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Name Change Poll

jchristeljchristel member
1000 Comments
in New Jersey
I thought I made a decision, now I'm reconsidering my options. I'm curious to see what you did/are planning to do:

If anyone took their maiden name as their middle name, I have questions- did you change it legally via a court document, or do you just use it as your middle name?
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Re: Name Change Poll

  • jchristeljchristel member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    For the person who kept their middle name- I'm reading that you need to legally change your name with a court document.  did you do this?
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  • Karma01Karma01
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I made my maiden name my middle name and had no issues. My friend who got married a year before me told me SS gave her a problem doing but eventually they did it for her
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  • jchristeljchristel member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you, and once you change SS, everything else can be changed with it, right?  Did your marriage certificate have your maiden as your middle?
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  • felicia220felicia220 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I kept both names, hyphenated.  Do you plan on using both names? because if so then I think you need to do a hyphen.  In either case, your marriage certificate will have your maiden name on it no matter what you change your name to.  They don't put your new name on it.  
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  • jchristeljchristel member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_name-change-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6c54028a-9fa8-4e83-b1c7-38fcc961efdfPost:f1eed60d-fb5f-4056-9baf-367758508acc">Re: Name Change Poll</a>:
    [QUOTE]I kept both names, hyphenated.  Do you plan on using both names? because if so then I think you need to do a hyphen.  In either case, your marriage certificate will have your maiden name on it no matter what you change your name to.  They don't put your new name on it.  
    Posted by felicia220[/QUOTE]
    Thank you.  I'm very confused.  And I've never seen an actual marriage certificate so I didn't know what was on it. <div>
    </div><div>What I would really like to do is keep my maiden name as my middle name.  I don't plan on calling myself Jennifer Maiden Newlastname, just Jennifer Newlastname. I never used my middle name or initial, but I don't want to completely lose my maiden name and this seemed like a good alternative.  I've had this name for 38 years, dropping it entirely would be weird for me.  I thought this was going to be a simple thing, but I keep reading and people keep telling me that in order to change my middle name, it's more than a marriage change, it would have to be a legal name change which requires a court document.  We're going to see a lawyer next week to do our wills, so I can ask him then.  It's just confusing to me that some people have been able to do it and some have not.  </div>
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  • felicia220felicia220 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_name-change-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6c54028a-9fa8-4e83-b1c7-38fcc961efdfPost:80832c0b-f3da-44d6-a315-17c4c030dc2a">Re: Name Change Poll</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Name Change Poll : Thank you.  I'm very confused.  And I've never seen an actual marriage certificate so I didn't know what was on it.  What I would really like to do is keep my maiden name as my middle name.  I don't plan on calling myself Jennifer Maiden Newlastname, just Jennifer Newlastname. I never used my middle name or initial, but I don't want to completely lose my maiden name and this seemed like a good alternative. <strong> I've had this name for 38 years, dropping it entirely would be weird for me.</strong>  I thought this was going to be a simple thing, but I keep reading and people keep telling me that in order to change my middle name, it's more than a marriage change, it would have to be a legal name change which requires a court document.  We're going to see a lawyer next week to do our wills, so I can ask him then.  It's just confusing to me that some people have been able to do it and some have not.  
    Posted by jchristel[/QUOTE]

    <div>I completely agree, that is why I kept both names, but I needed to be able to use my maiden name because of family businesses and whatnot as well.  </div><div>
    </div><div>Sorry I can't be more help with the changing your middle name thing.  But at least now you know what to expect on the Marriage certificate :)</div><div>
    </div><div>Good Luck</div>
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  • jchristeljchristel member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks Felicia- I appreciate any feedback.  I'm sure the lawyer will tell me to get an official name change, but I'll probably try SS and see if they will do it.  If they won't, I'll take it from there.  At least this isn't something I have to do before the wedding.  I can worry about it after. :)
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  • felicia220felicia220 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    No problem, it would be great if SS would just do it.  Oh and there is an office in Toms River that from what I understand is NEVER busy, thats where I went.  Good Luck.
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  • akmackayakmackay
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I went to the one in Neptune and it wasn't too terrible- we waited maybe 40 minutes? I thought it was going to be much longer with how many people were there...

    And I have only changed my name with SS... haven't done anything else and now I seem to have lost my marriage certificate and can't get to the office to get a new one b/c of work. So I guess I'll just wait...
    *~allie~*

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  • felicia220felicia220 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_name-change-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6c54028a-9fa8-4e83-b1c7-38fcc961efdfPost:d575e34f-2abd-47ac-81d9-8d926aff1773">Re: Name Change Poll</a>:
    [QUOTE]I went to the one in Neptune and it wasn't too terrible- we waited maybe 40 minutes? I thought it was going to be much longer with how many people were there... And I have only changed my name with SS... haven't done anything else and <strong>now I seem to have lost my marriage certificate </strong>and can't get to the office to get a new one b/c of work. So I guess I'll just wait...
    Posted by akmackay[/QUOTE]

    <div>When I read this for a second, I was like "where's my marriage certificate" hahaha  </div>
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  • TuffysMommieTuffysMommie
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I don't have to worry about this quite yet - but I like the idea of professionally being the maiden name (work, publications, jobs, etc have all been under that name) and then socially being Mrs. HisLastName.  

    One doesn't necessarily need to legally change the last name in this situation. Mail, invitations, name association (ex: kids would then have same last name as the couple) would all be "his" last name.  

    The only thing that might be an issue is banking - but I know people who have not changed their name legally, but talk to their banks and can cash checks written to "Mrs. HisLastName."
    image Tuffy
    RIP Little Man October 15, 1995 - June 1, 2010
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  • n&b9.4.2010n&b9.4.2010
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I didn't actually change my maiden name to my last name, but my coworker did and she told me that it was a long process
    She changed her name with SS and that was the easiest part then when she tried to change her name for other things they wouldn't allow her to they even said they don't care what SS did , she had to go to court and prove that she was changing her name on all things to have it legally changed
    She said that they make you bring in all information you have on anything you own and anything in your current name to change your maiden name to your middle name, because they are concerned with you running out on debts and other things
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  • cknud112cknud112 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I had no problems making my maiden name my middle name.  SS did not give me a problem, I just wrote it on the form that way.  My driver's license has it as well.  I had no issues doing it whatsoever.  To answer your marriage license question... our marriage license had my name (maiden name) and his name.  You just need that to prove you are married, hence the reason for the name change. 
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  • akmackayakmackay
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_name-change-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:6c54028a-9fa8-4e83-b1c7-38fcc961efdfPost:22866849-ccb3-498f-9225-d39d0789b441">Re: Name Change Poll</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Name Change Poll : When I read this for a second, I was like "where's my marriage certificate" hahaha  
    Posted by felicia220[/QUOTE]

    haha I think DH threw it out b/c it was in an envelope but he says I lost it. Both are highly likely. He pitches things b/c he can't stand clutter, I move things around b/c he gets mad if I leave things in one place and I end up losing them. It's a lose-lose.
    *~allie~*

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