Name changes (especially if published)

Patineuse1124 · June 2010

I was just wondering what others were going to do in regard to name changes. I'm a PhD student, and have already been published so I don't want to completely give up my maiden name (even though I've been waiting to get rid of it forever, it the type of name that gets you picked on). I'm leaning towards making my maiden name my middle name, and then when I publish use my full name, but for everything else I'll use my FI's name. Your thoughts?

Patineuse1124 · June 2010

Please keep me posted on what you decide. Somebody warned me that it's a pain to change your middle name/initial with places (like credit cards), but in my case, my middle and maiden name both start with M.

TriSaratops10 · June 2010

I still haven't completely decided, but I am pretty sure I will change (completely, my maiden doesn't sound right as a middle name). It will be hard at first, but I do like his last name and my maiden name is also a first name, so it will be nice to have a "real" last name, haha!

LauraT25 · June 2010

If I did move my maiden to my middle, I would drop my middle rather than having two middle names. I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with it - the girl in my lab who did it has her maiden/middle spelled out on her credit card. It basically looks like she hyphenated, without the hyphen.

diamondx423 · June 2010

All of my lab mates made their maiden name their middle name, and now publish under "Jane Smith Jones" instead of "Jane A. Smith". I will probably do the same, since I will have published before my marriage. I feel like most of my publications will come after my marriage, and my PI will always be an author while I'm finishing my degree so people will be able to infer that it is the same person.

SteveandKris · June 2010

I hate my middle name (Rose) - so I'm moving my madien name to my middle name and taking Fi's last name... it will be a pain because of my license (MD) and boards are all taken under my madien name, so we'll see have this goes...

(EDITED FOR SPELLING)

DanieV2010 · June 2010

I'm keeping my full name and not taking FI's. Many of my colleagues chose to do the same, because for many females in academia it's like they're losing their former work, and it was simpler to keep their names. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

M1ssJ · June 2010

I think I'm keeping my name to publish uner especially since all 4 of my degrees and my published work and experience ALL already have it! I will use his name informally but I worked 24 years to accumulate credibility! My PhD comittee advised me that name changes are "academic suicide" lol

alliesono · June 2010

I'm also a Ph.D. student. I will (hopefully) be published once before our wedding, and I haven't yet decided which way I'm going to go on the name change. That paper is under review now. Does anyone know if it's possible to publish under your married name before you're actually married? If that's a possibility I might just do that, change my name, and not have to worry about it.

Thoughts?

M1ssJ · June 2010

Not sure if you can publish under a different name than your legal name , ask your major. What will be on your actual Doctorate degree?

vana0063 · June 2010

I'm published (working on PhD) and keeping my name! Not-yet-fiance is totally cool about this. But I love my name and I'm the youngest and none of my sisters kept our awesome last name.

vana0063 · June 2010

I'm published (working on PhD) and keeping my name! Not-yet-fiance is totally cool about this. But I love my name and I'm the youngest and none of my sisters kept our awesome last name.

alliesono · June 2010

@ M1ssJ since I won't be getting my Ph.D. for a few years still after my wedding, my name on the degree will be my name at the time. I don't think it's going to be possible for me to publish under my married name yet, but I'm leaning towards changing anyway. It will only be one paper, and it is important to me to have the same last name as my future children.

ivygarland · June 2010

I moved maiden to the middle, but I hadn't been published when I married. I've also seen "FirstName Husband's-Maiden" and "FirstName Maiden-Husband". When I re-marry, I will be "FirstName NewHusband OldHusband". New husband starts conviently the same inital as my maiden name. As long as the tenure committee knows which papers are yours, it should be ok, but I'm sure it depends on the discipline.

M1ssJ · June 2010

As PP stated I think it depends on the discpiline. I guess I'm diffrent because my maiden name is already hphenated andI have 2 middle names so to add his would look like First MIddle Middle Last-Last-Last. Too much to write and it wouldn't fit anywhere!

steffydolly · June 2010

I am going to hyphenate mine. I will go by Dr. MaidenName professionally and Mrs.NewName socially. On credit cards, paperwork, etc. it will be hyphenated. My maiden name is unique and will be easily searched for on databases.

I talked to a professor in my dept. and she mentioned that if you are published with one name and don't have that name on your id's it can be a mess for traveling to conferences because people get confused.

Overall I'm just excited to get two names.

christa62105 · June 2010

My plan, although I still have plenty of time to change my mind, is to keep my first, middle, maiden, and add on his last name. This will give me a long name BUT, like you I already have a few publications, also my middle name has personal meaning to me. And I have no intention of using all 4 names at once. So, professinally I will use my maiden name, for everything else I intend to use my FIs.

Name changes (especially if published)

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