deed poll

American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

noun

Law.

plural

deeds poll

1. a deed signed and executed only by the grantor.

---

deed poll British  

noun

1. law a deed made by one party only, esp one by which a person changes his name

---

Etymology

Origin of deed poll

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

An inquest into Mr Lawrence's death, which opened at Wakefield Coroner's Court on Monday, was told the suspect was born Owen Lawrence Eames, before changing his name by deed poll.

From BBC • May 12, 2025

She would later change her surname from Vedad - that of her biological mother - to Whitbread by deed poll to mark her new life.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2023

Anyone who has visited Fratton Park over the last 30-odd years is likely to have seen and heard John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, who changed his name by deed poll in 1989.

From The Guardian • Mar. 13, 2019

Kaiser changed it by deed poll years ago, borrowing inspiration from Keyser Söze, the character in the film The Usual Suspects who has a double life.

From The Guardian • Jun. 28, 2018

I'd have to change my name by deed poll, but Dad’d never let me.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell