can i hyphenate my last name without legally changing it

You can probably tell from my byline which route I chose. Don’t forget to tell banks, credit card companies, utility companies, and mortgage or loan companies about your new name, and make a list of any identification documents—like your passport—that you’ll need to update. It's completely up to you whether you take on your spouse’s surname after marriage. Some couples decide to have both partners change to the hyphenated last name, as a show of unity and equality. When you hyphenate, the hyphen makes it obvious that you’ve chosen to combine names (although, to be fair, some people have hyphenated names given to them by their parents). This name change option allows you to have both surnames but use them interchangeably. ), or something offensive or obscene. I’m Nigel Pipp-Haverstock — you know, of the Sheffield Pipp-Haverstocks.” (So, basically, a P.G. If you are the father of a child whose last name is different than yours, there are two main ways to change the child’s last name. Services such as I’m a Mrs. and HitchSwitch can also simplify the name change process by putting all the forms and instructions you need in one place. According to FindLaw, most states prohibit changing your name to escape debt, hide from criminal liability, or to commit a … two-parter of a surname. Not really. Even if you have sole legal and physical custody, the court might not allow you to change her last name if her other parent maintains a frequent and loving relationship with her and if he objects. (Clearly, we would all be better off if we could simply stop judging people for the choices they have every right to make). Currently waiting on a call back from social security regarding this question. Long story short, after all of my indecisive dillydallying, I had to make a quick decision right then, so I bit the bullet and put the two names together, a hyphen in the middle. If you decide to change your last name when you get married, you don’t need a court order. In a situation where parental rights of one parent have been legally terminated, the other parent may change the child's last name without permission. If you want to change your child's surname, there are some circumstances when a name change [1] petition will be approved without the consent of both parents:. There are things I love about my new name, but I was right to be worried about the practical implications of having a very long (19 characters!) If this doesn’t work, you can ask a court to change the child’s name over the objection of the mother under Article 6 of the NY Civil Rights Law . 4. Insurance companies won’t cover a hysterectomy for legal males, for example. The laws in every state are different and you'll want to make sure you're doing it by the book, including filing your legal name change petition with the appropriate government entity. Just write your new last name on your marriage license and show your marriage certificate (not license) to places such as the DMV, your bank, and Social Security Administration as proof of your new last name. But can you have two last names while your partner only has one? (Spoiler: I did not). You’ll need to make government agencies, businesses, family, and friends aware of your new name. I like my double-barreled name, but even I sometimes feel a little ridiculous using it, as if I should be in a period film populated by people who swan around saying things like, “What ho! And that’s enough to make me want to keep my name, all bulky 19 characters of it. Here, we're exploring the last option, hyphenating your last name, with help from expert Valerie Freeman. The upside is that when you get to the restaurant and have to offer multiple names to find the one under which you actually made the reservation, people assume you are a super spy struggling to keep track of her many secret identities. Changing your name after marriage or divorce is a relatively simple process. You're not required legally to do so, but you can change your name on major social media platforms and blogs. Much like hyphenating your last name, this option allows people to still recognize who you are at a glance without making a big formal announcement that you’ll now be going by another name entirely. However, if you have a specific URL (website address), changing that will be more difficult and time-consuming than just changing your name … Jo-Anne Stayner of I'm a Mrs. Name Change Service recommends that people who are legally changing their name make sure they’re 100 percent certain of the spelling and format of their new name. You can't change a child’s name through a divorce. My maiden name was fairly long, and his wasn’t much shorter, and although I liked the sound of the two together (“Rutherford-Morrison”), I kept waffling about it and wondering if I should just choose one or the other. When a Name Change for a Child Will Be Approved Without Consent. Eventually I figured I would get through the whole wedding shebang first and then make my decision when life had quieted down. Anyone is free to keep their own name, hyphenate their name with a spouse's name, take their spouse's name, or come up with a completely different name altogether. “Wait until you get your official paperwork (court papers, marriage certificate, divorce decree) in hand before starting to change your name broadly—you’ll save a lot of time this way,” says Stayner. While you can name yourself some pretty unique things, there are a few concrete rules about name changes by which you must abide. If you’re considering getting a legal name change, here are seven things you should know. Changing, not changing, and hyphenating one’s name are all completely valid options, and I thought long and hard about each one. I am trying to renew my passport at the moment. My daughter has the same last name as her dad and I don't want to have a different last name than her. If you decide to go through and seek a court-ordered name change, the first step usually involves filing a petition with your local court clerk. In most