There are very few laws or regulations relating to name changes
within the United Kingdom. However, in the case of child name changes,
everyone with parental responsibility for a child must agree to the
change taking place before it can happen.
There are a few exceptions to this rule whereby one party may
lawfully change their child’s name without the consent of one or more
people who also have parental responsibility but this involves applying
to a family court for leave (permission) to change the child’s name. For
more information on changing your child's name without the consent of
one or more people who have parental responsibility, please read the section.
Parental responsibility is a legal term used to describe the
rights and responsibilities which a parent has over their child. It is
defined by the Children Act as having "All the rights, duties, powers,
responsibility and authority which by law a parent of a child has in
relation to the child and his property".