You can change your Facebook name yourself, and Facebook allows you to do it once every 60 days

Facebook lets you change the name on your profile through your settings menu. The process takes about two minutes. You can change it to any name you want — your legal name, a nickname, a stage name, or any combination of words — as long as it follows Facebook's name standards. Facebook will not let you use numbers as the main part of your name, strings of symbols, or text that looks like it's trying to impersonate someone else.

The 60-day waiting period starts from the moment you make a change. If you changed your name three weeks ago, you cannot change it again until 60 days have passed from that date. This limit exists to prevent account takeovers and impersonation, not to punish you — it resets automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Facebook settings, go to Personal Information, and click on your name to edit it directly from your profile.
  • Facebook allows one name change every 60 days, and the timer starts from the date you last changed it.
  • Your name can include spaces, hyphens, and accents, but cannot be mostly numbers or look like an attempt to copy someone else's identity.
  • If Facebook rejects your name change, the reason will appear on screen — usually because the name violates community standards or looks like spam.

Step-by-step: changing your name on Facebook

Start by opening Facebook on a computer or phone and going to your profile. Click the three horizontal lines (menu icon) at the bottom right on mobile, or look for the menu in the top right corner on desktop. Tap or click "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings."

Once you are in Settings, look for "Personal Information" on the left side (desktop) or scroll down to find it (mobile). Click "Personal Information," then click on your name. A text box will appear with your current name highlighted. Delete it and type your new name. Click "Review Change" to see how it will appear on your profile. If it looks right, click "Save Changes." Facebook will confirm the change and show you when you can change it again.

If you are on mobile and cannot find Personal Information, try scrolling all the way down in Settings — it may be at the bottom of the list. On desktop, if the menu on the left does not show Personal Information, click "See More" to expand the full list.

What Facebook will and will not accept as a name

Facebook's name rules are designed to keep the platform readable and prevent impersonation. Your name can include letters, spaces, hyphens, periods, and accented characters (like é or ñ). You can use capital letters anywhere. Names like "Mary-Jane," "José María," and "Dr. Smith" all work fine.

Facebook will reject names that are mostly or entirely numbers, names that look like email addresses or URLs, and names made up of symbols or special characters strung together. Names that appear to copy a public figure or brand — like "Mark Zuckerberg" if you are not Mark Zuckerberg — will also be rejected. If your name is rejected, Facebook shows the reason on screen. You can then edit it and try again when ready; the rejection itself does not count against your 60-day limit.

What to do if your name change is rejected

When Facebook rejects a name, a message appears explaining why. The most common reasons are that the name looks like it is trying to impersonate someone, that it contains too many numbers, or that it violates Facebook's community standards. Read the message carefully — it tells you exactly what rule the name broke.

If you believe your name was rejected by mistake, you can edit it and try again right away. For example, if you tried "John Smith Jr." and it was rejected, you could try "John Smith Junior" instead. If you have a legal name that Facebook keeps rejecting — such as a name with many numbers or symbols that are part of your actual identity — you can contact Facebook through the Help Center and request a manual review, though this process is slower than the standard name change.

The 60-day waiting period and how to check when you can change again

After you change your name, Facebook locks you out of making another change for 60 days. This timer is strict — you cannot change your name again until the full 60 days have passed, even if you change it back to your original name and then want to change it again.

To see when you are allowed to change your name next, go back to Settings > Personal Information > your name. Below the text box, Facebook shows a message like "You can change your name again on [date]." Write down that date or set a phone reminder if you know you will want to change it again. The date is based on your local time zone.

Changing your name on Facebook versus your username

Your Facebook name and your username are two different things. Your name is what appears on your profile and in comments — the human-readable text. Your username is the short handle that appears in your profile URL, like facebook.com/yourname. You can change your name once every 60 days, but you can change your username once every 60 days as well, and the timers are separate.

If you want to change your username instead of your name, go to Settings > Personal Information > Username. The process is the same: click to edit, type the new username, and save. Usernames must be between 5 and 50 characters, can only contain letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, and cannot be changed more than once every 60 days. Changing your username does not change your name, and vice versa.

What happens to your old name after you change it

When you change your name on Facebook, your old name disappears from your profile when ready. People who visit your profile will see only your new name. However, old comments and posts you made under your previous name will still show your previous name on those individual posts — Facebook does not retroactively update the name on past content.

Your friends will see the name change in their News Feed as a notification: "[Your New Name] changed their name." This notification appears for a few days and then disappears. If you change your name back within 60 days (after the waiting period ends), the same notification process happens again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my Facebook name more than once every 60 days?

No. Facebook enforces a strict 60-day waiting period between name changes. The timer starts from the date you made your last change, not from when you first created your account. You cannot bypass this by changing your name back and then to something new — each change counts separately and resets the 60-day clock.

What if I want to use a nickname or stage name instead of my legal name?

Facebook allows you to use any name you want, including nicknames, stage names, or shortened versions of your legal name. You do not have to use your legal name. The only requirement is that your name follows Facebook's standards — no impersonation, no mostly numbers, no symbol strings. Many performers, artists, and people who go by nicknames use those names on Facebook without issue.

Will my friends see when I change my name?

Yes. Facebook sends a notification to your friends' News Feeds when you change your name. The notification says "[Your New Name] changed their name" and appears for a few days. You cannot hide this notification or change your name privately — all name changes are visible to your friends.

Can I change my name if my account is new?

Yes. There is no minimum account age required to change your name. You can change your name on a brand-new Facebook account, though you still have to wait 60 days before changing it again. The only restriction is the 60-day waiting period between changes, not when you first become able to change it.

What should I do if Facebook says my name violates community standards?

If your name is rejected for violating community standards, try rephrasing it. For example, if a name with symbols is rejected, remove the symbols. If a name that looks like impersonation is rejected, add a descriptor like "fan of" or a number to make it clear it is not the actual person. If your legal name is being rejected and you believe it is a mistake, you can contact Facebook's Help Center and request manual review, though this takes longer than a standard name change.