Hi Rita, You can do it officially by Deed Poll and you might find this route preferable in this age of over administration. However most people in the past changed their name voluntarily. My grandfather was born out of wedlock and took his mothers maiden name WRESSELL ie Albert Edwin the son of Diana Ann WRESSELL; father unknown. Later his mother Diana married Henry Hill and by the time he was 10 years old my grandfather was referred to as Albert Edwin HILL. This change is recorded in the four Sunday School prizes (1 WRessell 3 Hill) which have survived and are now in my possession. He did not have a passport, National Identity Card, NHI Number or Service number so when he told a future employer or official that he was Albert Edwin Hill they accepted it as the truth. Likewise the parson when he married (1901) and the Registrar when informed of his death in 1916. My maternal Grandfather found himself in a similar position. He walked out on his wife and seven children in 1928 as Harry Moorley and was never seen again. I guess one of the first things he changed was his name. Identity theft is very easy - read about the late John Stoneham, Postmaster General and Cabinet Minister. Happy New Name sorry New Year. Mike Hill aka Pusser Hill Waterlooville