anyone else name change like this

cdlnmf · August 2010

I've read a lot of posts about name changing, and the various ways different ladies are going to go about rearranging their own names. Specifically, I'm wondering if anyone has actually gone through and done the change to be "first name, drop original middle name and adopt maiden name as new middle name, his last name."

I'm doing this, and its been a ridiculous process, haha. Just wondering if anyone else has done it and if their journey through it was as problematic as mine.

Hellokatie0517 · August 2010

That's what my mom did because her father passed before she married, but that was 37 years ago. Sorry, I'm of no help, but I like the idea. I'd consider it if my married name weren't as long as my maiden name.

october010bride · August 2010

I plan on doing that after the wedding. Sorry it's been such a pain! What exactly is going wrong?

cdlnmf · August 2010

When we went to fill out the marriage license the town clerk told me that on the marriage license the only change you can make is to your last name. I don't really know if thats actually true, or if they just didn't know any better though. Haha. Anyway, to do that they told me I have to go through the court for the legal name change process, which is just annoying. It takes forever, and it costs so much money. Its just annoying is all, I guess. I mean its worth it for me, but when you do it make sure you question if they don't want to let you on your marriage license!

cdlnmf · August 2010

Oh, and silly me of course, wrote on the marriage certificate that I would be a hyphenated last name. I don't know why because I had intended on changing it still anyways, but I still did that. Which sort of further complicates things because while the process completes I have like thirty different names. haha

Karen's MOH · August 2010

I was planning on doing something like that too. Is that a state thing-- they won't let you change your middle name with the marriage license? If that's the truth, I might just drop my last name altogether. I don't feel like spending a lot of time and money for something that only I will know anyway.

Can you tell us more about the process?

cdlnmf · August 2010

Yes. At my town clerk office they told me that name change through marriage license is only valid for your surname (last name). I can't really find any more information about that, but I would really look into asking your own town clerks about it because I honestly wonder if maybe that is an outdated type of regulation since it seems like more women are opting for creative name changes after marriage. It really might be true that this is how you have to do it though. Anyway, basically you have to have a copy of your marriage cert after it goes through and a copy of your birth certificate and you have to take them to your local family/probate court system. Mine is 30 minutes away in Worcester. I guess my smaller city doesn't have its own family court which is the branch that handles name changes. So you go there with your documents, they type you up a paper and they charge you 180 dollars. You have to take said paper to your local town newspaper office (they tell you which newspaper you have to go to) and then the newspaper office faxes its to their headquarters. You wait 2-4 days for someone to call you, and then they let you know what day they are going to run your name change in the paper. (I guess, the law is for all name changes other than marriage or divorce ones, that you have to run it in the paper for a day. That way if anyone objects, haha, I don't understand it, but that way if anyone objects they can call and protest your name change) It makes no sense to me! Oh, and before the run it in the paper they will make you pay. It cost me 90 more dollars. Then, it will run in the paper and the paper will send you another piece of paper within 3-7 days after it runs. You take that paper back to the family/probate court where you started, and then at some point within (so they tell me) a few weeks after they send you your legal name change document which you can take to SS office and all the other places you'd normally use your marriage certificate to for changing your name.

Its just ridiculous. I don't know what else I'll have to pay for, since I'm still only in the middle of this process. For me, it is worth it, but going into it I didn't know it would be this crazy.

Karen's MOH · August 2010

Wow. I'll ask when we apply for our marriage license, but I'm not sure it's worth it to me! My plan was to do Myfirst Mycurrentmiddle Mycurrentlast Hislast, with both my middle and last names as middle names. I'm guessing that would be even more confusing!

jkepros · August 2010

Wow! PITA. We have to amend our marriage license bc H mispelled his mother's maiden name on it (I didn't catch it). There's no rush though, so I'm delaying...and all we have to do is submit some forms, nothing like what you are going through. I am not planning on changing my name, so I haven't gone through that process.

amandasw · August 2010

thanks for all the ideas... shopping tomorrow!

