Name Change After Marriage for Newlyweds

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

How to Change Your Name after Marriage in Common Law Marriages

Common Law Marriage Name Change

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Common Law Marriage Name Change

Some of you may be asking yourself what is a common law marriage*? It’s when a couple has lived together for at least 7 years, right? Actually…no, that’s a MYTH. A common law marriage is union (between a man and a woman who have not been formally married) recognized by a state based on that particular state’s laws. Common law married name change is a name change based on a common law marriage.

After some research, I found that not all 50 of the United States recognize common law marriages. As a matter of fact not even half do! States that recognize common law marriages (in some form or another) include: Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.

Each state has its own requirements to meet for a union to be defined as common law marriage; which is precisely why it is important to take a look at your state’s laws to see if you are indeed in a valid common law marriage according to the state in which you reside.

The next order of business is your name change. Unfortunately, since there is no formal ceremony for common law marriages (and no Marriage Certificate) it is not the same process as changing your name after marriage and requires you to complete an additional step in order to legally change your name.

Federal courts rule that a name change at will or by “common law” is perfectly legal under the U.S. Constitution—meaning you can call yourself Rainbow Bright if you want to! However, in order to make the name change “official” you will need to take it one step further than just assuming your new name. Which means a legal name change through your local county court system. Please contact that office directly for further information on obtaining a legal name change.

Once you have a name change order (legal permission to officially change your name) you will notify each agency of your name change by submitting the proper paperwork. Each agency will process your name change requests and issue new state and government documents (i.e. Social Security card, Driver’s License, Passport, etc.) in that new name.

Sounds like going from Miss to Mrs.is a hassle, doesn’t it? This is where theMissNowMrs.com married name change service can help you! While we can’t obtain a name change order for you, once you have it you are able to use our service to help complete your paperwork and provide you with the step-by-step filing instructions to notify each agency of your new name. We promise to make it as painless and stress-free as possible!

Have you changed your name at will or by “common law?” Did you have trouble obtaining new state and government documents without a name change order? Help us and our readers further understand the process by leaving a comment below.

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Changing your name after common law marriage

Married Name-Change: Not to be Misunderstood

As MissNowMrs.com was created to relieve you from unnecessary stress, research, and form completion, we also want to be sure that we provide you with all of the fine details (cause that’s what us women love!) and make sure that you’re “in the know” when and if you decide to change your name!

First things first! After you have said your I Do’s, your Officiant will often times announce to your guests, “I now pronounce to you, Mr. and Mrs. XYZ”! Although your marriage is official, unfortunately that doesn’t mean that your name has automatically changed to your spouses’. Hence the reason for MissNowMrs.com, as we figured out first hand that changing to your new married name can be quite a hassle, so we’ve created this service to lay it out in black and white for you! In the past few years, we have discovered that there are quite a few newlyweds under the impression that the bride’s name is automatically changed once you are married (oh if only all things in life could be that simple)! For some brides, however, this is good news, as not everyone chooses to change their name!

Now that you know there is some necessary paperwork that must be filed when changing your name –here’s the good news! If you have discussed your name-change options with your spouse, you can get a jump-start on the process and complete all of your forms, print them off, and prepare for filing with your MissNowMrs account… before you are married! You will need to wait to submit your forms until after your marriage, as you will need a copy of your marriage certificate, but you will already have everything prepared and ready to go! Once you have registered for an account with us, it is yours to access via email and password, so that you may work at your own pace.

Please share with us and fellow newlyweds any misconceptions that you had in regard to your married name change, or anything that you wish you would’ve known before your wedding when it comes to changing your name!

Newlywed Name Change Worries

Being an online married name-change service we are asked questions about every aspect of a name change: from “Can I change my first name, middle name and last name?” to “How do I notify my professional licensing board of my new married name?” —and everything and anything in-between! Helping individuals navigate through the married name change process is exactly what we pride ourselves on doing each and everyday…and we love it!

Recently, we were asked, “If I change my name will I no longer receive my emails?” We want all of you to know the answer to this important question. Of course you will still receive your emails under your old email address unless you close your account. Many employers will set-up a new work email address to reflect your new married name, allowing you to set up an auto-response email to notify your contacts of your new email address (as they contact you via your old email address). You may even be able to do this with your personal email account (using a free platform such as: Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, etc.) if you’re lucky. If not, you will need to set-up a new account under your new married name. Either way, be sure to notify each of your contacts of your new email address to ensure that you don’t miss any incoming emails. If you went ahead and set-up a new account using your new married name, it is recommended that you continue to check the old account (unless it has been closed) until you are certain that ALL your contacts are using your new email address to contact you.

