How to Change Your Name on Facebook

Reading time4 minutes
Jaqueline Corradi
Jaqueline Corradi
Content Manager

Do you know how to change your name on Facebook? There are many reasons that complex people desire that alteration. For instance, you created the profile when you were a teenager and used a nickname that you don't like anymore, or you wish to insert your new last name;

The good news is that it's very simple to change your name on Facebook. You will just need to follow some steps, and in a few minutes, your profile will be updated. Check out the article to learn more about it. 

How to Change Your Name on Facebook Using the Mobile App

You don't even need to use a computer to change your name on Facebook. Whether you use an Android or iOS mobile device, all you need is to have the Facebook app installed on it, and follow the instructions.

1 - Open your Facebook app, and log in to your account.

2 - Click on the menu icon, then go to "Settings and privacy", and click on "Settings".

Facebook print screen showing the profile menu

3 - Click on "Personal and account information", then select "Name". 

Facebook print screen showing the personal and account information menu.

4 - Type the new name, click on "Review Change", then on "Save changes", and that's it. 

Facebook print screen showing the area where you can change your name on facebook..

How to Change Your Name on Facebook Using a Computer

1 - Open Facebook on your browser, and log in to your account.

2 - Click on your profile picture on the right side of the screen, then click on "Settings and privacy". 

Facebook menu print screen

3 - Click on "Settings", you will see the current name you are using, and the edit button on the right side, click on it, then change the name. 

4 - Click on "Review change", and after checking everything is correct, select "Save changes". Your profile now has a new name. 

Facebook print screen showing the are where you can edit your name.

Facebook's Names Policy

Before changing your name on Facebook, pay attention if it follows the social media guidelines. The name mustn't have numbers, unusual capitalization, repeating characters, punctuation, or characters from multiple languages. Using professional and religious titles isn't allowed either. 

You shouldn't insert words or phrases in the place of a name, and don't put offensive or suggestive words of any kind. Nicknames can be used as your first or middle name if they are a variation of your name.

Facebook also allows you to insert another name on your account, for example, your maiden name, nickname, or professional name. Keep in mind that profiles are developed for individuals, if you want to use Facebook for your company, you need to create a page, which is much more interesting for a business because it gives you several professional tools. 

The Difference Between a Page and a Profile

The steps above refer to how to change your name on Facebook for your profile. As it's explained on Facebook Help Center, "Profiles are for individual use only. You can create a Page for a business, organization, or idea." You can't use your company's name on a profile.

There are also different features on a profile and a page. Created for personal use, in the profile, you can add friends while a page has followers. If you have a profile, when someone finds you on Facebook, they will send you a friend request to keep in contact, while on a page they can just click the "like" button to follow, and see its posts on their feed. 

With a page, you will have access to business features such as selling on the Facebook marketplace. To create a page on Facebook, it's necessary to have your personal profile first, but you can add multiple Facebook profiles to manage one page. 

When it comes to changing a page name, it's necessary to take a few more steps than when altering the profile name, but the process is still very similar. 

Put What You Have Learned Into Practice

Now that you know how to change your name on Facebook, what about making the change you have always wanted? When making the alteration, pay close attention to if you wrote the name correctly because once you click on "save changes", you can't change the name again for 60 days. Remember using fake names or pretending to be someone else isn't allowed.

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