I'm off college over Easter so I'm going to sort out my "name change". Looks like this is what I'll have to do:

1) Go into the Four Courts and get the "necessary forms".

2) Write my "Deed of Change of Name".

3) Go to a Commisioner for Oaths and get them to "swear" my deed (or whatever they call it). Anyone got an idea of how much this will cost?

4) Go into the Four Courts and lodge an application. It costs me €30 to change your name.


Then I'll be free to use my Irish name! First I'll start with my passport, then bank accounts, driving license, tax certs...

I'm going to be very particular about how I word my deed, making it clear that I'm not in fact "changing my name", but rather "making official that I use the Irish form of my name".

Maith thú! I am really proud of you that you are making the effort. As somebody mentioned you really DID mature in the last cúpla blian. Go on with that!

Maith thu, well done you.
Beir bua agus beannacht, I know I say that to everyone, but I truly do wish you the best at this.

someting i've always wondered...if you become an irish citizen from elsewhere, do you get to declare the irish form of your name as the main form by filling out the paperwork as such?

Fear_na_mbróg, let us know how it goes. I also want to change my name ASAP but would like to state that I am exercising my right to use the Irish form of my name.

ádh mór ort

quote:

someting i've always wondered...if you become an irish citizen from elsewhere, do you get to declare the irish form of your name as the main form by filling out the paperwork as such?

There's no such system. As far as the Irish government is concerned, you simply have one name. It's quite contradictory however that someone called "Gerard" can get "Gerry" on their passport...

If your name was "Philip Stokes", and you filled out a form calling yourself "Brian O'Rourke", then everyone will say that that's not your name.

However, if you names was "Thomas Gill", and you filled out a form calling yourself "Tomás Mac Giolla", then (in this country at least) people will see that it's "your name in Irish".

The whole topic in and of itself is quite hairy... some people believe you should only have one true name, while others think it's acceptable to have alternate forms, even in different languages.

Most people's names in Ireland have a direct link to a previous Irish language name. There's no disputing that someone whose surname is "O'Rourke" actually came from a family who called themselves "Ó Ruairc".

I don't want to get caught up in the whole politics of it all, I just want to be known by "Seán Ó Ruairc" and that's the end of it. The quickest, most efficient, most permanent, and most official way to achieve this is to sign a deed pole with wording akin to the following:

I wish to make official that I consistently and invariably use the Irish language form of my name: Seán Ó Ruairc*.

I'll smile when I get my new passport!

There's two reasons I think that made me want to do this:

1) I'm a Gaeilge enthusiast, so it makes sense that I'd want my name in my native language, rather than a foreign langauge.
2) When people see my name, it's an indicator as to my nationality -- they won't think I'm English in anyway! I'd take pride from being identified as Irish simply because of my name. Think how when you see a Spanish person's name, you can see that they're Spanish. People like "Colin Farrell" are well known for simply being Irish... well imagine if he called himself "Coileán Ó Fearghail".

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* = pseudonym

(Message edited by Fear_na_mBróg on April 10, 2006)

"There's no such system. As far as the Irish government is concerned, you simply have one name. "

Yes, but for now, as far as the Irish government is concerned I might as well not exist. So should I become a citizen at some point in the future, they will ask me what my name is...if I put it down in Irish from the start and without exception won't that be my name as far as the gov't is concerned?

I know that the United States, as part of their "naturalisation process" (if that's what they call it), explicitly give you the option of adopting a new name, which, by law, is an actual name change. Many Chinese imigrants can take the name "David" or "Philip" if they become a US citizen.

Does Ireland have such a system... I've no idea. I really don't know how that would all work.

We haven't got any sort of computer algorithm which verifies whether "Tomás Mac Giolla" is legitimate Irish for "Thomas Gill"... so when you use your "Irish name", people just take your word for it.

Government Agencies on the other hand have to be much more weary. Let's say you're a fugitive and you've murdered fifteen people and your name is "John Kelly"; well it would be all too handy if you could go around calling yourself "Séan Ó Ceallaigh" while the authorities are pursuing a "John Kelly"...

Everyone seems to be looking for a clear cut answer here. Such an answer hasn't been prepared yet. If the Irish government adopted a whole system of different language forms for different names, they'd have to put some thought into it -- maybe they'd even hire a native speaker to verify the Irish language form of names?

The all of you who have names with Irish Equivelents are ever so fortunate. My own name is a disasterous thing and doesn't translate well ... at all, so I had to choose out an Irish name that means roughly the same as my name does, thanks to Aonghus for helping me with that.

Antaine - You have said that your own last name is not an Irish one. I presume that in order to become an Irish citizen you would have to show records such as a birth certificate and your citizenship papers would be issued in the name appearing on it. You can't claim an Irish form of a nonIrish surname.

but can I claim my mother's maiden name, which is Irish and what I use when I use the irish form of my name (it's where i get my irish connection, my father's name is italian). This is also what I use when I write, never my english name.

my point is, if i register that with the gov't, and it's the only name i ever try to use in ireland in any capacity, (taxes, legal forms, bills, etc) then would that fly?

ps - I realize that's a technical question and probably not something anyone who doesn't work in the requisite department would know off the top of their head. more rhetorical than anything, it's just something that piqued my curiosity

Antaine a chara,
I am not a lawyer but I think if you want to change your name you must do it by Deed-Pole - with lawyers and judge etc - in your home country. You just cannot go to another country and decide to register by any other name but what's on your birth certificate.

Who knows what is the Irish form of surname "Harrys" (possibly O'Harrys)?

Thanks in advance

Róman,
You can try irishidentity.com. This site has many surnames as Gaeilge agus Béarla.

I have never seen Harrys as a surname. Could you mean "Harris"? or perhaps "Harry" whose Irish form would be Mac Harry according to McLysaght.

Okay Im a little confused reading this-can I or can I not have my name in Irish on my passport/driving licence etc, my name is Johanna O'Connor and I want to use its Irish form- Siobhán Ní Chonchubhair but obviously still be Johanna!! Like, be Siobhán Ní Ch.... on paper. Is that possible? How do I go about that?
Go raibh maith agaibh.

quote:

Okay Im a little confused reading this-can I or can I not have my name in Irish on my passport/driving licence etc

There's three possibilities for what name goes on your passport:

1) The name on your birth cert
2) A name on a deed poll.
3) A name, two years use of which you can prove.

quote:

My name is Johanna O'Connor and I want to use its Irish form- Siobhán Ní Chonchubhair

Well if you want it on your passport, you can either:

1) Use it on things like library cards for two years.

or

2) Get a deed pole.

quote:

but obviously still be Johanna!!

I assume you still wish for people to address you as "Johanna". Some may see that as a contradiction.

quote:

Like, be Siobhán Ní Ch.... on paper. Is that possible? How do I go about that?

Like I mentioned above.

What people call you from day to day is another animal altogether... friends may call you "Redzer" for all the Government know.

I think you should all relax on one tip- today in Abnormal Psychology we talked about the prolems facing post op transexuals who want birth cert changes but might need to divorce their partner.

In a sense (not joking) name changes cover a whole spectrum of people, not just linguistic minorities.

Fear_na_mbróg, cad é an scéal? Have you been slammed behind bars?

I would love to know how it went :)

I went in to the Four Courts there during the week, but the deed poll section is closed for Easter -- if I'd half a brain I would have rang first -- but I'll keep you posted when I finally sort it out.