Singaporeans usually need a good reason if they want to change their names. They don’t usually change their names on a whim and fancy, and most people won’t change their names more than two times during their lifetimes.
There are different reasons why people change their names in Singapore. Some people can’t stand their hanyu pinyin names and want it removed. Some people want to add an English name if they weren’t given one at birth and some people think that changing their names can actually lead to better fortune and prosperity in life.
In particular, those Singaporeans who believe in feng shui tend to be the ones that believe that a well chosen name can lead to a fresh start in life, as well as be a significant reason for success in life itself.
These people usually believe that their existing names do not support their “Ba Zi”, a Chinese system of fortune-telling. This system is based on the 12 stages of the life cycle and the inter-relationship of the constructive and destructive cycles of the 5 elements.
In Singapore, there are many geomancers who provide such naming services and there is a large contingent of Singaporeans who have changed their names based on such belief, including a number of local celebrities. For example, some local celebrities such as May Phua and Edmund Chen have changed their names. It has even been mentioned that Zheng Ge Ping enjoyed greater career success after changing his name!
So can changing your name actually lead to more career success and prosperity in your life?
There are some people who swear that the first step on the road to their success in life was through changing their names. There are also those who are highly skeptical of such claims. Personally, I believe that people create their own lot in life. Naturally driven and motivated individuals may seek out every additional avenue to achieve success, and such avenues could include changing their names after consulting a feng shui master.
Perhaps it’s not necessarily so unusual that such people would go on to achieve the career success and prosperity they sought in the first place.
How do you go about changing your name in Singapore?
If you have set your mind on changing your name in Singapore, and consulted a feng shui master on the most appropriate name for yourself, that’s not the end of the name changing process. You’ll still have to find a lawyer or law firm to execute a deed poll for you.
Essentially, what this means is that you’ll have to sign a document drafted by the lawyer or law firm stating that you wish to change your name, and this document has to be signed in the presence of a lawyer. After that, you’ll have to head over to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to register your new name and to change your NRIC identity card.
Author Profile: Shen is a writer for Deed Poll Singapore, a website where Singaporeans can find affordable Singapore deed poll lawyers.