Hi Folks

Go to a solicitor and get a ‘change of name deed’ drawn up there is fee can’t remember what it was. My son and daughter did it when I remarried and they turned 18.

as far as i know if you are in England/Wales, you do not need to pay for any legal document.
simply write to/ email all relevant parties informing them of your changed name.
obviously all utilities/bills/ council tax/HMRC/ banks/ investments/ subscription services/ clubs/societies/ friends/family.

You do need to do it properly through a solicitor as Wellbeck says you can call yourself anything but that’s really a halfway house as anything formal or legal has to be in your registered name
I went to a solicitor paid my fee it was a good while ago but it wasn’t that much then and it is all done legally, everything including your passport etc etc is in your chosen name It’s really quick just sign a few bits in front of another solicitor (arranged by mine) it took about 30 minutes if I remember rightly

I reverted to my maiden name after my divorce, I just let all the relevant people know and signed my maiden name everywhere after that. No need for a solicitor as Welbeck said.

Can I ask why?

I did the same as sodapop, just let all the relevant people know that I was reverting to my maiden name - bank, utilities, work, friends etc. No need to spend money on solicitors!

You just change it back. I was advised by a solicitor that, unless you changed it via deed poll, then your name given to you at birth remains your legal name and your married name is only taken as a courtesy.

As said you can just use your maiden name. if you want to go the deed poll route and get documents of proof it is £18.50 and you do not need a solicitor, it can be done on line, just make sure you are on a genuine gov site.

Reverting to your maiden name is easier to do than Changing your Surname to something entirely different, where you do need the Services of a Solicitor to swear an oath and obtain new Birth and Marriage certificates in your new name.

The big difference is that your Maiden Name and place of Birth will already be on government files as it’s on your Birth certificate, if you opt to take a new Surname of your choosing
this will not be registered on any Government files or certificates without the appropriate legal work and subsequent certificates. Unless the law has recently changed, you cannot change your registered First names, but you can of course choose whatever Nickname you wish to be called by simply by using it Verbally!

Unless it was Shufflebottom or Longbottom I wouldn't bother.

Sorry, just to add that the real problems with unregistered name changes can occur when it comes to dealing with the Wills and Probate of someone’s estate who has lived under several unregistered alias Names. This is where things can get complicated, and much of the deceased persons assets can be taken up in legal fees sorting out the Mess left behind with the Probate grant and the Tax inspector inland Revenue dept.

Grandmall I haven't got to worry about that, no one is going to be putting me in their will )

Ellan no not froggy bottom

Kittylester sure you can ask,, reason
being is it will help me move on, everyone is different and different things work ofir different people

Papermonster, that was music to my ears and made sense

Very grateful to everyone that advised thank you x

My daughter changed hers back by deed poll when she got divorced, she did it online for a much smaller fee than her solicitor wanted to charge her. Very simple and straightforward.
She announced it on Facebook and had an absolute stream of "welcome back" messages!

V3ra can't believe you can do it online that's crazy.. Thank you for letting me know

Msida
www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll

Just out of interest: Does this mean you can put any name you like on your passport?

Welbeck is correct! I did it this way many years ago when I reverted to maiden name.,.. Let all official bodies know of your new name.
You do not have to do it by deedpoll or need a solicitor. I was told also to send myself a letter addressed in my new name then inform tax, national insurance gp etc etc. Then permanantly stick to your new name.

Msida sorry to ask but what title are you going to take with your maiden surname? Miss? Usually women revert to their single surname when they divorce not when they are widowed.

Grandmall; when reverting to your maiden name you register it yourself!! you inform all government bodies tax , national insurance Gp etc etc! There is no mess left!!

watch out though !
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9104787/Celine-Dion-superfan-wakes-changed-deed-poll-Celine-Dion.html

EllenVannin, I totally disagree. I wanted to keep my maiden name back in 1968, when I married, but was told, erroneously, by banks and other official bodies that it was impossible as my name was changed legally when I married and also, at a time when no-one did such things, it would cause endless problems when we applied for mortgages etc as at that time co-habiting was beyond the pale.

I have always said since that if my marriage ended, divorce or widowed, I would revert back to my maiden name. My sense of self is based on my birth name not my married name.

Of course M0nica absolutely! My surname is and always will be my birth name and I’m proud of it! When I divorced I reverted to it by simply writing to all the official bodies. When I remarried I became known as Mrs X for practical purposes only.

If you are reverting to your maiden name, and will obviously have your Birth Certificate to prove it, you don't need to pay or involve a solicitor.

As others have mentioned, you can just notify in writing everyone who needs to know, enclosing a copy of your Birth Cert. Some may ask to see the original BC so you may have to get certified copies, but it's perfectly straightforward.
I did it myself after my divorce.

A friend of mine uses her maiden name in all circumstances apart from dealings with the NHS and the bank where she is known by her married name. Meanwhile for years her unfaithful ex-husband has cohabited a few miles away, failing to marry his new partner who uses his surname!