Legally changing my Polish name to English one?

Hi,

I am thinking of legally changing my name. As my name is not a common English name, it receives lots of confusion to whom I am telling it to. My name is Marcin and I am thinking of shortening it to Marc. Any thoughts on this? Any of you changed your name before? Did you like the change? I am just tired of people not understanding my name, mispronouncing it, and me having to waste time repeating myself. It’s just a pain in the butt. I was thinking to just shift my names so my first name would me Marc, then Marcin, then my third name, and last name. Can we have a third? I want to have an English name while also use my original name , Marcin.

Cheers,

I don't know about the legalities of changing your name, but I don't think you should do it just because some of us can't pronounce it!

I can't say Marcin properly either because I can't roll my 'r' so it just sounds the same as marching. But my Marcin likes to be called Martin anyway. He says to him it is the same thing.

But why? Lots of names used in England and other English-speaking countries are something other than English. If you just want to drop a couple of letters off the end, surely for most purposes you can do that without going by deed-poll.

I'm English and have a Scottish name. When they were handing out Christmas cards at work this year, me and my Polish colleague/flatmate counted the spelling mistakes people had made with our respective names. Appearently the Polish one was easier to spell.

has to be done through a solicitor and you have to sign an agreement to state that your friends and family will call you by the name you are legally changing to and that you will continue to use the new name without fraudently misinforming people costs about £50

I know that Marcin is changed into Martin in the UK so why dont you just say to people instead of changing it that your name is Martin or my name is Marcin but you can call me Martin :)

I have the longest first name on record by anyones standard and also get asked is that all one or two separate names .. my response is usually well its all one as thats what it is on my passport thanks and my surname gets slaughtered, though its my daughter's first name that is mis-spelt and mispronounced alot and she is british but her name isnt.

I wouldn't go through the process of changing your name because some people can't pronounce it. Marcin is your name and other people should learn how to pronounce it. It took me a while to learn how to pronounce Marcin after I first met my friend who has that name. He accepts being called "Martin" but I dont think he should.

Changing your name is changing your identity to suit other people.


I have the easiest name to spell and pronounce but I still got cards at work with my name spelled differently or letters missing. These were cards written by British people I have known for years. My friend Sarah gets "Sahra" on a card every year from one girl.

There you have my opinion as well :)

I'm not Polish - I'm South African and people miss-pronounce my name as well. I'm not going to change it because of other people though. My name has been part of who I am for as long as I have been in this world.

I may be wrong, but can't help but think that some Polish people want to change their names to English because they think English to be fashionable - and American even better. Yugg!! (No offense to all the lovely American people on the forum and elsewhere. I'm just saying be authentic, and be proud of your origins and of what your country have been through, and where you are now compared to 20 years ago.) The same thing happens in South Africa. Polish people have so much to be proud of. You have gone through so much over the centuries, and yet you have survived as a nation, every time. Be proud of your heritage, be proud of being Polish, be proud of your name!

yeah, if you're going to change it go with Martin as that is your translated name. to have it legally changed you have to go to court and file the appopriate paperwork, pay a fee, see the judge and that should be it.

my middle name is marcin and now its martin

my first name is Wojtek (Voytek)... thinking of changing it to something else too... translation says Albert but I dont like being called Al :)

Goonie - why do you want to change your name?

it's getting boring trying to have to say your name 5 times for people to catch it lol

plus I think I'll have a better opportunity of becoming successful with an english name... friends and family will still call me Voytek but I'd rather go by something else at the workplace. I'm 27 and have been thinking about this for 17 years, might never happen the way its going now lol

I think this is a crazy theory and I know it doesn't belong solely to you.


I hope it doesn't. You should stick with your given name. :)

You guys probably wont know the show but on british TV in the 90s was a comedy called Goodness Gracious Me, an all British-Asian cast that loads of people of all races etc loved. One of the regular sketches fetured 2 indian couples trying desperatly to be "english" and to "fit in" they changed their names and spoke with mock posh english addents,so funny,and so false.If you see a list of the personel in an "avarage" british company you will probably only find about 25% are "english "names,if that.

Change your names,just to fit in? Pardon me for being blunt,but, dont be daft! Get yourself a nickname,much cheaper and less insulting to your parents :)

Fine if people cant pronounce it,thats their loss,my name is scandanavian,3 letters long and my dumb shmuck fellow countryfolk can rarely spell it.When I was younger I toyed with using my other name ,Paul,but frankly,thats boring so people either get it right or look stooopid themselves.I wouldnt change my name to say slawomir if I moved to Poland so why should you guys change your names here?

I remember that show and those sketches. Thinking about my own company there's a mix of nationalities but among the Brit staff there's also a huge mix in names - some coming from other origins. Like mine.

