Wedding Blog
Yesterday I took on the task of changing my name. I collected all of the proper paperwork and headed out to do the following, in this order:1) Get two certified copies of my marriage certificate.
2) Change Driver’s License.
3) Change Social Security.
I’m going to share my experiences with you all, but please know that this was only my personal experience in the State of Texas. While I work in the big city of Dallas, I opted to go back near our home, in a smaller town and much smaller county, to avoid lines (which I highly recommend). In total, with all transit times, it took me 3 hours to complete all of my tasks, plus I stopped at home to fill and print out my passport info and get pictures taken at my local Walgreens.
The certified copies of the marriage certificate were super easy, I just went to the county clerk’s office in the the same county where we received our certificate. Fifteen minutes, and $14 later, I had my two certified copies.
The driver’s license office is where my dreams of becoming Mrs. de Torres were crushed. Because “de” is not legally a part of either of our names, it cannot be added. So this brought me to option number two, my original plan:
First Middle Maiden Last
With my maiden becoming a second middle name. Perfect, right? Not so much. In the State of Texas you can only have one middle name and hyphenate your last name on your driver’s license. I’m not one for hyphens (personal preference), so out my lovely middle name went and my driver’s license now reads:
Last, First Maiden
For those of you in Texas, all I needed when I went to change my license was my previous license and either the original or certified copy of the marriage license. They gave me a small sheet of paper to fill out when I got there, so I really didn’t need to fill anything else out prior. It cost $10 for me to change my name.
Next, I was off to Greenville, Texas, about 30 minutes outside of where we live, to go to the Social Security office. After picking up my ticket and finding a seat, it took about 35 minutes before I was called up to change my name. I asked her what my options were, just in case I might still be able to pull off my “de Hydrangea” idea, but she said no. At first, she told me that I couldn’t even have two middle names. However, my nephew has two middle names so I knew it had to be possible and she said she’d try. About two minutes later, my paperwork was printed out and two middle names it was!
I had filled out the paperwork prior to visiting the SS office, however, it wasn’t necessary. She simply asked to see my driver’s license and my marriage certificate (I showed her the original). She asked me a few personal questions to verify everything and that was it. In five minutes, my legal name was changed and I was headed out the door.
Since I completed everything so fast, I decided to head home and work on my passport. We just used all of our vacation days for the wedding, so I figured there would be no major traveling for a while. All I did was go here and fill out the application using their wizard. Since I already had a passport, all I have to do is send in my current passport, this application, two passport photos of myself and $75.
Voila! Legally I’m Mrs. Hydrangea! Now it’s on to changing the rest of my documents 
I know that it was pretty difficult for me to find cut and dry instructions on how to go about changing your name. Do any of you have some good resources for how to go about changing your name in your state?
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Share this post: Not a Mrs. de Hydrangea :(
aww, sorry for not getting the ‘de’ 
just curious for my future reference, what other documents do you need to change?
Do you have to get a new social security number? OMG i never knew that! Doh! I just memorized the first one after 27 years……
I just changed my name in Maryland and found that the social security office was much more lax than the DMV. I told them I wanted first maiden last and it was no problem at all. When I went to the DMV (2nd) they said I couldn’t do that and would have to have first middle last. They were forced to do it when I showed them the printout from social security though!
oh, and @Miss Dumpling: don’t worry, not a new number, just a new card with your new name and the old number 
I also went to the SS office first - I changed my name to add his last name but no hyphen, so I have one middle name but two last names. They also didn’t like that idea at the DMV, I had the same experience as Mrs. Tiramisu - once I showed them the new SS card, they grumbled but changed my DL the way I asked them to in the first place.
In California, you have to go to the SS office first. At the DMV, they ask for the new SS printout that shows your new name. I was able to make my maiden my second middle with no problem. But at the DMV, they had to smoosh together my maiden and my new last name. It looks pretty stupid. I’m sure people have much longer last names than the 11 letters my maiden + new last make up so I’m not sure why they had to smoosh it together. If I didn’t hate the dmv so much, I might go back and get them to change it.
I tried to change my name to First Maiden Last which shouldnt have been a problem since I didnt originally have a middle name. Everything seemed to go smoothly, but when I received my new SS card in the mail, my new middle name was missing!
Since 9/11 everything has to match so you might want to go back to DMV and show them your social security card with the 2 middle names. If your passport has 2 middle names then you want to be sure your license does too since you have to show your ID when you travel.
I had the opposite problem — the DMV was so nice and accommodating, and SS was a pain in the ass. I hyphenated, which is not uncommon at all, and went to the DMV first, and they gave me no problems at all with First Middle Maiden-Married. Then, I went to SSA, and because my marriage certificate from PA has me listed as First Middle Last (obviously… that was my name at the time I was signing the document… I wasn’t married yet) and doesn’t list me as First Middle Maiden-Married, they refused to change it without a court order, even though I already had a driver’s license issued with my new name. Then, when I went to get the court order, I was told I didn’t need it if I already had the driver’s license issued in my name. So now, my family lawyer is trying to sort it out for me and figure out why the SSA won’t change my name. It is such a huge pain in the ass. And I was even more bitter about changing my name, because I didn’t want to change it in the first place, but my husband pitched a big fit.
In regards to what julieulie said…can I ask how people signed their marriage certificate? Do you sign it the way you are or what your name will be? I’ve always wondered and now I really want to know–two weeks out!