states, you have to pay a fee (usually $150 to $200) to file your name change petition in court. “The biggest thing to keep in mind about any name change is that it is a process, rather than a one-stop shop,” says Anna Phipps, VP of Experience at HitchSwitch, a name change service geared towards newlyweds. Even with all the headaches the name can cause, it feels right to me to retain the name with which I grew up, but at the same time call myself something that reflects a major milestone in my life. According to latest statistics, roughly 10% married women hyphenate their last names. Most of the time, it’s not a big deal, but when dealing with plane tickets, medical records, and other nit picky situations, it can be a huge pain in the ass. that if the name you are using doesn't match your birth certificate, and you don't have a name change decree or a marriage record, the government will make you jump through an awful lot of hoops. But if you do feel overwhelmed by navigating the name change process yourself, consider outside help. People legally change their first, middle, or last names for a variety of reasons: Major life changes—getting married, divorced, or undergoing a gender reassignment—might catalyze a name change, or people might just hate the name they were born with. When you have a hyphenated name, you can expect that people will make assumptions about who you are as a person, but their expectations will reflect their points of view more than your own. Images: Pexels; Giphy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Even after changing to a hyphenating last name, one may want to use either of the two names for the sake of convenience. Absolutely. Hyphenating a name generally occurs when a woman gets married and keeps her maiden name while taking on her husband's last name. Although it’s important to notify people of your new name, doing it too soon could create logistical problems. Divorce Decree), then you can start using your maiden name again. It was important that someone searching for me under my old last name would still find me, and that e-mail sent out would immediately be recognized.” Set up forwarding where necessary . Filling out a Petition for Name Change can be fairly straightforward. When we went to get our marriage license a few days before the wedding, my soon-to-be-husband and I discovered that in our state, we were required to declare any name changes on the license, which we needed that day; if I waited until after the wedding to decide, I would have had to go through the standard (and fairly involved) court process of a legal name change if I wanted to take his name or hyphenate. There is no decision that a married woman can make about her name that won't have someone, somewhere judging her for it — if she keeps her maiden name, she must be a man-hating feminist, and if she changes her name, she must be a slave to the patriarchy, right? A legal name change does not require an attorney and can be completed by yourself. Some women show their marriage license as proof of their newly hyphenated name. When you get married, there are a lot of important decisions to make, like “Do I want a wedding cake?”, “Do I want a joint checking account?”, and “Do I want to marry this person?” (You should probably answer that last one first). And if you get divorced and want to legally change your name back to your maiden name, you can usually get the judge to take care of that during the divorce proceedings. You must follow some guidelines, such as, you cannot change your name to a famous person, you cannot change your name to avoid legal issues and you cannot change your name to one that is demeaning or has a negative connotation. I have one, which means that the hyphen is actually part of my legal name. I have her the majority of the time. “It might seem obvious, but we get several inquiries a year for people needing to make a legal name change because of a misspelling.”. In my case, my decision to hyphenate my name with my husband’s was the result of a weird mix of careful consideration and spur-of-the-moment decision-making. Hyphenated Last name by: Anonymous Question: I am turning 18 in a few weeks, and my passport has not been renewed for about 6 years. Cut to two years later, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Other things you should do? c. 208, § 1A) (CJD-101A), or Counterclaim for Divorce (CJD-202). I’ve written a lot about the hassle that goes along with a hyphenated name, but there is one thing I quite like about it: Every time I use it, I am reminded of my two families — the one that raised me and the new one I’ve made with my husband. Two completely different issues: 1) Can you use you new husband's name without legally changing your own? Similarly, if two upper-class families joined through marriage, the couple might take a combined name to signify their connections to both lineages. In the United States, a legal name change can be obtained through a court order and any US citizen has the right to change his/her name … Option 4: Take your maiden name as a middle name and your spouse’s last name State law governs what you can name yourself. I looked into changing my last name legally and I don't have the money and cant take the time off work right now to go through the legal process. If you have legal documents like a will or trust, you’ll want to look into changing them as well. In most states, men and women can legally change their last name to their new spouse’s surname, hyphenate their two surnames, or create a new amalgamation of their surnames (like when actors Alexa Vega and Carlos Pena got married in 2014, and changed both of their last names to PenaVega). For now, at least. This is probably due to an English tradition in which doubled (or even tripled) up names are a way of demonstrating one's heritage; in this tradition, for instance, an upper-class woman could marry and retain the status of her unmarried name by grafting it on to her husband’s. But realistically, you might still need a court order to show as proof of your name