How to Change Your Name on Facebook

If you’ve recently changed your name, or you want to separate your professional life from your personal life, you’ll likely want to change your name on Facebook. Facebook frowns upon using fake names,

but allows you to make changes to your real name up to four times. To change your name on Facebook, log into Facebook and navigate to your "Account Settings," then click on your name to open the name editor (or go to "General" and "Name" if using the mobile app). Change your first, middle, and last name as applicable, then click on "Save Changes" to complete the process.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Open your account settings. Log in to Facebook and click the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the page. Select “Account Settings”.
   

   • To access this on the mobile app, click the menu button in the top-left corner and scroll down to Account Settings. Select General, and then tap Name.
2. 
   2
   Click on your name to open the name editor. You can enter a First, Middle, and Last name, as well as an Alternate name (such as a nickname or maiden name).
   

   • Your name can only be changed four times.
   • Facebook wants you to list your name as it appears on your credit card or ID.
   • You cannot use symbols, numbers, random capitalization, or punctuation.
   • Your middle name cannot be words or phrases.
   • Nicknames should be variations on your real name (Jim instead of James, Meg instead of Megan, etc.)^[1]
3. 
   3
   Enter your real name. Facebook does not allow you to impersonate someone else, or create a page for a fictional character. Accounts found in violation of this will be forced to change the name.
   

   • If you want to create an account for an organization, business, or a pet, you will need to create a Facebook Page.
4. 
   4
   Enter your password. To change your name, you will need to enter your password into the box before you are allowed to save your changes.
5. 
   5
   Click Save Changes. Your new name will be saved, and the change will reflect on your Profile shortly. It can take up to 24 hours for a name change to be approved.
6. Why can't I change my name?
   Facebook is a community where people use the name they go by in everyday life. This way, you always know who you're connecting with.

   If you're trying to change the name on your profile, please review our guidelines around what names are allowed on Facebook.

   You may be having trouble changing your name if:

   • Your name doesn't follow our name policy
   • You changed your name in the last 60 days, or you tried to change it too frequently
   • You were previously asked to confirm your name on Facebook
   • Your name doesn't exactly match the name that appears on something from our ID list

   If you want to limit the audience who sees the name you go by in everyday life on your Facebook Profile, you can adjust your Privacy settings. To do this, visit your Privacy Settings to see who can look you up and contact you.

   If you're still having trouble changing your name, please let us know.
7. How do I use language-specific names?
   
   
   Right now, language-specific names are only available in a few countries.

   A language-specific name is the name that you used to sign up for Facebook, translated into another language. If someone uses Facebook in the same language as your language-specific name, they'll see your language-specific name in your profile, search results, posts, comments and photo tags. You'll also see your language-specific name if you use Facebook in that language. Here are some examples of language-specific names:

   Name Used at Sign-Up	Language-Specific Name
   Hanako Yamada	山田花子
   Chen WeiJie	陳偉傑
   Young Hee Kim	김영희
   Marina Petrova	Марина Петрова

   To add or edit your language-specific name:

   1. Tap 
   2. Tap Account Settings > General > Name
   3. Tap add or change your language-specific name
   4. Enter your Facebook password if prompted and tap Save

   To delete your language-specific name:

   1. Complete steps 1-3 above
   2. Delete your language-specific name
   3. Enter your Password and click Save Changes

   If you're having trouble adding your language-specific name, it might be because the name you requested doesn't follow our name standards. Keep in mind that the language-specific name should be your authentic name in that language as it would be listed on your credit card or student ID. If you've read our name policies and think that your name was rejected by mistake, let us know.