Editing Name change (section)

==Name change on religious conversion==
{{further|Religious name}}
Adherents of various religions change their name upon [[Religious conversion|conversion]] or confirmation. The name adopted may not have any legal status but will represent their adopted religious beliefs.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Naming a New Self: Identity Elasticity and Self-Definition in Voluntary Name Changes |first=Celia |last=Emmelhainz |date=2012 |journal=[[Names (journal)|Names]] |volume=60 |number=3 |pages=156–165 |doi=10.1179/0027773812Z.00000000022 |s2cid=144079752 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Buddhism===
* Individuals who attend a ceremony to officially become Buddhists are usually given a new "[[Dharma name]]", which marks their "[[Refuge (Buddhism)|taking refuge]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Akiba |first1=Gengo |url=https://terebess.hu/zen/szoto/Dharma_Names.pdf |title=Primer for Selecting Dharma Names |last2=Okumura |first2=Shohaku |last3=Tanahashi |first3=Kazuaki |last4=Weitsman |first4=Mel |last5=Wenger |first5=Michael |publisher=San Francisco Zen Center and the Soto Zen Buddhist Association |year=2001 |location=San Francisco, California |language=en |access-date=December 9, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dharma Drum Culture Editorial Department |first=Jonathon |date= |title=50 Questions about Buddhas and Bodhisattvas |url=https://www.dharmadrum.org/portal_d8_cnt_page.php?folder_id=48&cnt_id=196&up_page=1 |access-date=December 9, 2024 |website=Dharma Drum Mountain Global Website}}</ref>

===Christianity===
* It has been historical Christian practice to adopt a name on [[baptism]] or (in some countries) [[confirmation (sacrament)|confirmation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ce001006.htm |title=Christian Names: Change of Name at Baptism |website=Catholic-forum.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428082432/http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ce001006.htm |archive-date=April 28, 2005}}</ref>
* The customary practice whereby persons entering a [[religious institute]] take on a [[name in religion]] is still observed by [[Eastern Orthodox]] and some traditional [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]. Eastern Orthodox monastics are usually given the name of a prophet or a monastic saint.
* [[Pope]]s take a [[papal name]] upon their accession to office; for example, [[Jorge M. Bergoglio]] adopted the name [[Francis (given name)|Francis]].

===Hinduism===
There is no formal concept of conversion in Hinduism but converts to Hinduism are accepted, usually after a small ceremony called [[Shuddhi (Hinduism)|Shudhikaran]] (purification). Individuals who attend a Shudhikaran ceremony to officially become [[Hindu]] may be optionally given a new [[Dharma]] (religious) name, which is usually based on [[Sanskrit]] or [[Indian name]] such as names based on [[Hindu deities]].

===Islam===
* Converts to Islamic faith may choose a new name; although it is not required, it may in some cases be preferable for personal reasons or because the name is of uncertain Islamicity (e.g. the person converting has a [[theophoric name]] in another religion, such as Christopher or Ganesh). Boxer Cassius Clay's adoption of the name [[Muhammad Ali]] is a well-known example, as is Cat Stevens' change to [[Yusuf Islam]] and Malcolm Little's adoption of the name [[Malcolm X]] and later ''El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz''. On the other hand, converts may choose to keep their names, as did [[Dave Chappelle]].
*Women do not normally take their husbands' surnames as their own. Their maiden name continues to be their surname even after marriage. Sometimes their husbands first name becomes their surname, similar to the case of surname chains indicating someone's chain of fathers.{{cn|date=May 2025}}
* In Islamic tradition, there are two kinds of [[surname]]:{{cn|date=May 2025}}
** The first kind comes from the father's first name, which means that the particular person is the child of. For example, a name such as ''ibn Abdullah'' means "son of Abdullah", or ''bint Abdullah'' means "daughter of Abdullah". Father descendant names can be chained, meaning that an individual can have the name of their father, followed by their paternal grandfather, followed by the father of that grandfather, to indicate a patrilineal lineage.
** The second kind is associated with [[clan]], [[tribal]] or [[ethnic]] affiliation and is also solely dependent on the person's patrilineal line. In Islamic family law, the individual is required to keep the clan, tribal or ethnic affiliation of their father where it is known, whether the child be illegitimate, staying with their mother after divorce or adopted.
* The last name cannot be changed in such a way as to reflect a heritage that is not that of one's biological father.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Judaism===
{{Further|Hebrew name|Hebraization of surnames|Shinnuy ha-Shem}}
* Jewish people in the Diaspora sometimes give their children two names: a secular name for everyday use and a Hebrew name for religious purposes. [[Conversion to Judaism|Converts to Judaism]] choose a Hebrew name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://judaism.about.com/library/3_lifecycles/names/bl_names.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204232238/http://judaism.about.com/library/3_lifecycles/names/bl_names.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 4, 2003 |title=Choosing a Hebrew Name – Naming a Jewish Baby |first=Ariela |last=Pelaia |website=About.com: Religion & Spirituality }}</ref> Full Jewish names include a [[patronym]]: converts take the patronym "ben/bat Avraham Avinu" (son/daughter of Our Father Abraham) as converts are held to be spiritual descendants of [[Abraham]], the forebear of Jews.

===Sikhism===
* Those in the [[Sikh]] faith adopt a new last name upon baptism into the [[Khalsa]]. Men adopt the last name [[Singh]], while women adopt the last name [[Kaur]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}
* The Sikhs adopted the name Singh in 1699 during the Birth of the Khalsa.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Wicca===
* Some [[Wiccans]] have a [[craft name]] that is used during coven gatherings and rituals.{{cn|date=May 2025}}