Taking her maiden name as a middle name after marriage is one of the more popular name change choices of brides today. Many women are attached to their maiden names for various reasons: they built a career using it, they are the only child to carry on the family name or they can’t imagine “being anyone else”. Adding her maiden name as a middle name allows for a woman to “keep” her maiden name while taking her husband’s last name, but avoid the mouthful of a hyphenated name.
News flash! More and more states are no longer recognizing a woman’s right to change her middle name based on marriage. What does this mean to newlyweds in the middle of name change? If you live in California, New Jersey, New York, New York City, Ohio (unless your Marriage Certificate shows your intended middle name), Pennsylvania or Washington you are unable to take your maiden name as your middle name as part of your married name change.
Be aware of your state’s policies regarding name change. If you file your government forms with a new middle name, but live in a state that disallows maiden to middle name change you will end up with mismatched identification documents. The reality of having a different name on your state driver’s license and your U.S. Passport can be unsettling. Travel will be tedious as you need to book any international flights in the name on your passport, but local flights should match your state driver’s license. There can also be issues if security is requiring two forms of ID (as yours won’t match). We highly recommend choosing one married name option and using it on ALL of your documents.
If a bride is dead set on changing her middle name, she will have to petition the U.S. court system via an attorney for a legal name change. This can be a very long and expensive process, but it might be the only way a couple can come to a married name they can agree upon. The moral of this blog posting is be sure to research your state’s name change policies before you begin your name change. If you’d like to speak with a married name change expert about your particular state and situation, call the gurus at MissNowMrs.com. They’ll provide you with the most up-to-date information on your state for free! They can also help you consider alternate name change options if you end up being in a non-middle name change state.
Have you tried to change your name and run into red tape and state-specific issues? Share your story today and help another newlywed avoid unnecessary name change hassle!
Tags: Name Change After Marriage, Newlywed, Newlywed Solutions
I live in PA and it has been such a run around! I went to the Social Security office and had no problems with my name change (FIRST MAIDEN NEWLAST). I received my new SS card in the mail 3 days later and headed to the DMV. Once there, I was told that I could not change my middle name, only my last with both my maiden and new last name or drop my maiden name altogether. Now my SS card and DL do not match! I will need a court order to change it the way I want it to be so instead I’m giving up my maiden name just to make it faster and less expensive.
I think it’s so unfair that only 7 states don’t allow maiden to middle name change, and you happen to live in one of them. Best wishes for finishing your name change and transition from Miss to Mrs.!
Did FL change their laws? Because I went today to change my name, at the SS office they wouldnt let me change my middle name to my maiden name, and told me I had to go to clerk of courts. At Clerk of Courts they told me it would cost $400, and I’d have to get a background check and fingerprints?! I broke down and started crying bc I use my last name professionally, and I lose my identity if I lose my maiden name!!!!!
We haven’t heard about FL changing their laws….and if they had it would only affect your state driver’s license and title/vehicle/voter registration. The SS office should accept your maiden to middle name with no issues. Please call 800.772.1213 to talk to someone in the main office. I think the clerk you were filing with was incorrect.
I live in OH, and I had all four names put on my social security card: FirstName MiddleName MaidenName LastName. Then I went into the DMV and simply asked the woman working to type my license as MarriedLN (where they put your last name), FirstName MaidenName (where before I had my first name and original middle initial). She did so with no problem, so I guess I was lucky enough to circumvent the “can’t-change your middle name” law, since I essentially did? (The intended name change was also not listed on my marriage certificate).
I live in Indiana, and after changing my name to First Maiden Married at the SSA, the BMV wouldn’t allow me to change my middle name to my maiden name as the SSA had done. They said I had to have a court order to change my middle name. I ended up with a social security card and an ID that didn’t match. I had to go back to the SSA and get my name changed on my social security card to be First Middle Married like my ID shows. Unfortunately, that used one of my ten allowed replacement social security cards in a lifetime (whereas changing it the first time due to getting married didn’t Chung toward that ten card limit). To their credit the SSA called and argued with the BMV for about twenty minutes, but the BMV wouldn’t budge. When I went into the BMV, they wouldn’t even look at my social security card as proof of my name change–only my marriage certificate, which in Indiana only shows First Middle Maiden name.
I don’t know when Indiana started requiring a court order for a middle name change at marriage, but the people at the SSA seemed like it was news to them.
*count, not Chung. Stupid autocorrect.
Thanks for the heads up on Indiana and maiden to middle name change. We’ll give them a call and get the full scoop!
I got married in 2010 and now think I want to take my maiden name as my middle name. I live in Florida. I wonder if it’s too late to change it now. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Did you already change to your married name? If not, you shouldn’t have any trouble!
Any update on the Indiana middle to maiden name change? I just tried to go first, maiden, married (which my ssn shows) and I got denied too. They ended up doing: first, middle, maiden, married.
I am a formal employee of Illinois’ Sec. of State (Their DMV) and we always treated the marriage licence as a legal doc allowing the applicant to change their name how they saw fit (within reason, of course). Because of this job experience, I also KNOW that sometimes it just depends on who to talk to–if you get the right person, you’ll get the information, service, etc.
So frustrating!! I hope to see more info about Indiana because I want all docs to match but I’m not ditching my maiden name!
WOW, really? I live in PA, I’ve had PLENTY of friends take their maiden name as their middle name. I wanted to keep my middle name, add my maiden, and take my husband’s last name as my new last name (I got married in September, and it’s taken me 6 months to decide this) and I come on here and the website tells me that I CANNOT do this now? I do not want to ditch any of my names….why are they making this so difficult? Has anyone from PA had any luck keeping her maiden name?
Don’t even bother trying to change it in New York State. I’m just going to go by my new name, as I want it- First MaidenMiddle HusbandLast- and wait until I move to change it legally. I can just as easily petition to court to change my name to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop than to change it to include my maiden name as my middle.
This is truly ridiculous. #NYyouaredrunk