Obtaining a married name change can sometimes be very stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. We at MissNowMrs.com are here to help you with any questions you may have to ensure that you become a Mrs. as smoothly and easily as possible!

Do you have a name change question you would like us to address on our Newlywed Blog? Post it as a comment so we know what questions to answer for our loyal blog readers!

The Name Equality Act: California

Have you heard about the name equality act? Name change is certainly tricky in all 50 states (with each state allocating their own laws on what constitutes a married name change versus a legal name change, etc.), you may be shocked to find out that in California couples can decide to make up a new last name to take after marriage thanks to the Name Equality Act*. While this is not a new law by any means, it’s definitely worthy of talking about!

The state of California allows one or both applicants to elect to change their middle and/or last names by which they wish to be known as after they are officially married. That means if you are planning to marry in CA and haven’t already applied for your Marriage License, this opportunity applies to you, so now you and your future spouse have a decision to make! Will you take his last name? Will he take your last name? Will the two of you have a combination of your two last names? Decisions, decisions!

What you need to know about the Name Equality Act

Only at the time of applying for your Marriage License can you elect to make these changes. Once your name is listed on your Marriage License, that is how it will later appear on your Marriage Certificate. This is the legal document used as proof of your marriage issued by your state. You cannot decide to add or amend this information after your Marriage License has been issued without having to obtain a Legal Name Change through your local superior court system. This can be costly, so it is important to put some thought into the name you will list on your Marriage License Application. After all, this is the name you will ultimately be known as in the future!

Each of you can elect to have one of the following last names:
The current last name of either spouse
The last name of either spouse given at birth
A name combining into a single last name all or a segment of the current last name or the last name of either spouse given at birth

Each of you can elect to have one of the following middle names:
The current last name of either spouse
The last name of either spouse given at birth
A hyphenated version of the current middle name and current last name of the person or spouse
A hyphenated version of the current middle name and the birth last name of the person or spouse

Confused yet?! Here’s an example:
Woman: Jane Marie Doe
Man: John Robert Smith
They can become Jane Smith Doe (and John Smith Doe), Jane Marie-Doe Smith (and John Robert-Doe Smith), Jane Marie Doesmith (and John Robert Doesmith), etc.

Do you and your spouse share a combination last name? Was your family supportive of your choice to make up a new last name? Tell us your story… We’d love to know how you worked through the process and if you used our online service or name change app!

*The name equality act currently only applies to couples marrying in California and to all California Marriage Licenses issued on or after January 1, 2009.

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Newlywed in New York: New Requirements at the NY DMV

Newlywed in New York? There is one thing that will forever remain the same –the DMV– with its long wait times and complete chaos at the office! This 3-letter acronym is dreaded among most and is always spoken about with anything, but enthusiasm! However, one thing you can be sure to count on with your DMV, is they constantly update rules, restrictions, and forms, which can cause you more unnecessary stress and aggravation.

Since the DMV is the only office that you must visit in person when changing your name due to marriage, it is important to have all of your ducks in a row before you make the trek to the office! One trip is bad enough; let’s not have to make a second! So if you reside in New York, please read on…

Public safety and security has tightened all around us, for obvious reasons. When changing your name it is especially important for you to properly identify yourself and prove that you really are who you say you are.

Some state’s DMVs have already implemented the 6-point ID requirement system and now New York has decided to implement the same system.

New York 6-Point ID Requirements for Name Change

Before a NY state DMV will issue any photo document (learner permit, driver license, non-driver ID Card) for the first time, or if your document expired more than 2 years ago, you must show the following points of identity:
-Proof of your date of birth
-4 points of proof of name along with your Social Security Card, OR if you are ineligible for a Social Security Card, 6 points of proof of name plus a letter of ineligibility from the Social Security Administration that they (SSA) used to determine that you are ineligible. All proofs of name must show the same name.
-If you already have and can show a valid NY DMV photo document, that is all you need as 6 points of proof of name to get a new or different photo document. However, if the DMV has no record of your Social Security Number, you will have to show your Social Security Card too.

For more newlywed in New York information, please see the list of acceptable documents to show proof of identity found on the New York DMV website. For more help with your name change, check out our 20 step name change check list!