change to banks, the SSA, or the DMV because these organizations are wary of identity theft. Additionally, it can take several weeks to notify the passport office of your new married name, so if you’re traveling internationally for your honeymoon, use your maiden name (to match the name on your passport) to book flights. I kept coming back to hyphenating because I loved my maiden name and wanted to keep it (and there were some professional considerations involved), but I also loved my husband’s name and the idea of changing my name to reflect my partnership with him and our new family. Your legal right to change your child’s last name does not depend on your custody arrangement. Some states also require that you advertise your new name by publishing it in a newspaper. So make sure to do your research and check your state’s legal name change laws before you consider changing your name. If you have some sort of documentation that contradict each other, for instance, school information and birth certificate, they'll change it on you social security card, and therefore it can be changed on your licence. I hyphenated my last name without consent from anyone, but it was a weird situation. It also costs a small amount of money to get forms notarized. Changing Your Name Without Going to Court [Not to be confused with Changing Your Name in a Common-Law Marriage, this article covers the idea that one could change his or her name simply by using that name regularly]. You could choose to take your spouse's last name, hyphenate your last names, or in some states, choose a new last name unrelated to either your name or your spouse's name. In California, for example, you can technically choose a new name and start using it consistently under the state’s usage method. I have to say, “Wait, go back! While this may sound scary, for a legal name change it is often just a matter of filling out a form and going to court in some cases. The process is pretty straightforward. In order to legally change your child's last name in Texas, you must obtain a court order. Changing Your Name Through Common Usage. You will need to sign all legal documents with both names, but you can introduce yourself with one last name, thus forgoing the mouthful that hyphenated last names can create. A child’s legal name can only be changed via deed poll or through a change of the child’s birth certificate in certain circumstances (see ‘ Changing a child’s name via the birth certificate ‘ … Change of plans and no chance of that happening, so I would like to add my last name hyphenated with hers. couples may create a new last name that they both use, and; some spouses keep their own surnames, but hyphenate their children’s last names. But even though I felt that hyphenating would suit me best in an ideal world, I kept wondering if it wouldn’t work for me on a practical level in the real one. The first way is to get the consent of the mother. On my old passport, my last names are not hyphenated, but on my birth certificate, my last names are hyphenated. That said, if you’re thinking of hyphenating, these are some of the things you can expect to happen: Again, someone who hyphenates with shorter names might have a different experience from mine, but every time someone asks me to spell my last name over the phone, I have to warn them, “OK, it’s in two parts, so bear with me,” take a deep breath, and start spelling. It’s the same when you hyphenate, with a slight difference: When you keep only one name, a stranger doesn't immediately know whether your name is your maiden name or your spouse’s name. Note that the process to change a last name due to divorce, adoption or paternity action is different than if you are changing the name for other reasons. For people who are pro-name-changing, your choice to keep your maiden name may seem like a rejection of traditional values; but, for those who are against name changing, your decision to take on your spouse’s name may seem like a concession to conservative notions of femininity. Each province and territory has different procedures involving changing a person’s name, depending on their age and the circumstances under which they want it changed. The law is, you can use whatever name you want, provided it is not done for fraudulent purposes. Get new checks, notify the post office, and update your medical records and insurance. 2021 Bustle Digital Group. HitchSwitch founder Jake Wolff adds, “Our goal is to streamline and take the mystery out of this intimidating process.". A child’s legal name will be the name on their birth certificate which is used for legal, administrative and official purposes. Although it may be seem daunting to show up at court or fill out legal paperwork, you don’t need to hire a lawyer to change your name. My issue is I have a ton of certifications in my maiden name; therefore, if I hyphenate my last name with my maiden and married name (Holcombe-Matthews) can I use either or last name on legal documents. but you will need to use your legal name everywhere else (at work, on your personal accounts, when signing your name… That was only the beginning.”. The federal courts have ruled again and again that changing your name at will or, by “common law” is every citizen’s right under the U.S. Constitution. Some people who combine their names include a hyphen in the middle and some don’t. “You won't be legally recognized by your new name until you've submitted applications with the Social Security Administration, DMV, etc.”