Managing your Name and Data

This section is for members of the UC Berkeley community who wish to have a lived name used in campus systems for display and/or use by university staff.

With the implementation of the GRLN policy, your lived name should be displayed and used across all university systems and documents unless a legal name is required. Please note that UC Berkeley is in the process of implementing the GRLN policy and not all systems have reached full compliance.

Names are collected and updated in several main systems that flow to most other campus systems. Please see below for instructions on updating your name in these systems to the name you wish to be used and displayed when interacting with others on campus. Depending on which systems you update your name in, your lived name may be visible to those who you have given access to view your university records such as tuition & fees.

Changing or Updating my Name

Please review all steps below. Some people may need to complete more than one of the steps below to update a lived name across all systems they are in. (E.g. a student worker will need to update their name in CalCentral and UCPath.)

Changing my Lived Name in University Systems

Your campus affiliation	University systems	Where your lived name will be displayed once changed	How to change your lived name in this system
All current students, faculty, staff	eTang	Most eTang features and UHS use (*some features still utilize legal name)	How to Edit Lived Name, Pronouns, and Gender Identity in eTang
Students	CalCentral	Class rosters, Cal 1 Card, most campus systems with student information (*some systems may need to utilize legal name)	Go to CalCentral, Click your Avatar (in the top right corner). From the dropdown menu, select Personal Profile. On the Personal tab: To update lived name, click on the “lived name” value, make edits to your first, middle, and/or last name, and then click save. You cannot use special (non-ASCII) characters in your lived name. You cannot update your legal name on this page. Instead, follow these directions to change (or correct) your legal name
Employees (faculty, staff, and student employees)	UCPath	Some UCPath features; staff/faculty Cal 1 Card, most campus systems with employee information (*some systems may need to utilize legal name)	Log into the UCPath Employee Self Service Portal at https://ucpath.universityofcalifornia.edu/. Navigate to: Employee Actions > Personal Information > Personal Information Summary > Legal Name/Name and click the down arrows for Names. Then click on Legal/Name and then Edit Legal Name/Name, and there you will see what your names are actually set to in UCPath. Edit your Name as desired, and then press OK, and then Submit. From there, you can double check that your name updated by returning to Legal Name/Name, and clicking Edit Legal Name/Name. You should see your Name changes. Additional help is available by contacting the Berkeley UCPath Operations Team at ucbucpath@berkeley.edu
Alumni	CalNet Directory	bConnected Google & Box accounts	For alumni who have graduated within the last two years, log into CalCentral to set a lived name for transcripts and most campus systems. From the homepage that appears: Click the Profile tile. Select the Personal tab to review/update names Alumni who have graduated more than two years ago can set a lived name for bMail and the Campus Directory using the the following methods: Alumni who graduated Fall 2016 and on can use this link to access the eForm to update their lived or legal name. Alumni who graduated before Fall 2016 will need to mail in a completed Petition for Change of Name after Awarding Degree along with proper documentation.

Changing my Legal Name

Some documents and business processes that may require the use of a legal name include financial aid, payroll documents, tax documents, bills for payment, or medical identification and records.

How to update your legal name with the university:

Students - Update your legal name with the Office of the Registrar
Employees - Log into UCPath, find the "Personal Information” menu, and edit your legal name under "Legal/Preferred Name". You may be required to send proof of the name change to Human Resources. US Employees: All legal name changes must match the name on your social security card.

Resources for help getting a legal name change:

Berkeley Law partners with the East Bay Community Law Center to hold free Name & Gender Change Workshops. To sign up, email ngcw@berkeley.edu or call 510-560-4213. Upcoming workshop information can be found on the NGCW Facebook and Instagram pages.
Changing your legal name in California:
- Information can be found at the California Courts website.

CalCentral FAQs for Students

How do I update my CalCentral settings?

Follow these steps to view and update your name and other data in your profile:

Use your CalNet ID to log into CalCentral
Click your Avatar (in the top right corner).
From the dropdown menu, select Personal Profile.
Select the Personal tab to review/update names; choose the Biographic tab to update gender identity, sexual orientation, and pronouns; review delegate name option below
Please note: Unless there is an identified lived name, the name field will default to legal name.

Review the information icons () on the pages to learn more.

Screenshot of Calcentral student ID, Cal Central Settings, Personal Profile, and logout

How do I review or update my lived or legal name?

To view your name data, follow these steps:

Go to CalCentral
Click your Avatar (in the top right corner).
From the dropdown menu, select Personal Profile.
On the Personal tab:

To update lived name, click on the lived name value, make edits to your first, middle, and/or last name, and then click save. You cannot use special (non-ASCII) characters in your lived name.
You cannot update your legal name on this page. Instead, follow these directions to change (or correct) your legal name

Note: Unless there is an identified lived name, the name field will default to legal name.

How do I update my Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and/or Pronouns? Where did the existing values come from and who can see them?

To view and update your Biographical data, including your Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Pronouns, follow these steps:

Go to CalCentral
Click your Avatar (in the top right corner).
From the dropdown menu, select Personal Profile.
Click the Biographic tab.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation is initially populated with information provided on your University admission application. You can update it at any time.

Selecting Pronouns is highly recommended and you can now add and update your Pronouns any time. Once selected, they will be displayed below your name on:

CalCentral > My Academics > Academic Profile
CalCentral > My Academics > Semesters card > View Academic Summary

Review the information icons () on the pages to learn more.

Advisors and Instructors will also be able to view your pronouns. If you leave your pronouns blank, it will not be displayed in CalCentral or to your Advisors or Instructors.

How do I manage my delegates and which name they see?

Add and manage your delegates under CalCentral > Avatar > Personal Profile > Delegate Access.
All delegates you added prior to Oct. 8, 2023 will continue to see legal name. Update the Name to Display to this Delegate to lived name anytime.
Any delegate you add on or after Oct. 8, 2023 will include the selection of either the legal or lived name to display to the delegate.
Regardless of the choices above, delegates who have been granted access to financial data (“Finances: View and Pay”) will see legal name in the payment system accessed via CalCentral > My Finances > Billing Summary > Make Payment button or View PDF Statement link

My name is a mononym (only one name). How can I save my name in CalCentral?

First and last name values are required in CalCentral. Populate your mononym in the last name field and enter a period “.” in the first name field.

If I have a role as a student and a staff member (e.g., student workers, Graduate Student Instructors, Graduate Student Workers), where can I update my name?

For students who have a dual role of student and staff, the primary location to update name and biographic data will be CalCentral. However, to update name data within UCPath or CalTime or to employee-related updates such as benefits selections or direct deposit information, please log into the UCPath system.

How do I control what name appears in the campus directory?

The campus directory will reflect a student’s lived name as set within CalCentral, including first, middle, and last name. If you have not set a lived name, the directory will display your legal name. To change your directory name listing (e.g., deleting your middle name so it will no longer be displayed), update your lived name in CalCentral following the steps outlined above.