Well, it's basically um… just a signed and written document which is a legal document accepted by the people who give you your passport for example or the bank. Um… but now there are many online companies who will give you that piece of paper.
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Richard: For this week's podcastsinenglish.com we're talking about something which is becoming increasingly popular over the last few years and that is changing your name. So, Jackie, you've been doing a little bit of research on this, haven't you?
Jackie: Yes, Richard, up until about ten years ago, about… this is the UK, right? About, on average, 15,000 people a year changed their name and now over the last few years there have been 200,000 people who have legally changed their name.
Richard: Wow
Jackie: And the reason for that is the Internet.
Richard: Really? Why?
Jackie: Because it is so cheap and easy to change your name and do it online.
Richard: Ah, 'cos I know the expression changing your name by Deed Poll but I never really knew what that meant.
Jackie: Well, it's basically um… just a signed and written document which is a legal document accepted by the people who give you your passport for example or the bank. Um… but now there are many online companies who will give you that piece of paper.
Richard: Ok, so why are people doing this?
Jackie: We're not just talking about people who are getting married because if you're… traditionally, if you're a woman who gets married and takes her new husband's surname you don't have to pay for that. We’re talking about people who are legally paying to change their name, right?
Richard: Right
Jackie: The main groups of people who change their name legally by Deed Poll are women who are divorcing…
Richard: Yes, ah right, Ok, yep.
Jackie: …sometimes going back to their original maiden name.
Richard: Yep
Jackie: Children who have been bullied because of their name, children who have embarrassing surnames.
Richard: Oh, that's interesting.
Jackie: Mmm, Smellie. You know someone called like Charles Smellie has just been bullied terribly at school and they changed their name.
Richard: Because that's a common Scottish name, Smellie, isn't it?
Jackie: I don't know.
Richard: I think so yes, there are a few Smellies.
Jackie: Other groups of people include people who anglicise their names when they arrive in Britain.
Richard: Ah, I know they did that in America didn't they many, many years ago a lot of immigrants changed their names to American sounding names.
Jackie: That's very popular still. And um… another group of people who change their names are those who are escaping some kind of prejudice. After the Second World War a lot of Jewish people changed their names.
Richard: Right
Jackie: And um… there was a guy apparently called Tariq Ahmed…
Richard: Right
Jackie: …and when he sent in his CV for a job he wasn't getting many responses. He changed his name to Daniel Jacob, re-sent the CV and then…
Richard: Wow
Jackie: …he got more interest. So that's kind of a serious side of… of… of people changing their names but of course, you know, in the UK which is a very liberal society, you can do anything and you can change your name to anything so there’s also a very humorous side to it all. Very popular to change your name to James Bond…
Richard: [laughs] I don't know why!
Jackie: Harry Potter…
Richard: [laughs] Oh dear
Jackie: …and um… to finish, a nineteen-year-old music student changed his name to Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine The Hulk And The Flash Combined.
Richard: [laughs] Yes, I'm sure that um… person might change their name back again very soon.
Jackie: When they're older but at the moment he's enjoying being called Captain. So um… the listeners, what about you? Have you changed your name? Um… would you like to change your name?
Richard: Yes, and in your country can you change your name? I know in some countries you can't.
Jackie: Yes, so why don't you write in and tell us all about your name.
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