Hyphenating your surname after marriage — combining your surname with your partner's using a hyphen — is a popular and elegant solution that preserves both family names. However, it is one of the most misunderstood aspects of UK name change law: your marriage certificate does not entitle you to a hyphenated name. The marriage certificate only covers taking your spouse's surname as a direct replacement for your own. Anything more complex — including hyphenation — requires a deed poll.
The deed poll process for a hyphenated name is identical to any other name change. You declare your current full name and the new hyphenated name you intend to use from that point forward. Sign in front of two adult witnesses, and the document is legally valid. You can then use it to update your records with the Passport Office, DVLA, your bank, HMRC, and any other organisation that holds your details.
Both partners can each use their own deed poll to adopt the same hyphenated name, meaning you can share a family name without either of you losing your own. If your surnames are Smith and Jones, you can both become Smith-Jones — each with a separate deed poll. Alternatively, only one of you might hyphenate, while the other takes a different approach. Each person's name change is entirely independent.
There are a few practical points to consider. Hyphenated names can occasionally cause issues with older computer systems that do not handle hyphens well, particularly in some government databases. The Passport Office, DVLA, and most banks handle hyphenated names without difficulty, but you may occasionally encounter a system that truncates or mishandles the hyphen. This is an inconvenience rather than a legal problem — your deed poll remains valid regardless.
If you have children and want to give them the same hyphenated name, that is a separate process: a child's name change by deed poll requires both parents with parental responsibility to consent and sign. This service generates adult deed polls — for children, additional guidance may be needed.