How To Change Your Name On Facebook

Whether you’re correcting a typo or just got married, changing or updating your Facebook name is pretty easy.

Here we will explore how you can change your name on Facebook and troubleshoot common errors you might face.

Table of Contents

How to Change Your Name on Facebook?

Changing Name on Browser

Changing names on PC is the most straightforward process of all. Facebook also has a name guideline that you must follow to change your name. You only need to have a compatible browser installed to access the Facebook website.

Select the “Dropdown menu” from the top right.
Go to “Settings & privacy” and select “Settings”.
Under “General profile settings“, click on “Edit” next to your name
Make the necessary changes.
Select “Review Change” and “confirm“.

Changing Name on Phone (Android & iOS)

This method is applicable for both Android and iOS phones. On your browser (chrome, safari, firefox, Opera), go to Facebook and log in to your Facebook account.

Tap on three lines icon on the right and select “Settings“.
Under Account Settings, Select “Personal Information.”
Select “Name”.
Make changes and tap on “Review Change to confirm”.

If you already have a Facebook app, the process is fairly similar.

Tap on “Menu” from the bottom right.
Expand “Settings & Privacy” by tapping on it.
Tap on “Settings”.
Select “Personal Information” > “Name” and make changes as required.

Changing Name Through Messenger

You don’t need the Facebook app to change your first and last name. You can also do it by Messenger. By logging into the messenger app, you can get to the same name change page as the Facebook app.

Tap on your profile icon on the top left.
Scroll down and select “Account Settings”.
Under “Account“, tap on “Personal information“.
Select “Name” and make changes as required.

Can I Change my Last Name on Facebook After Getting Married?

Changing last names on Facebook is a lot easier than changing them in real life. You can follow the above steps to get to the name change page. Got to General profile settings. Then, tap on the “Surname” and change it to your “new last name“. Don’t forget to select “Review Change to confirm.”

How to Change Your Name on Facebook and Keep Your Maiden Name?

Your old friends and relatives may still look you up using your maiden name. Changing your last name doesn’t have to mean you losing your identity. Facebook allows you to add alternate names including keeping your maiden name.

Go to “General Profile Settings”.
Under “Other names”, tap on “Add other names” option.
Select “Add a nickname, a birth name” option.
Tap on “Name type” and select the “Maiden name”.
Enter your “Maiden name” > Click “Show at top of the profile” >”Save.

How to Change Your Name on Facebook Without Notifying Everyone?

To keep your followings informed, Facebook can report all your profile changes activity. If you don’t want everyone to get notified about the name change, you can turn off some sharing feature on Facebook.

Open the drop-down menu from the top right and select “Settings & Privacy”.
Select “Privacy Shortcuts“.
Under Privacy, select “See more privacy settings”.
Under Your activity, select “Edit next to Who can see your future posts“.
Change the picklist option to “Only me.”

Now, you can use the steps provided above to change your name and not worry about notifying everyone.

Changing Your Business or Page Name on Facebook

To change your business or page name, you need to switch to using your business or page profile. On PC, you can do this by clicking the drop-down menu and selecting the business page under Switch Profile.

Note: You can change your personal name only once every 60 days. However, you only need to wait 7 days to update a business name.

Switch to “Business page profile” from dropdown menu.
On the Home Page Scroll down and click on “Edit Page Info”.

Now you can change your business name whatever you wished to name the page. But sometimes Facebook won’t approve new name. So, make sure the new name is actual representation of your business name and is following the facebook page name guidelines.

Change Your Group Name on Facebook

Compared to changing names on Facebook, Changing group names is much more convenient. There is a restriction of 28 days on changing Facebook group names.

Also, every time you change the name of the group, all members will be notified instantly.
Note that you need to be a group admin to change the group name on Facebook.

From the left navigation pane, select “Groups”.
Select the “group name” that you’d like to change.
Click on “Group Settings” .
Tap on “Name and description” to make necessary change and Click on “Save”.

How to Change Your Name on the Facebook Group Chat?

Messenger allows you to set individual nicknames on each group chat. These names are visible to members of the group only. Your regular messenger name will not be affected by changing the name on a group chat.

You can set different names on different group chats without affecting each other. You can also change your friend’s name inside the group chat.

Open the “Group chat” that you would like to change your name for.
Tap the “Info icon” on the top right.
Select “Nicknames”.
Tap on your “Profile name” and make changes.
Tap on “Set to Save changes”.

Changing Your Webpage Name on Facebook

Facebook sets a default webpage name based on your page name. You can customize this address for easier recall. Facebook also calls this feature a public username or timeline address.

Note that the webpage name needs to be unique, unlike your Facebook page name.

Go to “Settings”.
Under General Page settings, click on “Edit” next to the Username field.
Enter a “new username” and select “Save changes”.

Change Your Alternate Name on Facebook

If you’ve got an alternate name set up, the day’s restriction does not apply to change your alternate name.

Alternate names appear next to your full name in your timeline. Searching by your alternate name also displays your profile inside a Facebook search. So it is just as important to correct your alternate names.

Facebook allows setting alternate names under various categories as shown below.

Go to “About” tab in your timeline.
Select “Details about you”.
Under “Other names”, click on “Add a nickname, a birth name”, etc.
Select a “Name type” and make changes to your “alternate name”.

How to Change Your Name on Facebook Before 60 Days?

Once you change your name, you cannot change it for another 60 days. But, if you have a valid reason to change your name before that time, you may request a name change.

Note that you would need to have a photo of your government-issued ID or passport handy. Facebook verifies your entered name matches your legal name. Then, they will approve you changing your name again within 60 days.

However, if you decide to change back to your previous name, you can do that within 48 hours of name change.

Go to “Settings” >”Learn More”.
Scroll down and select “Fill out this form”.
Enter the “New name details” on the form.
Scroll down and select a “Reason for this change”.
Select “Choose files” and upload your “ID”.
Select “Send” and wait a few hours for a confirmation of your name change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Change Your Name on Facebook in a Different Language?

Changing the name on Facebook in different languages is allowed for a few languages only. After setting a language-specific name, anyone using Facebook in that language will see your translated name. The same applies to you as well.

Note that you still need to follow the Facebook name standard when making the change. More information on available languages is available here.

Go to “Name change” settings as described above.
Select “Add or change your language-specific name”.
Enter your “Name” in a different language and “Save changes”.

How to Change Your Name on Facebook After the Limit?

If you have changed your Facebook name one too many times, Facebook may deem it a suspicious activity. It can prevent you from making any further name changes.

If you still need to change your name, you need to fill out the name change request form. You need to upload a legal document that verifies your actual legal name. It may take some time for verification to complete before your new name appears.

How Long Does it Takes to Change Your Name on Facebook?

The process of requesting a name change isn’t that time-consuming. If you follow the above steps clearly, it should take you less than five minutes to complete the process.

But, Facebook will verify your new name against its name standards. If it matches the standard, your new name should be visible right away. Some names may take longer to get verified as compared to other names. Your name should normally change by the end of the business day.