@Aut: I’m not sure it matters so much how you actually SIGN it, but I believe states are supposed to dictate what goes on it. In PA, at least, it is supposed to just be First Middle Last (as in, Maiden) for females. I was in a wedding party in a different state (Michigan maybe? Or was it the wedding in Wyoming? not sure) where the wedding certificate had actual separate lines for your name before and after marriage. But we didn’t fill that part in on the marriage certificate as far as our names — our Rabbi filled it all in — we only signed on the bottom.
For the price, I easily decided to use this service. It’s like the TurboTax of name changing!!
I filled out all my forms online, printed them out, and either dropped them off or mailed them in. I would recommend this service to anyone (and you can live anywhere in the US).
I haven’t changed my name yet (May 2009), but I plan on utilizing this site - it makes changing your name look like a breeze!
@ Jen: When you travel your passport is your ID. I have never been asked for both driver license and passport.. drivers license is not a national ID so its considered a lesser form of ID and not necessary if you have a passport.
I think in Ohio you have to file a petition with Probate Court to legally change your name… any other states out there like that ? (I think Florida is similar) But I’m not sure whether thats the ONLY way to do it…
Oh no, I’m sorry the “de” didn’t work out! Thanks for posting about the name change, it is very informative.
My only piece of advice is to keep on plugging away. The big things - passport, license, marriage licence - are relatively easy compared to Frequent Flier clubs, Credit Cards and Banks.
Best of luck and call me when you have a moment two weeks from now wondering why you feel like you have lost your identity. I was all gung-ho for changing my name my whole life, and then about a month after i did it, I started to feel lost. Eventually I came into my new name, but I seriously wasn’t expecting the weird feelings about it.
i am totallllllllly dreading the name change part of marriage. i’m going to wait until after the election since i didn’t want to deal with the hassle of changing my voter’s registration, but oi am i ever dreading it!
I already have two middle names (the second is my mom’s last name, which she never changed), and when I renewed my driver’s license (in Oregon) they told me w/ the new REAL ID laws you’re required to have ALL your legal names on your license. In the past, I’ve had to fight to get my second middle name on there. When we tie the knot, we’ll be hyphenating, so I’ll be Liz Middle Middle Hislast-Mylast. It’ll be a mouthful!
the name change is taking much longer than expected. as someone else mentioned, CA makes you do the SS office first, which means that i have another week before my new card shows up, then i get to head to the DMV. once that has been tackled, then it’s on to all the other fun.
the good news is that i recently traveled on a ticket booked under my married name even though my ID is still in my maiden and it went really smoothly. i came prepared with my marriage license and SS receipt, but no one really looked at it. go figure!
@Mrs. Hydrangea: I’m so sorry about the “de”…I thought it was such a great idea!
@missm: I haven’t started the name change process yet, but do you know how many names CA allows you to have? I’ve heard that the max is First Name, 2 Middle Names, Last Name. You hear anything differently on your adventure?
Where I’m from (Quebec, Canada), women keep their maiden name. In fact, they are required to for all legal purpopses etc. As far as I know, it would cost a pretty penny to have your name changed to your spouse’s last name. Which brings to mind the question of name change in marriage ever being “required”; especially since it was required for women only. Times they are a’changin
@Miss Dumpling: No, honey. . . they just change your name in their system and send you a spiffy new card with your new name. You’re stuck with your same SSN for the rest of your life - unless you enter the witness protection program!
My fiance’s name alone is 9 letters long, so add that to the relatively short 5 of my maiden and that would be pretty darn lengthy. I hope CO doesn’t do like CA made you do, Michelle.
I’m not sure if Louisiana requires you to have all of your names on your DL or not - but mine said Loralie Middle Maiden Ex’sLast. Yeah, I never changed it back because I’m just lazy.
Wow, you’re quick!! It’s … er … been 6+ months here, and I still haven’t gotten around to the paperwork. I’m the kind of person who pretty much needs a deadline, so lucky we’ve got Baby on the way on/around our 1st anniversary. I at least want the birth certificate to show everybody all same-name-ish….
LA allows you to have all of your names on the license, but you don’t actually have to. As long as you have First MI Last (any MI), you are fine. People can give you a hard time about it, but there are very few documents that it is required that “everything matches”. SS and passport have to. Any legal documents - mortgages, wills, etc, will need full name.
When I moved to Texas, they wouldn’t let me have all of my names on the license itself as they wouldn’t all fit. But it is still legal! I don’t think they will now even with a shorter last name. I changed social first, and they gave me no trouble about First Middle Maiden HisLast.
Make sure your work has your name as it appears in SS for tax purposes. Don’t worry about the DL not matching.
I am thinking about changing my name to “First Middle Married Maiden” so that I get to keep my name and am still Mrs. Married (mostly) it will be like someone who hyphenates but the other way around (it is the Mexican version of the Spanish tradition if I remember correctly)
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Mrs. Hydrangea, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 26, Administrative Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Network Analyst
Engagement Date: June 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: January 14, 2008
Venue: Catholic Church and Reception at The W Hotel
About Me: Mr. H and I come from very different cultures and backgrounds so I'm excited to plan our wedding with a balance of both traditions. My mom has always been a DIY queen, and I'm just now starting to get into it with a new house and a wedding to plan!
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