Galaxy8227 · August 2010

I work for a town clerks office and it is true that the marriage license will only change your married name. If you wish to legally change your middle name you need to do a legal name change. Some people will start taking their maiden name as their middle name with places that don't need to see documents (like credit cards, changing bills etc). However it won't be totally legal until you go to court.

Karen's MOH · August 2010

Thanks Galaxy-- that clears it up better than the legaleze I was reading online.

lily81 · August 2010

Karen's MOH:
I added my maiden name as a second middle name, and it was actually pretty simple. When I went to the Social Security office to apply for a new card, I just told the clerk that I wanted to add my maiden name as a second middle name. She made the change in their system, and then gave me a letter that I brought to the RMV. I showed them the letter and they gave me a license with my new last name and two middle initials. My new SS card also has all four names on it.

EM619 · August 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_anyone-else-name-change-like-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:06b1e151-faa0-4f8f-919d-115d27919151Post:4b18fb43-13f1-4a4c-9448-4a2b38326d00">Re: anyone else name change like this</a>:
[QUOTE]Karen's MOH: I added my maiden name as a second middle name, and it was actually pretty simple. When I went to the Social Security office to apply for a new card, I just told the clerk that I wanted to add my maiden name as a second middle name. She made the change in their system, and then gave me a letter that I brought to the RMV. I showed them the letter and they gave me a license with my new last name and two middle initials. My new SS card also has all four names on it.
Posted by lily81[/QUOTE]

Same here.

jonnysbride2010 · August 2010

I didn't have a problem changing my middle and last name? I went to Social Security with my marriage license and said I want to be Mrs. (my first name) (my current middle name) (my last name now middle name) (husband's last name) and they said okay fill this out and then wait 24 hours and go to RMV to change your license and title etc. It's been a hassle calling, emailing, photocopying etc. to get everything done but I didn't run in to any trouble doing it! Yikes! I'm sorry it's been such a process for you!

cdlnmf · August 2010

I think it might be more complicated because I want to drop my existing middle name. I just wanted the simplicity of a shorter name.

jenwindy · August 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_anyone-else-name-change-like-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:89Discussion:06b1e151-faa0-4f8f-919d-115d27919151Post:f3b885fc-6506-4115-8f6c-6ba84960a86b">Re: anyone else name change like this</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: anyone else name change like this : Same here.
Posted by EM619[/QUOTE]

Same here as well! It was a simple process for me. I made the middle name change at the Social Security Office.

jaguarjen · August 2010

I missed this before! Caveat, I am not a lawyer, but my fiance is, and I had asked him about this. The answer (which I don't fully and completely understand, to be honest) is that it is necessary to do the court order process to *change* your legal middle name as it would be used in court proceedings, but not to *use* whatever middle name you like, as middle names are considered irrelevant. He said that since in 99% of life all that matters is what's on your Social Security card (since everything else seems to require Social Security card or something that can be changed based on your SS card), and all the Social Security Administration cares about is proper documentation for the first and last names, for most people there's no need to bother with the court order process. The documentable legal name does need to be used in legal proceedings (like if you're charged with a crime, or involved in a lawsuit, or in your will) - again, as far as my fiance explained this to me.

For example, I am currently (hypothetically) Jennifer Ann Smith. My marriage certificate will change my last name to Johnson. For legal purposes I would be Jennifer Ann Johnson, nee Smith. However, in daily life, including on my social security card I will be Jennifer Smith Johnson and mostly sign things Jennifer S. Johnson. I would then write up my will as the last will and testament of Jennifer Ann Johnson aka Jennifer Smith Johnson. (And even that maybe isn't completely necessary, I'm guessing, just makes things go more smoothly for my hypothetical heirs.) I'm also guessing this is more important if you're sole owner of a business so that the business legal name is your legal name, or other things like that.

Again, I'm not the lawyer, (and this isn't the lawyer fiance's area of expertise) so I may not be explaining this perfectly, but I had no idea there could be a distinction between the Legal Name per public records and the name on your Social Security card, which explains the difference between what people are hearing/experiencing on this.

anyone else name change like this

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