Facebook allows you to change your name on your profile, which is essentially renaming your Facebook account. However, there are some limitations and things to keep in mind when changing your name on Facebook.
Why would you want to rename your Facebook profile?
There are a few common reasons why someone may want to change their name on Facebook:
- You got married and changed your last name.
- You want to use a nickname or shortened version of your name instead of your full name.
- Your name has legally changed for another reason, like a name change after transitioning gender.
- You simply don’t like your current name on Facebook and want something new.
Changing your name allows you to update your profile to reflect your new or preferred name. This can help avoid confusion for your friends and family members looking for you on Facebook.
How often can you change your Facebook name?
Facebook limits how often you can change your name to prevent abuse. Here are the limits:
- You can change your name every 60 days.
- You can revert back to a previous name whenever you want.
So you need to wait at least 60 days before changing your name again, unless reverting to a old name. Facebook does this to prevent users from constantly changing their name, which could be used to misrepresent themselves to others.
Does changing your Facebook name change your URL?
No, changing your Facebook name does not change your profile URL. For example, if your URL is currently:
https://www.facebook.com/john.smith
And you change your name to “Dave Wilson”, your URL will still remain:
https://www.facebook.com/john.smith
The reason is that Facebook uses your unique user ID in the URL, not your name. So your public profile address will remain the same.
Can you change your username on Facebook?
Facebook does not allow you to change your username once you’ve created your account and selected a username. The username is permanently connected to your account.
Your only option would be to create a new account with a new username. But you would lose your connections and history on your previous account.
What happens to your URL on Facebook when you get married?
When you get married and change your last name, your Facebook URL remains the same even if you update your name. For example:
Original name: Jane Doe
URL: https://www.facebook.com/jane.doe
New name: Jane Smith
URL: https://www.facebook.com/jane.doe
The URL will still reflect your original name, not your new married name. As mentioned above, Facebook uses your unique ID in the URL which does not change.
Can you change your name to anything on Facebook?
Facebook does not permit name changes that:
- Impersonate or falsely represent someone else
- Violate someone else’s intellectual property
- Mislead, confuse or deceive others
Essentially, you cannot use a fake name or another person’s name and pass yourself off as that person. Facebook reviews name changes to ensure they meet the above guidelines.
What happens to your old name when you change your Facebook name?
When you change your name on Facebook, your old name is not completely removed or deleted from the platform:
- Your previous names may still be visible in some places, like comments on posts.
- If someone has you saved in their contacts under your old name, it will not automatically update for them.
- Facebook keeps a log of your previous names in your account history.
So traces of your old name may still be visible to some people on Facebook after a name change.
Can you merge two Facebook accounts?
Unfortunately Facebook does not allow users to merge two existing accounts into one account. If you have two accounts that you both actively use and want to consolidate into a single account, Facebook does not provide a way to do this.
Your only option would be to select one account to be your primary account, and then manually re-add your contacts and re-share content from your secondary account that you wish to keep. You would then need to deactivate the secondary account.
Should you change your name on Facebook before or after a legal name change?
The recommended approach is to first complete all the legal name change procedures, such as obtaining your new social security card, driver’s license, passport, etc. Once your new name is official on all legal documents, then update your name on Facebook.
This ensures that if Facebook needs to verify your identity, you’ll have the proper legal documentation in your new name. Changing to your new name on Facebook before making it official legally is not recommended.
Does Facebook check or verify name changes?
Facebook does have some safeguards in place to prevent abuse of name changes:
- Facebook screens name changes to catch offensive, misleading or false names.
- If you change your name multiple times in a short period, your account may be flagged for review.
- In some cases, Facebook may prompt you to provide legal documentation to confirm your name change.
So there is some oversight of name changes, but Facebook does not verify every single name change request. But be prepared to provide legal proof if asked.
Can pages and groups change their name on Facebook?
Yes, pages and groups on Facebook can change their names by following these steps:
For pages:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click Settings at the bottom of your cover photo
- Click Page Info in the left column
- Edit the page name in the Name field
- Click Save Changes
For groups:
- Go to your group
- Click the Group Settings menu at the top
- Click Edit Group Settings
- Edit the group name in the Group Name field
- Click Save
There are no limits on how often pages or groups can change their names. The name change takes effect immediately.
Can you change your name on Facebook messenger?
When you change your name on your Facebook profile, it will automatically update to your new name on Facebook Messenger as well. You do not have to change it separately in Messenger.
Your new profile name will be reflected across Facebook, Messenger, your comments, groups and anywhere else your name appears.
What happens to your Facebook name after you die?
When someone passes away, their Facebook profile remains active but is memorialized. This involves:
- The word “Remembering” appears next to the person’s name
- The profile picture is removed or changed to a default memorialized image
- sensitve content is restricted
- no one can log into the account
So the person’s name at the time of death remains on the memorialized profile. It is not possible for family members to change or update the name after someone passes away.
Can you change your Facebook name using an Android or iPhone app?
Yes, you can change your Facebook name using the Facebook mobile app on both Android and iPhone. The process is the same:
- Open the Facebook app
- Tap the three-line Menu icon
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy
- Tap Settings
- Tap Personal and Account Information
- Tap Name
- Enter your New Name
- Tap Review Change
- Confirm the change
This will allow you to change your name directly from your mobile device, on both iOS and Android.
Can a business change their name on a Facebook business page?
Yes, businesses can change the name on their Facebook business page. To change it:
- Go to your Facebook business page
- Click Settings at the bottom of the cover photo
- Click Page Info in the left column
- Edit the page name in the Name field
- Click Save Changes
Facebook does not place any limit on how many times a business page can change its name. The change takes effect immediately once saved.
What are the pros and cons of changing your Facebook name?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Reflect your new legal name | – Can be confusing for existing connections |
| – Use a preferred nickname | – Old name may still appear in some places |
| – Refresh your online identity | – URL does not change |
| – Easy to do | – Can only change every 60 days |
Conclusion
To sum up the key points:
- You can change your name on Facebook to reflect a new legal name, nickname, or just a refresh
- Your Facebook URL will remain unchanged
- You can only change it once every 60 days
- Old names may still appear in some places
- Facebook reviews name changes to prevent abuse
Overall, being able to rename your Facebook profile can be useful in many cases, such as a legal name change, without having to lose your account history. Just be aware it takes time for the name to fully update across the platform.