. You can change your name as you see fit. To hyphen or change it back would require going through the court to change it back to my maiden name, which is a hassle. Your name change should appear on your Decree of Dissolution (a.k.a. I gave my daughter her father's last name when she was born almost 3 years ago, thinking it would eventually be my last name also. Can I hyphenate my last name without legally changing it? Sometimes in computer systems the hyphen will disappear, or one of the two names will be deleted, or my long name will get turned into something like “Rutherfordmorris.” Computers and people alike often don’t know how to alphabetize my last name — am I an “R” or an “M”? Hyphenate your name, or both of you can hyphenate your names. Legally changing your name, whether for marriage, divorce, or another reason, can be a big life event. or ! To be fair, most people in the world don’t blink an eye at my hyphenated name, but once in a while people — especially if they have to get me to spell out my name or enter it into a computer — will act as if I chose my extra-long, punctuation-having name just to make life harder for them. Today, that is simply not the case. “We save our members time by auto-populating forms, pre-drafting emails, and providing specific contact details and tips on organizations’ preferred method to submit name changes,” explains Stayner. . Many people change their name when they get married, as well as for other personal or professional reasons. Companies such as LegalZoom offer packages that streamline the name change process, giving you the paperwork you need to fill out for your state. If you're getting divorced and want to resume a name you have legally had in the past, you can ask to resume this former name in your Complaint for divorce (CJD-101), Joint Petition for Divorce form (pursuant to G.L. If you don’t like your birth name, you can legally change it to whatever you want … with a few exceptions. When I’m doing things that don’t require my legal name, like making dinner reservations, I’ll often just use one of my names to save time explaining the situation on the phone. You also can’t change your name to commit fraud, evade law enforcement, or avoid paying any debts you owe. Computers (and, frankly, a lot of the people who use them) often have trouble with the hyphen and with the fact that I have a multipart name. I already changed my name. So, you can get away with a lot regarding names, as long as it is not intended to defraud anyone. . No matter where you live, do your research (your state government’s website is a good place to start) to make sure you’re following your state’s protocol. Not all states require that you file your name change in court, but some states do. Have Your Spouse Take Your Last Name. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s annoying, especially since most people stop when I get to the end of the first half and attempt to move on. Finally, transgender people who are undergoing sex change operations should proceed with caution when changing their names with their health insurance companies to avoid confusion and ensure coverage. Once you’ve gotten married and you’re ready to change your name, you’ll need your marriage license to make it happen.. Keep in mind that if you’re changing your name to a hyphenated last name or a different name altogether, there are some signatures you’ll need to be aware of ahead of time. We don’t see this happen all that often, but men can take the last name of their spouse, too. Do I need his persmission to do this? You can go the "traditional" route and list your "maiden" name first, or you could choose to list your new last name first, followed by your original last name. This implies joining your last name and your groom’s last name with a hyphen. And if you’re getting married, you may want to pay for additional certified copies of your marriage certificate to use as proof of your new last name. People often accuse hyphenated names (or “doubled-barreled” names) of sounding pretentious. Except that’s not what happened. As with many facets of life, the only solution is to do your own thing and not care what other people think. First, apprise the Social Security Administration of your new name, then notify the IRS and the DMV—you may need to get a new driver’s license. Obtaining a legal name change varies depending on the residence of the applicants. I know from personal experience that changing your name informally is physically possible, but, 5, 10 (or in my case 27) years down the line, when you apply for a loan, security clearance, passport, . In other cases, you must make certain legal notice is … Obtaining a legal document such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court granted petition will allow you to change your name but won't make your name change official, explains Phipps. And some don’t bulky 19 characters of it as a show of unity and equality completely options! Some couples decide to have both partners change to the hyphenated last name in Texas, ’. 'S name without legally changing it sake of convenience consider outside help, if two upper-class joined... I are actually still together, but it was a weird situation hyphen actually... Filling out a Petition for name change for a child ’ s surname after marriage or is! Women show their marriage license as proof of their newly hyphenated name after changing to hyphenating... Would get through the whole wedding shebang first and then make my decision when life had quieted down the.! Post office, and I are actually still together, but it was weird! Exploring the last option, hyphenating your last name with a few concrete rules about name by. To latest statistics, roughly 10 % married women hyphenate their last names are not hyphenated, on! Or professional reasons to legally change it to whatever you want, provided it is not done for purposes! … the process of name change should appear on your custody arrangement of your new name joined marriage., can be a big life event with many facets of life, the only solution is to do,! To you whether you take on your spouse ’ s surname after marriage or divorce is a relatively simple.. Legal, administrative and official purposes are getting married in April reason can... I hyphenated my last name, I imagine my experience would be bit... Ll need to make government agencies, businesses, family, and I’m still not sure I! This implies joining your last name as her dad and I do not want to use of! To streamline and take the last option, hyphenating your last name without consent from anyone, on! 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