I was asked at my final, citizenship interview if i wanted to change my name and I said no, even tough it were tempting since my first name is rare and not easy to pronounce. I felt it would be disrespectful to my my parents. They gave to me, it's mine for ever. I go mostly by my nick name in american environment and I'm fine with that. I use it longer than my real first name already, it feels quite real now.

My first name is mostly "on the paper" and only a handful of polish friends call me that. My family calls me by my middle name... :)

Who knows, it might even deter an identity theft attempt. What crook would want to memorize my spelling. Hehehe.

some people come into this world born as a male or female & later feel (rightly or wrongly) they need to change sex, others feel compelled to change religion (personal convictions). There are plenty of people who hate their name so much they feel belittled in the eyes of others so want to change it. But changing your name legally from Marcin or Wojtek to a trendy western equivalent (for the benefit of others??) should be seen for what it really is! It is a renounciation of your origins and a lame attempt at assimilation. All over the UK/Ireland Małgorzata becomes Margaret, Paweł becomes Paul & Marcin becomes Martin...I do sort of understand the motivation and reasoning for allowing English speakers to feel like they've pronounced your name correctly at the 1st attempt....as long as it stops short of legally changing your name by deed poll at which point you are opting out of your heritage/background - which is a decision you may later have to justify to friends of the same background as you or maybe even your own children...but I'm sure if you were happy with who you are, then even a name that's very hard to pronounce like Zbigniew Brzezinski for example wouldn't hold you back in an English speaking country!

with all due respect Wojtek - grow up. YOU are going to make your own success or failure, not your Polish name. As far as I can figure, companies in the UK, for example, grab Polish people to work for them because they work hard? Your Polish name could be an assett rather than a liability. But hey - just my opinion.

I think not. You'd be employed if your name was Wojtek or if it was Frank, if the company was truly only wanting to hire Polish workers.

Some? It’s more like 90% of people. The people who are familiar with the name are ones who are Polish or have met someone with that name before. It’s partially that they can’t pronounce it, but also that I have to waste time repeating my name over and over.

When I came to Canada, teachers automatically wrote my name as Martin. I have used that name up untill University, where then began using Marcin and pronounced it accordingly. “Marsin”. Professionally at work I am now referred and introduce myself as “Marsin”, I do not even attempt to introduce myself as “Marchin”.

Anywho, it’s all confusing to me right now and I need to think about this more. I know it would be a slap in the face to my parents. But I would just be changing to an English version of my name. I.e. Marc, Mark, Marcin, Martin all have the same meaning “war-like”, except have different origins.


It’s not to become trendy, it’s to make my life easier. My parents did not know they would live in Canada in the future, else they would probably given me an English name. If you have a child in an Enlish speaking country, would you give him a name of your heritage or where he would live? It makes communication with other people easier why do so many Chinese people change their names when they emigrate from China?


I feel similar to Goonie, as it does help in communication. People will understand your name right away without having to repeat yourself. PolskaDoll not quite sure what you are trying to say. Have you had trouble with people mispronouncing your name.

Hey and what about celebrities changing their names, why\what is that all about?

My name is William. No one ever calls me William. Eveyone calls me Bill. I only use William for formal correspondence like job applications or leagal stuff like writting checks. Nie ma problema.

For informal situations, if some asks my name, I just tell them my name is Bill.
In formal situations, I say my name is William but I prefer to be called Bill.

If you're in the UK, just go to deedpoll.org.uk

I never said that? Where did I say that? 8O(

Yes, you can simply change your name. You can call yourself whatever you want to. My relatives in America spell their surname differently to mine as it has stuck and there have never been any problems whatsoever.

didnt a basket-ball player once changed his name to orgasm??

It's ok to change your name if that's what you want to do, but to change because other people can't speak properly is wrong. You could just tell people your name is marc/martin. You don't have to do it legaly!

You don't have to change you’re name legally, simply start introducing yourself as "Marc" or "Martin", and tell people you know that you would prefer to be called Marc from now on. Keep the spelling in your driver license the way it is now, it's easier this way.

Asians change their name all the time. Like for example, Pham to Anne. I've had people mispronounce my last name a few times even though it's common but I've never had to constantly repeat it. It sounds like a hassle. I don't blame anyone for wanting to do it. Underneath it all you'll still be the same person with the other name.

Not so much the pronunciation but mostly the spelling. If you knew my name you'd wonder how people could possibly spell it wrong, but they do.


As much as I disagree that anyone should have to change their name to suit others, I think if you really want to be known by another name, Dice's suggestion is a good one.

Heritage over here in England mate,all the way.

Ole ?... ;)

If I had a child anywhere his/her name would reflect their heritage rather than where I lived at that moment.