Divorced - change back to maiden name?

You don’t need to change your name by Deed Poll. Your married name is just a courtesy, it’s not a legally changed name. So you don’t need to to a Deed Poll to revert to your maiden name. You can just change all your documents as and when.

I divorced and reverted to my maiden name and have kept it even though I remarried. Most people think we are not married because of the different names. I get Christmas cards where people use my maiden name, my first married surname or my current husband's name. A couple of people can't remember what I want to be called and just put our first names on the card. It can cause confusion.

Thanks for all your responses, you've given me lots of food for thought

All fitted in quite easily for me probably didn’t have a lot to change
Dont drive and only had the one bank account and passport and I didn’t get a pensionable job till after it was all done and dusted

The deed poll is the easy bit - it’s notifying everyone and getting your name changed on bank accounts, passport, utility bills etc etc and notifying employers and pension providers et al which is the hassle.

I married twice and changed back to my children’s father s name after second divorce I wanted the same name as them if I hadn’t had three children I would have reverted to my maiden name My youngest child is divorced and reverted to our family name my eldest never changed hers and my middles a son so we all still have the same name
I changed by deed poll it was quite cheap then and took about ten minutes

It was definitely worth just a small amount of hassle as far as I was concerned GSM because my ex husband was Greek so I had a complicated Greek married surname which I always had to spell, which British people never knew how to pronounce and which was frequently queried perhaps because I was blonde and didn't look Greek. I was glad to revert to my straightforward maiden name.

Is it really worth the hassle? After my divorce I kept my married name because I had a child. Otherwise, believe me I would have done anything to rid myself of my ex’s name. I didn’t change it until I remarried, and when he was 18 my son changed his name to his stepfather’s.

I didn't bother with a Deed Poll. I started off by changing my name to my birth surname on my passport by using my birth certificate as an identifier. Once I had my passport with my birth name, I changed my name on my driving licence, so I now had 2 proofs of identity. I then worked through my bank accounts, electricity and other bills, changing my name and it was no hassle at all.

It's no hassle to revert to your maiden name because you already have your birth certificate in that name, so all you have to do is type out a note saying you now wish to be referred to as Miss/Ms/Mrs x with a copy of your birth certificate.

This is what I did after googling. It just involved a lot of copies of my statement and birth cert and either postage or visits to the Bank/Building Society (some of them want to see you in person)

If you want to change to a completely different name or alter your maiden name in any way by attaching another name, I think you'd better take advice on that.

I decided to keep the title of Mrs which felt strange at first because it was my Mum who was Mrs Sparklefizz, and I was Miss Sparklefizz, but I got used to it. My Mum had already died by the time I changed my name.

I have been married and divorced twice, after the first I reverted to my maiden name after the second I kept that married name.

There was a period of confusion when my passport, driving licence and actual name were all different.

I think you change your name on marriage because you become a new family group, and it's better for mum, dad and the children to all have the same surname.

If I now divorced and started a new relationship then I would revert back to my maiden name (Ms not Miss) and keep it even if I married the fellow. But if I didn't start a new relationship then I couldn't be bothered with the faff of changing name for no reason. I think you settle into your married name over the years so there has to be a reason for ditching it.

I reverted back to my maiden name post divorce, remarried now so another change.

Couldn't wait to change back to my birth surname. Ex-H was a liar and a cheat (as was his father) so I felt I was well rid - don't want any reminders! Did it about a year after he left, and 9 years before he applied for the divorce (I said I was done with sorting out his messes, "you want it, you sort it"). I get a little irritated with continually being addressed as Mrs, I like Ms. Don't know what the future holds but my name now is my name forever. I'll never change again. Luckily it's a classic surname and very much nicer than his. Changed it by deed poll, all my documents (passport and driving licence) are now in my birth surname. Very little faff, there was a box to tick saying reverting to maiden name, from memory.

I divorced my husband when my two children were toddlers. I kept my married name, but when my son was 21, he changed his name by deed poll to my maiden name. My children had no contact with their father, and were very close to my Dad. I wanted my son and I to have the same name, so I also changed back to my maiden name, just by advising banks, employers etc. in writing. My daughter was soon to be married, so It wasn’t necessary for her to change hers. It was quite simple and really worthwhile.

Before my Decree nisi was through I was calling myself by my Maiden name.

My BF has been married and divorced twice. She changed her name for both husbands, but after the divorce from her second, she reverted to her maiden name - very unusual, as her Dad was Polish.

I have never divorced but if I had I would definitely have gone back to my maiden name - although I would probably have waited till my children were adult. I have some regret about taking my husband's name- why do we do that!? My original name is so much nicer than my married name.

My eldest DD changed back to her maiden name 10 years after her divorce. She waited until DGS , her son, was 18 and discussed it with him.
She did it by deed poll and was careful to change all her important documents. It took a little effort but was straightforward.

I’ve been married twice to men and once to a woman but never changed my name. I never once ever thought about doing so. I find it rather odd that women still do this. It’s saved me a huge amount of admin problems over the years!

make sure all is VERY well documented. A friend divorced and didn't want to go back to her maiden name, so changed it by Deed Poll. She died in an accident abroad and her family had massive trouble with the police because her passport, birth certificate and divorce papers, didn't match. It caused her family no end of problems on top of the pain of losing her.

I changed back to my maiden name quite a long time after divorce. The reason was that there was no-one else left with it.
My sister, daughter and nieces were all married with their husbands' names. Of course, that will only last as long as I do.

I divorced and remarried and keep my first husband's surname. It feels like "me". I think my adult sons and now husband find it a bit odd, but none of them would ever be likely to consider changing their name. Ex husband is dead so can't ask his opinion, it's maybe partly because he's dead I've kept it, he was always an exceptionally close friend.

I thought I was a young divorcee, but you are so much younger than I was. I did not revert to my maiden name, simply because it was too much hassle, and I wasn’t in the state of mind , to be dealing with all that .