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Students

Correct/change your legal name on your official transcripts, diplomas etc.

Your legal name is the one that will appear in official records, such as official transcripts and diplomas. See full list of where your legal name will appear, Student Records – Where preferred first name & legal name appear. 

To correct/change your legal name:

1. Go to Your Name and Gender on the Student Records website
2. Select the section To update your legal name, date of birth, or legal sex designation and follow the instructions there

Add/change your used (preferred) first name that appears on McGill systems and records (e.g., myCourses, Minerva, McGill username, McGill ID card etc.)

Your used (preferred) first name is the name by which you are normally addressed and is different from your legal first name. Your used (preferred) first name appears in unofficial documents such as, your McGill ID card, in class lists, on your advising transcript, and in the following McGill systems:

• in Outlook as the sender or recipient
• when logged into various McGill systems (Minerva, Microsoft 365, myCourses etc.)
• your McGill username (preferredfirstname.last@mail.mcgill.ca)

See full list of where your preferred first name will appear, Student Records – Where preferred first name & legal name appear. 

To add/change your used (preferred) first name:

1. Log into Minerva
2. Go to Personal menu > Name Change
3. Enter your preferred first name and click Save
4. Once you've updated your preferred name in Minerva, you must also fill out the Preferred name change on IT systems form

After you have completed the above steps, an IT Subject Matter Expert will contact you via email or by phone to guide you through the process and complete your request. Please note that the changes will also cause a disruption to your account for approximately one hour, rest assured the IT Subject Matter Expert will coordinate this downtime with you. 

Create an email alias to change the first name portion of your McGill email address

By creating an alias, you can change the first name portion of your McGill email address. For example, if your assigned McGill email address is william.smith@mcgill.ca, you can request an alias of bill.smith@mcgill.ca. You will be able to receive mail addressed to both william.smith and bill.smith, but all outgoing mail will appear to come from bill.smith@mcgill.ca. 

Refer to creating an email alias for more information.

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Faculty and staff

Correct/change your legal name on your official McGill record in Workday

If your first name, last name, or prefix is incorrect in your McGill records, or if you have changed your name or prefix and would like it changed in your official record, see How to Modify Names in Workday in the Human Resources Knowledge Base. For more information, contact Human Resources.

NOTE: Changes you make in Workday are NOT automatically synchronized with your name that is displayed in Microsoft 365 tools (e.g., Teams, Outlook), campus address, and telephone number on McGill systems. You will need to fill out the Preferred name change on IT systems forms.

Add/Change your used (preferred) first name or prefix that appears on McGill systems (e.g., Teams, Outlook, McGill username)

Your used (preferred) first name is the name by which you are normally addressed and is different from your legal first name. Your preferred first name and in some cases your prefix appear in the following places/circumstances:

• when sending or receiving emails with your McGill email address
• when logging into your computer using your McGill username
• when using Workday, myCourses, Microsoft 365 suite (e.g., Teams, Outlook etc..)
• in the Global Address List (GAL), an internal list that contains email addresses and phone number for McGill staff, faculty, and email distribution lists. This is used as a primary way to find email addresses.

How to change your preferred first name and/or change/remove your prefix:

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 31, 2025, McGill IT Services has decommissioned the Staff Directory. As a result, Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams and Outlook will display your name based on the information in Workday.  See full details here.

1. Update information in Workday:

1. 1. Log into Workday – Name information 
   2. Under Preferred Name select Edit   
   3. Uncheck the box next to "Use Legal Name as Preferred Name” 
   4. Update your Preferred First Name/Prefix   
   5.  Submit

For detailed instructions, visit the Managing your Personal and Work Information - How to Change your Preferred Name  (log in required)

2. Once you have made your update in Workday, you must also submit the Preferred name change on IT systems form.

Once you have submitted the Preferred name change on IT systems form, an IT Subject Matter Expert will contact you via email or phone to guide you through the process and complete your request. Please note that the changes will also cause a disruption to your account for approximately one hour, rest assured the IT Subject Matter Expert will coordinate this downtime with you. 

NOTE: To add the Dr. prefix follow the instructions in the Managing your Personal and Work Information - Prefix of your Legal Name in Workday. In compliance with Quebec regulations, “Dr.” will only be added as a prefix if it is both your legal prefix and your preferred prefix in Workday.

Create an email alias to change the first name portion of your McGill email address

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Dual status (staff/student)

Correcting/changing your legal name on your official McGill record 

On your student account: Your legal name is the one that will appear in official records, such as official transcripts and diplomas. To correct/change your legal name, go to Your Name and Gender- to update your legal name, date of birth or legal sex designation on the Student Records website.

On your staff account: If your first name, last name, or prefix is incorrect in your McGill records, or if you have changed your name or prefix and would like it changed in your official record, see How to Modify Names in Workday in the Human Resources Knowledge Base. For more information, contact Human Resources.

