Best deed polls

[Pingers]

Sheffield has a Captain Five Hats, Jeff Vader and Vanilla Ice Cool. Beat that.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

There's a Dung Moped in Goole

[Johnny Yesno]

DEED SOON

[MoonDust]

How do you know this? Where can I find them?

I live in Germany and you can't just go around calling yourself what you want, you have to name your kids (and yourself) a pre-approved-by-German-bureaucracy name. My partner (German) thinks this is sensible whereas I (British) think it's insane that the state can tell you what you can and can't call your kids.

Maybe this thread will change my mind and vindicate my partner.

[Tony Tony Tony]

Somewhat old article but still valid

https://mashable.com/2016/02/22/uk-weirdest-name-changes/?europe=true

And the UK does have a few strictures on what you can call yourself..

The name-changing process takes four working days and costs £33 (or $47). You can't have numbers, symbols or unpronounceable names, and it can't exceed 250 characters for the forename and 50 characters for the surname.

The name can't promote criminal activities, incite racial hatred or ridicule the government or organisations, and the likes of Jesus, Saint or Satan are banned on grounds of being blasphemous

[MoonDust]

You can't have numbers, symbols or unpronounceable names

Bureaucratic nonsense.

[Blue Jam]

Prime Minister John Piss The Family Court and Legal Aid:

https://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2004/items/200407/s1152131.htm

[Tony Tony Tony]

Bureaucratic nonsense.

Yep that one would probably be allowed.

Come to think of it I think he lives down the road.

[Pingers]

How do you know this? Where can I find them?

The three I mentioned are ones I've come across in my working life. I also once met Elvis Presley, but that may have been his birth name. I'm afraid I neglected to ask him if he worked down the chip shop. The only similarity between him and his namesake was that he was fat as fuck. He's dead now, so I suppose that's two.

[Polymorphia]

There's that "Alan William Kerr" becoming "Alan Trashmouth Records" at an attempt at wonga which I've seen mentioned around here

[Icehaven]

A recent guest at my workplace hit the headlines for calling his son Adolf Hitler, although that isn't actually illegal in the UK (it is in Germany though).

[NurseNugent]

The three I mentioned are ones I've come across in my working life. I also once met Elvis Presley, but that may have been his birth name. I'm afraid I neglected to ask him if he worked down the chip shop. The only similarity between him and his namesake was that he was fat as fuck. He's dead now, so I suppose that's two.

We had one of those as well. It wasn't his real name, we had to close his accounts down in the end because he was always harassing staff. He also wanted us to change his location of birth to Memphis.   

[honeychile]

The name can't promote criminal activities, incite racial hatred or ridicule the government or organisations, and the likes of Jesus, Saint or Satan are banned on grounds of being blasphemous

SO JESUS IS "BLASPHEMOUS" TO THE PC POLICE BUT MOHAMMED IS FINE!!!
NO DOUBT SOON ALL NAMES WILL HAVE TO BE HALAL

IT SEEMS ENOCH POWELL WAS RIGHT

THE MUSLIM MAN HAS THE WHIP HAND OVER THE TRADITIONAL MAN

IT'S PAST TIME TO MOVE TO AUSTRALIA
THE PC POLICE CAN STAY HERE WITH THE IMMIGRANTS
WILL THE LAST TRADITIONAL MAN SHUT THE DOOR ON THE WAY OUT

[MoonDust]

It was pretty good when Joe Lycett legally changed his name to Hugo Boss to get back at the company, Hugo Boss, for being overly zealous against people apparently infringing their copyrights.

[Mr Banlon]

This house in Cheshire : https://www.192.com/atoz/people/mccoatup/

[DistressedArea]

Went to school with a boy called Melvis Cressley. In 1994 he changed it to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnston.

Choosing names is quite hard.

[dissolute ocelot]

The rules for England are here (scroll down)

You can't pick an offensive or vulgar name
You can't pick a new name for fraudulent purposes
Your new name can't promote any criminal activities
You can't choose a racial slur as your new name, or anything that mocks certain groups or institutions
Your name can't have any numbers, symbols, or made-up punctuations in your name
Your name can only contain Latin characters
If you're picking a title, it has to be a British accepted title (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, and Mx)

If you want to call yourself Prince, Lord, King, etc, you also need to submit proof that you're an actual prince, lord, etc.

