Changing name after marriage?

Question

Is it legal to keep two middle names on your social security card (I'm filling out the name change form)? I have a middle name that is very unique and belonged to my mother and grandmother. I'd also like to keep my maiden name as a middle name because I have used this name for a long time at work and earning degrees.... Is it possibly to legally be Jane Anne Smith Doe, or does one have to settle for one middle name, officially?

Answer 1

You can do that without a worry at all.  In California, I was also allowed to put two last names WITHOUT hyphenating.  Technically, I can interchange the names.  It's been very, very handy as I wanted to keep my Maiden name but folks had already started using my husbands last name as mine!  My married name when written out shows up like a second middle name.  It's all just a matter of how you fill out the form and, in my case, explain it to the Judge.

Answer 2

I left my middle name, maiden name, and put my married name on the end when I married my first husband.  I'm about to get remarried and I think I'm gonna drop all except my middle name and take my fiance's last name.  Some people connect their maiden and husband's last name with a hyphen and use that as their last name.  Either way is acceptable in my book.

Answer 3

I don't know, but I think it'd be fine.  When my husband (fiance at the time) applied for our marriage license, we were required to put down the names we would have after our wedding because the married name that is put on your certified marriage certificate is what you will be able to change your name to without going through extra paperwork.  I don't know if all states' marriage license applications are like this, but I think they are.

So basically when you complete your marriage license application, make sure to put down the exact name you plan to have after the wedding (Jane Anne Smith Doe), not just Jane Anne Doe or Jane Smith Doe.  That is what the social security office will be able to use to change your name on your ss card.

Answer 4

Going through name change myself and i kept my maiden name along with my middle name.  No problems!

Answer 5

Adding your maiden name as a middle name might require a court action.

Call Probate in your county.

Answer 6

My fiance' has two middle names, so it should be possible.

Answer 7

I'm sure there is a way to make it your middle name, but since it wasn't originally I'm sure you will have o fill out seperate paper work. The easy way to do it would to make your LAST name hyfinated, Smith-Doe. It will be your last name not your middle, but you can keep your maiden name and add his name on the ss paperwork

Answer 8

You can have as many middle names as you like- I once dated a guy with two middle names.  To me, it's a better alternative than hyphenating your two last names, which is a mouthful and always sounds pretentious, no matter how down-to-earth the woman actually is.

When you sign the marriage certificate, sign it exactly as you want it to legally appear- Jane Anne Smith Doe.  Once you sign it like that, it becomes your legal name, and you can use either the full name or any combination of the names on official documents, etc.

I guess I'm lucky- I don't like my middle name or my maiden name, but I really like my married last name, so I guess that makes the choice pretty clear for me. : )

Answer 9

As long as those are the names you will be going by that's fine.  

Answer 10

You can change your name to anything you want, as long as the change isn't done for fraudulent purposes.  You don't need to hyphenate anything if you don't want to.  Do what seems right to you.

Answer 11

I had no given middle name, I have alwasy used my maiden name as a middle name and the SSC reflects that. I added it on myself.  

Answer 12

You can change your name to whatever you want it to be, no matter how many middle names you want to have.  

Answer 13

Completely possible.

Some people are given 4 names at birth, a number of women I know, are Mrs. First Middle Maiden Married .  That's what I will be.  My middle name is a family name, and my last name is on my degrees, so I'm going to keep all of them and take on this new name to mark this part of my life too.