The most popular names people pick when changing by deed poll have been revealed

23 June 2020, 18:50

By Mared Parry

@maredparry

Some of the new names people pick will shock you... but not because they're unique!

Most of us love our names, they're who we are and our parents chose them for a reason... however, you don't have to stick with it.

Legally, as soon as you're 16 you are then allowed to change your name by deed poll, and you don't need your parents' consent.

(This would've been dangerous information for my 16-year-old self who would've much preferred a sexy name such as 'Destiny Crystal Rose' or 'Mimi Angel'... Luckily I stuck with my birth name.)

However, for many, they've grown up hating their names for various reasons, and some new data analysed by GiftsOnline4U has combed through the Ministry of Justice's documents to figure out the top names!

It looked at the number of people who changed their name by deed poll in the last 10 years and what name people chose when changing their name in 2019.

In the past decade, a whopping 14,499 people have changed their names legally.

Out of the 2,641 changed last year in 2019, the top 10 were:

James

Thomas

Sarah

Emma

Daniel

Sophia

Charlotte

Jack

Joshua

Jessica

James was chosen by 29 people, and Sarah was chosen by 22 people, compared to Joshua selected by 16 people and Jessica with 15.

But there were also a few more unusual names that people opted for instead, such as:

Lizard

Blu

St

Long

Luvin

Sky