Major life events like a marriage or divorce may prompt you to change your name, but some people change their names for various personal reasons.
Most states allow you to start using a new name without paperwork (i.e., standard law name change).
If you want banks or government institutions to recognize your new name officially, a court order from your state court is usually required (i.e., the court decreed name change) to register your new name.
Asking government institutions to recognize a name change usually requires you to provide the following:
Some states require you to publish a notice in your local newspaper notifying people of your proposed name change. Anyone affected may then attend the scheduled hearing.
As a reference, people often call a Name Change by other names:
Government institutions like the Social Security Administration for benefits, IRS for tax returns, and State Department for passports often need a court-decreed name change.
The process of legally changing your name varies from state to state. Usually, it requires filing a petition in your local court and attending a hearing where others may comment or object to the proposed name change.
When the court issues a judgment granting the name change, your new name is official.
| Birth Names | Celebrity Names |
|---|---|
| Frances Ethel Gumm | Judy Garland |
| Margaret Mary Emily Hyra | Meg Ryan |
| Natalie Hershlag | Natalie Portman |
| Caryn Elaine Johnson | Whoopi Goldberg |
| Eric Marlon Bishop | Jamie Foxx |
| Allan Stewart Konigsberg | Woody Allen |
| Norma Jeane Mortenson | Marilyn Monroe |
| Demetria Guynes | Demi Moore |
| Frederick Austerlitz | Fred Astaire |
| Katherine McMath | Ginger Rogers |
| Peter Gene Hernandez | Bruno Mars |
| Steveland Judkins | Stevie Wonder |
| Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor | Lorde |
| Audrey Perry | Faith Hill |
| Amanda Lee Rogers | Portia De Rossi |
| Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta | Lady Gaga |
| Reginald Kenneth Dwight | Elton John |
| Tara Leigh Patrick | Carmen Electra |
| Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson | Katy Perry |
| Mark Vincent | Vin Diesel |
Even if you have been using a new name with your family, friends, and co-workers, you will not have the legal right to change your name with government agencies like the Social Security Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles until you obtain an order from your local court.
According to a June 2015 New York Times article, women are increasingly keeping their maiden names, especially if they are Asian, Hispanic, have an advanced degree, or “made a name” for themselves professionally before marriage.
More than ten years ago, however, a 2004 Harvard Study found a decrease in women keeping their maiden names, at least in Massachusetts.
Independent of these trends, a 2010 Dutch study found that women who adopt their partner’s names are judged as “more caring, more dependent, less intelligent, more emotional, less competent, and less ambitious” compared to women who kept their names and even took home nearly $500 a month more in salary.
Maybe Lucy Stone, the first American woman to keep her name after marriage in 1855, was on to something.
An earlier 2013 New York Times article offers another solution — become a “situational name user” — use your maiden name in professional situations and your married name in social situations.
If you choose not to change your name legally, carefully purchase plane tickets using the name on your driver’s license to avoid getting stuck in the airport because your ticket does not match your ID.
A Name Change is commonly used in the following situations:
If you are undergoing a gender change or reassignment, the courts of California guide how to change your name and gender through the court process. Consider a “Sealed Name Change” if you want to seal court records so the public cannot see them.
For example, you are changing your name to protect yourself from an abuser in a domestic violence situation.
Once you have a marriage license, divorce certificate, or court order granting your name change, you will need to notify government institutions, banks, and others to complete the process of changing your name:
Susan Chai is Legal Counsel and Legal Editor at LegalTemplates and has been with the company from the ground floor. She has 15 years of experience in the corporate and regulatory compliance space.