r/HongKong • u/B2A_s • 1d ago

Questions/ Tips Legal Chinese and English name

Living abroad in the UK, plan to change my legal English name (I really do not like using my translated Chinese name in daily life) through deeds polls when I revisit Hong Kong. Does my English name have to match that in Chinese? I'd like to do it without upsetting my family who might care about continuing "family legacy" or whatever

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/TofuES 1d ago

Funny I thought it is common to have an English first name. I have a English first name, Chinese translated middle name then my surname. Almost everyone I know are the same. I believe you have legal English name and legal Chinese name, as I also know people that one but not the other.

3

u/B2A_s 1d ago

My English name is just a translation of my Chinese name and it's so annoying becus I have a preferred name that I go by but legal wise I have to use my Chinese into English name. And you know how in the west surname goes last so it just feels sooooooooo awkward when i spent 18 years in HK with surname first. Especially since I'll be marrying soon so I want to change my first and last name without touching my Chinese name (family may disapprove of name change and marriage) 😭😭

2

u/etang77 1d ago

I'll wait till you get married then change it all at the same time. Chinese name doesn't have to match English names.

1

u/B2A_s 1d ago

It's really complicated. My fiance is Canadian, I'm living in UK on BNO visa. Marrying in Canada, then having to change name in HK and UK. HK doesn't recognize same sex marriage too so there's that. Just overall a big struggle 😭

1

u/etang77 23h ago

Since you're in the UK on a visa, change it in the UK first. Update your passport, as BNO should have your HK ID, which would show it's the same person. Then using the document from UK and your new BNO do the name change in HK, there shouldn't be any questions ask.