Jan 23 2009
Who Will I Be Today?
Did you know, it’s surprisingly easy to change your name – legally. The costs involved in changing your name by Deed Poll are relatively small. It’s €55 plus the Government stamp duty of around €30 (expensive stamps – I say just hand deliver it).
So, what would you change your name too? So many people over the years have messed up my name and called me Damien – I grew to like it. And anything would be better than the very common ‘Byrne’ as a surname. So, I’m thinking about becoming Damien O’Bama. What do you think?
I think you suck ass O’Byrne! Try something original!
Max Power. Kinda Irish and also kinda max power.
I am a different person every day…. thanks to dementia!
Why don’t you go for something quirky like “Peter Dofile”.
You could then insist on only using the initial P. when signing your name, and kick back in the knowledge that you will now lead a life of constantly raised eyebrows….
@Damien Eh, cheers for the comment. I get enough raised eye-brows as it is. I could maybe go with Phil McHunt.
@Anto 😆
@Grannymar Actually, that’s not a bad name – Dementia. Sounds kind of regal. How about Dementia Windsor?
That’s interesting. When I got married I enquired about changing my name (which I didn’t do in the end) and was told by the registrar that there is no “Deed Poll” in Ireland and no formal mechanism to change your name, it’s just done through usage of the new name.
The link you gave above contained one interesting sentence:
Welcome to Irish Deed Poll Name Change Service. This is an independent Irish web site designed to assist people in dealing with the formalities required to officially change their name in Ireland.
Why are they an independent service? That bugged me, so I did some more research. The €55 they are charging is purely for themselves, anyone can do their own deed poll.
There’s some interesting info here, also regarding name changes based on usage: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/birth-family-relationships/problems-in-marriages-and-relationships/changing_your_name_by_deed_poll
Gotta love the section they decided to put this in (Problems in marriages and relationships)!!
@Elly That is brilliant! It’s still a simple process, but, from what I see on the Citizens Info site, you can pretty much change your name just by telling people to call you by the new name. Hmmm…from now on, call me Damien O’Bama…
Click image to view larger.
Yup, as long as you’re not using the name for anything official (getting loans, opening accounts), in this country you can call yourself anything you like.
You’d better ask Damien to change your reg details for the blog awards so that the correct badge gets printed!! 🙂
That could be confusing….two Damien O’Bamas…..what are the chances of that….I think your adoring public (!) would be distraught if you changed your name…then you’d have to change your username, change the domain name of the site to http://www.damienobama.com…and then where would we be…lost in cyberspace…[I’ve already registered damienobama.com just in case you do decide to go down that route – or indeed if Barak has a son and calls him Damien – but I’ll let you have it for a small (read, LARGE!) fee].
@Toners ya dickhead, im max power. it was my facebook name, you know this!!!
@Darren I think you should go with and shout it everywher you go, “I AM BEOWULF!”
Having comments with yourself is creepy…
Weird, i was thinking of people called dementia earlier, we were psychically speaking?
As O’Bama is already taken I think I’ll go for Jeswi Khan
What do you think?
Krystal Cleere is MINE
Brilliant. You’ve given me a great idea.
The wife decided she was in no hurry to take my surname (not that I wanted her to or anything)after we got married, but her passport is up for renewal so she will take it then.
I’m absolutely going to change my surname to something else just she finally does it….
I’m okay with my first name but I don’t like my surname at all. I’d spell it in Irish but people seem to think you’re a bit of a ponce when you do that. I think you should take Lottie’s surname, tis a grand sturdy name.
There’s a rule apparently, or a mantra, if you will. I heard it from an official birth registrar at the national maternity hospital, “your name is your name by use and repute” which lines up with what Elly said. Looked into it when got engaged – I was looking for ammo in the “i like my name” argument that ensued with the inlaws 😉 The chap at the end of the line (I called the no. from the CIC webpage!) proceeded to tell me all about the rules and how his own wife used BOTH her names. In family situations – like the school run, etc. – she is Mrs. So-and-So, while at work she kept her maiden name. Both were totally acceptable legally.
Oh and the church covers as registration too, so you that explains why everything can be taken care of in one place, not like on the continent when the legal ceremony is separate from the church one.
Phew.
Where’s my comment?