deed poll

American  

[pohl] / poʊl /

noun

Law.

deeds poll plural

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

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deed poll British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• deeds poll
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deed poll

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deed poll

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

Mr Mitchell was a colourful figure in the North East Lincolnshire port, even temporariliy changing his name by deed poll to Austin Haddock in 2002 in a bid to promote the fishing industry.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2021

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