Changing your child's name
Changing your child's forename before their first birthday
Parents can change their child’s forenames during the first year after the date of registration.
A statutory fee is payable for this service and also a new birth certificate.
The forms you need to complete will depend on whether or not your child has been baptised.
Full details, including the relevant forms, are available from Âé¶¹¸ßÇå Register Office.
Note that it is not possible to change your child's surname by this method.
Changing your child's surname (and/or forename) after 12 months of the birth registration
It may be possible to change your child’s surname on re-registration, if
- you marry or enter into a civil partnership with the natural father after your child’s birth was registered, or
- you’re not married but you want the natural father’s name on the birth record after registering
For further details and forms, visit our re-register a birth page.
Page last updated: 2 October 2024