that works smoothly with passports, banks and forms. You can still go by one name every day.

You can use one name socially without any paperwork. Dropping your surname on paper needs a deed poll, and your passport would then put your name in the surname field with XXX as your first name.

Usually not. Most keep a first name and a surname on paper and use one name for their work. Our celebrity name change pages show who did what.

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

What names are allowed?

The rules for a new name in the UK.

Stage names and pen names

When you need a deed poll, and when you don’t.

Can I change my first name?

Yes, and here’s how.

Ready when you are

The name you want, without the XXX.

A deed poll with your new first name and surname, prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. £14.95, all in.

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

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