I am changing my name when PBear and I get married. It’s something that I have always assumed I was going to do, and though I admittedly don’t follow many of the other traditions following a wedding, the name change has always been a sure thing.
I am doing a bit of a weird name change, though. I’m going to go from Firstname Lastname to Nickname Lastname PBear’s-lastname. It’s a bit weird, I admit, but I am really excited.
Though my first name is beautiful in Chinese, it doesn’t translate very well into English. Having a very Chinese first name has always been a problem growing up. No one knows how to say it correctly (it often gets mistaken for a male name), and I haven’t used it since I was four. It’s frankly a name that I don’t associate myself with very much. If getting a name change wasn’t so complicated outside of getting married, I would have changed my name legally years ago.
My nickname, on the other hand, is a name that I actually chose. Granted, I’m not completely sure why my four-year-old self would pick it, but I did, and it stuck. I cannot wait until it’s legally my name. I’m hoping that it’s a lot more convenient, and I don’t have to deal with more blank awkward stares at my name from the nurse at the doctor’s office before she butchers my name.
Also as a child with a last name at the end of the alphabet and also having a last name that gets butchered constantly, I have always looked forward to being higher up in the alphabet. Hopefully, it will make my children less impulse shoppers than I am.
In fact, my name change and how I wanted to change it was such a nondecision that I reserved the Gmail account in my new name about a year before we got engaged. What can I say? I didn’t want someone else to steal my (admittedly still fairly unique) new name’s email account.
That being said, now that we’re getting closer to the date, I’m realizing how much changing your name sucks, especially for someone who has a lot of stuff established already. I already have a couple of papers written with my maiden name, and I’m concerned that changing my professional email will mean that half of my important emails will get lost to the abyss, and I just can’t afford to have a committee member suddenly not be able to contact me.
Also, I admit (and I am a little embarrassed about this), I really have no idea how to go about changing my name in Massachusetts. All the information I see is typically focused on changing the last name, but I want to change my entire name. I can’t seem to find much information about whether I can do that on the marriage certificate, and the information I do find is very contradictory. My officiant doesn’t seem to think that I can change my entire name on the wedding forms and thinks I will still have to change my name twice—sigh. I should have just bitten the bullet and done this years ago if that’s the case.
Anyone done this before? Am I over-complicating this? Does anyone know who I can actually ask about this?
Name changing is certainly easier in Canada than it is in the USA… (unless one is a resident of the Province of Quebec… in which you keep your Original Name by LAW your whole life)
We literally can just “assume” whatever name we like if it isn’t for illegal purposes. Lol, I know a lot of my GFs have several names that they go by… Maiden Name – Legal Name – Maried Name – Professional Name – Social Name etc.
It sounds complicated maybe being “so many people” at once… but it really isn’t. Because, in most most cases, those that know you, tend to do so under a particular set of circumstances… so if you are Sue Black married to Mike Jones, and the kids are Bobby and Betty Jones… and the school knows you “socially” as Mrs Jones… then that is ok even tho your legal / professional name is Sue Black (honestly I think Canadians are a lot more laid back about this whole affair)
I did a quick GOOGLE for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts… and it does look like if you are wanting to change your Given Name at the time of Marriage on your documents, then you have to file for a Legal Change of Name… and once done you should do the paperwork required to change your status starting with Social Security (they seem to be the card of choice you have to present to everyone else to get subsequent changes done)
You cannot change your entire name just by getting married. Massachusetts only allows you to adopt a new surname. MGL c.46, s.1D Adoption of Surname Upon Marriage. “Each party to a marriage may adopt any surname, including but not limited to the present or birth-given surname of either party, may retain or resume use of a present or birth-given surname, or may adopt any hyphenated combination thereof.”
However, to legally change your full name you just fill out a form and pay $175 in probate court, the law is that it has to be granted unless such change is inconsistent with public interests. While the fee is inconvenient it’s not a terribly difficult process.
The e-mail problem can be solved two ways. When I got married I changed my name, but left my e-mails the same and changed the name on them. That way everybody had the old e-mail address, but the new name appeared in the title and as the signature. Or, I have had friends who have duplicated the e-mails and forwarded the old accounts to the new accounts for a period of time.
I am an attorney and changing my name over professionally was a pain, but only for a few months and then everybody learned the new one.
@This Time Round: hm… that is an interesting way of doing it, it makes so much more sense to me.
@Mrs. B.: Yeah, my googling seems to point me in that direction. The question becomes do I want to change my first name legally with the name change form, only to change it again legally to the correct married name or do I want to just change the whole thing at once? Either way, it’s kind of a pain.
Miss Panda – would you want to apply for your marriage license in your nickname-name? If you complete your legal first name change before your wedding, all documents related to your wedding will reflect the name you want – your legal maiden name would be nickname-maidenlast (I think). You could then do the name change by marriage to add your H’s last name. Just something to think about, since it sounds like you’ll need to go through the legal process and pay the fee for the first name change no matter when you do it.
Good luck! It doesn’t sound like an easy process.
This sounds like such a pain! I would try my best to do everything at once so that you’re not repeating the process, but that’s just because I am efficient (or lazy 
)
Sounds annoying! I am changing my name also as I am adding my current last name as my middle name seeing as I don’t have one!
Miss Panda, Boston, MA Age and Occupation: 26, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Graduate Student Engagement Date: June 27, 2011 Wedding Date: June 2013 About Me: I love window shopping, cute animals, crafting, baking, and most forms of procrastination. I tend to be overly meticulous with choices to a point of complete and total indecision. Mr. PBear and I met and live in the amazing city of Boston. We are big nerds who love trying new foods, playing video games, and cuddling with our adorable hamster. After 5 years together, we are planning an intimate, DIY-heavy, vintage garden themed, nonreligious wedding in the city where we fell in love.
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