Add/change your preferred first name or prefix that appears on McGill records and systems 

Your used (preferred) first name is the name by which you are normally addressed and is different from your legal first name. Your used (preferred) name and in some cases your prefix appear in the following places/circumstances:

• as Sender or Recipient when using your McGill email address 
• when logging into your computer using your McGill Username 
• when using Workday, Minerva, myCourses, Mircosoft 365 suite (e.g., Teams, Outlook) 

How to add/change your preferred first name or prefix:

Note: You will need to update both your student and staff account, follow the steps below.

1. On your student account:  

• Log into Minerva  
• Go to Personal menu > Name Change 
• Enter your preferred first name and click Save

2. On your staff account:

NOTE: As of January 31, 2025, McGill IT Services has decommissioned the Staff Directory. As a result, Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams and Outlook will display your name based on the information in Workday.  See full details here.

• Log into Workday
• Follow the steps instructed in the Managing your Personal and Work Information - How to Change your Preferred Name  (log in required) 

3. Once you have made the update on Minerva and Workday, you will need to submit in the Preferred name change on IT systems form.

After submitting the form, an IT Subject Matter Expert will contact you via email or phone to guide you through the process and to complete your request. Please note that the changes will also cause a disruption to your account for approximately one hour, rest assured the IT Subject Matter Expert will coordinate this downtime with you. 

Creating an email alias to change the first name portion of your McGill email address

By creating an alias, you can change the first name portion of your McGill email address, while still using your legal name across McGill's systems and applications.  

Refer to Creating an email alias for more information. 

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Support

For any other inquiries regarding your preferred name and/or prefix click the chat bubble on the bottom right of this page. This will launch the IT Support Chat window where you can type your question and begin a text chat with a support agent (login required). 

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FAQ

How do I change my McGill Username? 

Your assigned McGill Username is created based on your legal first and last name and possibly your middle name and suffixed digits if an account already exists with the same name. If you would like to change the first name portion of your McGill username follow the steps based on your role below.

Dual status (Student and Staff): Follow the instructions in the Dual Status section

Student: Follow the instructions in the Student section

Faculty and Staff: Follow the instructions in the Faculty/Staff section

After you completed one of the above steps, an IT Subject Matter Expert will contact you via email or by phone to guide you through the process and complete your request. Please note that the changes will also cause a disruption to your account for approximately one hour, rest assured the IT Subject Matter Expert will coordinate this downtime with you. 

NOTE: When your McGill username is changed, your account is renamed. Any existing emails will be preserved, but your old email address will no longer work, and any emails sent to your old email will be bounced and returned to the sender.

How do I remove a prefix (e.g. Mx, Mr, Ms) from my name on McGill systems?

Staff to refer to the Managing your Personal and Work Information -How to Change Your Preferred Name (login required). Once you have updated in Workday, fill out the Staff Directory Revision Form to ensure it is updated across McGill's systems.

If I change my legal name on my official McGill record, is my McGill Username automatically updated?

No. You must request that your McGill Username match your legal name by filling out the Preferred name change on IT systems form. Please note that the changes will also cause a disruption to your account for approximately one hour, rest assured the IT Subject Matter Expert will contact you via email or phone to coordinate this downtime with you. 

Note: When your McGill username is changed, your account is renamed. Any existing emails will be preserved, but your old email address will no longer work, and any emails sent to your old email will be bounced and returned to the sender.

I haven't changed my legal name, but I still want my email to show as a different "nickname" on my address.

You can create an email alias. 

I created an email alias. Does this also change the my name and how it appears on the McGill system?

No. If you want your used (preferred) name to appear on McGill's systems please refer to the instructions in the section according to your role:

• Staff
• Students 
• Dual status 

The icon in my Microsoft 365 profile doesn’t show the correct initials

This is a known issue with how Microsoft automatically creates the default icon based on your display name. You can change how your icon appears by filling out the Preferred Name Change form or by replacing the default icon with an image.

I changed my campus telephone number and address in Workday. Will this also be changed in the Global Address List (GAL) in Outlook?

No. Any changes you make in Workday will not be displayed in the Global Address List (GAL). You have to make these changes using the Staff Directory Revision form.

If I update my preferred LAST name in Workday, will this appear on various IT systems?

No. Your used (preferred) last name is not used by IT Services, and it will only appear in Workday.

What is the difference between changing the preferred first name vs creating an email alias?

Preferred first name: When you change your preferred first name, it updates how your first name appears in your McGill username, email, and across various IT systems (i.e., Microsoft 365 tools, myCourses etc...). Your old McGill username/email will no longer be accessible, and your new preferred first name will be reflected in both your updated McGill username/email and in other applications. 

Email alias: Creating an email alias allows you to keep both your originally assigned McGill email and the new alias email. While your legal name will still appear and be used to log into most applications, your name in your alias will only be shown when sending and receiving emails. 

How do I change my name on my McGill ID card?

To correct your name on your McGill ID card and for more information, visit the following page based on your role:

• For students: Student Records- McGill ID card.
• For staff: Human Resources - McGill ID card.

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