It also says "You should also avoid making any political statements, or use a group of words that aren't usually considered to be a name, to avoid complications when updating your passport, driving license, etc." This suggests that it's fine to change your name to "Provisional licence" but you'll have trouble when applying for a passport or driving licence.

And worryingly it specifically says that it's fine to change your name to "Ricky Gervais" but you won't be able to work as an entertainer under that name. I don't know if they get a lot of people changing their name to Ricky Gervais. Cunts.

In Scotland it's all different. And yet probably very similar. (Everyone in Wales is called Jones so it doesn't really apply.)

(By the way, surely Jesus is fine? Lots of people are called Jesus. Christ may be an issue.)

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

Love uk deed poll laws. I've changed mine like three times (all freeeee)

[David Pielingtonburygrot]

The Wizard of Oz reckoned that the Tin Man was a good deed doer.

[Icehaven]

I considered changing my surname a few years ago because I don't like how it sounds when I say it, and people always think I said something else despite it being a fairly mundane, unexotic name. But then I thought it would be vain, so I left it and just use my middle name if it's something unofficial as that's nearly impossible to get wrong.

[Inspector Norse]

I don't particularly like my name - first name is a bit too boring, everyone knows one, sounds like a 1930s historian, surname is a faintly awkward variant that confuses people because it's fairly uncommon - but I can't imagine changing it and having to go round telling people "oh by the way, my name is now REX DANGER" or what have you. Plus cut the first letter off and it sounds like a foodstuff in Swedish which of course got me a nickname when I was working here as a teacher.

One of our staff told me she had given her number to a guy at a school she works at, for professional purposes, then a few days after she got a random text off him saying he'd changed his name. Then another one just sending a smiley and asking how she was. And the same thing two days later. Interesting chat-up technique I must say.

[Pingers]

I don't particularly like my name - first name is a bit too boring, everyone knows one, sounds like a 1930s historian, surname is a faintly awkward variant that confuses people because it's fairly uncommon - but I can't imagine changing it and having to go round telling people "oh by the way, my name is now REX DANGER" or what have you. Plus cut the first letter off and it sounds like a foodstuff in Swedish which of course got me a nickname when I was working here as a teacher.

One of our staff told me she had given her number to a guy at a school she works at, for professional purposes, then a few days after she got a random text off him saying he'd changed his name. Then another one just sending a smiley and asking how she was. And the same thing two days later. Interesting chat-up technique I must say.

Had he changed his name to I've Got A Mighty Schlong?

[JamesTC]

Pope John Paul II

[seepage]

I can't imagine changing it

You'd no longer be a cracking Todd Terje tune anyway.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

I considered changing my surname a few years ago because I don't like how it sounds when I say it, and people always think I said something else despite it being a fairly mundane, unexotic name. But then I thought it would be vain, so I left it and just use my middle name if it's something unofficial as that's nearly impossible to get wrong.

Personally, I think Funt is a lovely surname, and you shouldn't change it.

[Icehaven]

Personally, I think Funt is a lovely surname, and you shouldn't change it.

If that actually was my surname, coupled with my first name I'd sound like a Morris character.

[buzby]

There was the Legend Gary of saloon car racing, John Batchelor, who changed his name to John Top Gear and John B&Q as part of sponsorship deals (read the full page for the full desolation of his later exploits as owner of York City FC and his demise)

[buttgammon]

There was the Legend Gary of saloon car racing, John Batchelor, who changed his name to John Top Gear and John B&Q as part of sponsorship deals (read the full page for the full desolation of his later exploits as owner of York City FC and his demise)

As a lad, I used to go to Oulton Park whenever the BTCC was there and therefore, I have dozens of touring car drivers' autographs - including John B&Q. Yes, that is the name he signed.

[Dex Sawash]

The naval architect who designed the Australia II (the first foreign challenger to win the America's Cup in 1983) Robert Miller had changed his name to Ben Lexcen. This was his dog's name (maybe just the Ben part though).

[dissolute ocelot]

The naval architect who designed the Australia II (the first foreign challenger to win the America's Cup in 1983) Robert Miller had changed his name to Ben Lexcen. This was his dog's name (maybe just the Ben part though).

According to Wikipedia he was pissed off over a name confusion and felt he needed something less common than Miller, and a friend who worked in the Readers' Digest subscription department[nb]I guess if you're designing international racing yachts, you feel jealous of people with the really cool jobs in database admin[/nb] said Lexcen was the least commonly used name on their lists (not sure how they worked that out). Ben was indeed his dog.