It's February, the month where many of us consider inventing ourselves a new identity, according to a new survey.

After successfully battling through the bleak wasteland of January, many fancy a fresh start in Feb and change their names, according to research from the UK deed poll.

Reasons for a fresh alias include an embarrassing appellation (think Mr Fatbottom, or Miss Dick) and 1 in 20 of the would change their name if they shared it with a particularly loathsome politician.

Nearly 10% would change their names to re-invent themselves while 2% would be prepared to do it for a dare.

Kate Middleton tops the celebrity names most women would plump for (no surprise there) while David Beckham is first choice for men. He’s followed by Brad Pitt and Stephen Fry – with Daniel Craig sharing fourth place with James Bond.

Helen Mirren and Cheryl Cole are also popular choices for women.

Take a look at some of other the findings below. 2000 people were surveyed for the research.