How do you hide a dead name on PayPal?

[Wyvern-King]

Is there any way to hide a dead name while still on a personal account? It makes me sick and anxious to see my dead name every time I send an invoice for an art commission, but I do not have my name legally changed as of yet. I absolutely hate having people know my dead name and knowing people see it is just... Honestly uncomfortable.

I'm new to this whole site and just trying to make some money in commissions, but my dead name showing on invoices has made me too anxious to even send one invoice out to my clients. Would changing my name on my business information in an invoice affect my account and transactions and render them useless? I don't mind my preferred name being shared online, but having my dead name out there is something I'm really not okay with. Shouldn't PayPal have some sort of preferred name support for transgender users by now?

It's probably dumb of me to ask this, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also sorry if this is posted in the wrong area or given the wrong labels, this is my first time posting.

[Wyvern-King]

That’s definitely a start! Start looking around for lawyers who help us LGBT folk out too if you can, and honestly don’t let up tweeting and talking about it regularly! They gotta respond eventually after all.

[ClaireBradshaw]

I have also lodged a complaint with them:

My legal name is Claire <removed>. I legally changed it in March 2018 with a signed and witness Deed Poll. My NHS, UK Passport, all bills, bank details, credit card and drivers license are all in my new legal name. For some reason PayPal believes it can legally not change my name. I have contacted you on many occasions and presented you with my Deed Poll. I intend to raise this with the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK if you continue to illegally allow my incorrectly named account to continue to carry out financial transactions as the name no longer can be legally used by me. My new name is linked with my bank records and accounts to which you have linked this account with - therefore you are by your actions illegally allowing financial transactions to occur between my correctly name bank account and this account which is incorrectly named. This could also be described as fraud - in that allowing me to incorrectly use an account name that you actively refuse to change means that people with whom I trade with are not only seeing an incorrect name on their statements but also you are potentially Outing me to every person who has such a transaction with me. My status as a transgender person in the United Kingdom is protected under law and by continuing to use my old name and actively refusing to change it counts not only harmful to me as an individual but also could constitute a contravention of that law that protects my status.

Please change the name on my account to my New Legal name, Claire <removed>. Thank you.

[SouthFuzz]

Solved? This isn't solved. The problem is literally still ongoing and PayPal marked it as solved.

Transphobes. 

[SouthFuzz]

This business has always been transphobic

[Nimbusaragon]

I have same goddamnit problem, I already changed my name legally, but can't use Paypal properly, because it uses my dead name. The changing name options are either marriage/divorce or mispelled name. I've tried sending my solicitation for the legal retification in the marriage option and nothing. Tried the mispelled thing and nothing. I don't know what to do anymore!

[PayPal_DerrickD]

Hi @Nimbusaragon,

I apologize for the frustration this process has caused. We can certainly help update the name on your PayPal account as long as you have legal documentation verifying your name has been changed. In order to speak with customer service about updating your name, please click Contact at the bottom of the PayPal website for available options, or reach out by PM on Facebook or DM on Twitter.

Thank you,

-Derrick

[AlwaysAliciaT]

So… PayPal is transphobic then. It’s 2022… let us add a preferred (I hate that term… Alicia is NOT preferred… it is my name!) name!!! Even Citi let me get a credit card in my true name!

[RoboticMuuMoo]

Paypal will let you change 2 or 3 letters in your name i'm pretty sure, worked perfect for me to get my preferred name but its something i think about daily that its not perfect. Wish paypal would have the same support most bank cards have for preferred names.

[ChaoticTornado]

How is this marked as solved? Marking an answer with literal words "if you are so over your previous name, make it official" as solved is just insulting. Adding an option to use an alias instead of "legal" name is really not that hard, and would improve the quality of life IMMEASURABLY for a lot of people, not only trans, but also everyone who would want to use one. And not changing the name of people who actually had their name legally changed is just unspeakable. Honestly, I hope Paypal realises this service is made for people, all kinds of people, trans people too, and being able to use a chosen name goes beyond a whim, it's basic human right. The tone of the "solution" and seeing how this is solved in general really shows how Paypal does it's business and I truly hope this will change, as I find it unacceptable in 2021. If BANKS can do it, Paypal can too, but for obviously discriminatory reasons they won't, it's simple as that.

Cheers.

[Korbyndraw]

I don't think I can handle this right now.. my mental state is so **bleep** up because of things and people like this. My mom kicked me out recently for being trans. I think I'm just going to delete PayPal. I just can't anymore. I feel like throwing up.