Has anyone here legally changed their name?
12-Aug-23 3:37am
#1 egg
Because I'm considering doing it, lol. I don't know the first thing about it though. Advice would be appreciated.
I imagine the most annoying part would simply be having to update your name on everything afterwards. You'd need to get a new photo ID, get all your bank cards updated, and so on. Come to think of it I've never left the country so I might as well put off updating my passport until I actually decide to.
#1 egg
Because I'm considering doing it, lol. I don't know the first thing about it though. Advice would be appreciated.
I imagine the most annoying part would simply be having to update your name on everything afterwards. You'd need to get a new photo ID, get all your bank cards updated, and so on. Come to think of it I've never left the country so I might as well put off updating my passport until I actually decide to.
12-Aug-23 4:46am
#3 egg
Yeah I was wondering that. Women do it when they get married, so in that sense getting one's name changed seems really common and kind of mundane almost. But then again the process would be different for marriage probably. I assume anyways.
But at the same time I wonder why that is even a thing. Seems antiquated somehow. Why not get married and just y'know keep your original names. Or would that unravel civilization as we know it.
#3 egg
Yeah I was wondering that. Women do it when they get married, so in that sense getting one's name changed seems really common and kind of mundane almost. But then again the process would be different for marriage probably. I assume anyways.
But at the same time I wonder why that is even a thing. Seems antiquated somehow. Why not get married and just y'know keep your original names. Or would that unravel civilization as we know it.
12-Aug-23 6:33am
#4 benstylus
egg wrote:
Yeah I was wondering that. Women do it when they get married, so in that sense getting one's name changed seems really common and kind of mundane almost. But then again the process would be different for marriage probably. I assume anyways. But at the same time I wonder why that is even a thing. Seems antiquated somehow. Why not get married and just y'know keep your original names. Or would that unravel civilization as we know it.
It's tradition. Some people do it, some don't.
For doing it outside of a marriage or obtaining citizenship situation, it depends where you live. Typically it's a court procedure, and at the end you get an order showing your old name is now officially changed to your new name.
Most jurisdictions won't let you do it to try to avoid creditors or otherwise skirt the law. Some jurisdictions have additional requirements like you have to have been using the new name commonly for a certain amount of time, etc.
Just do an internet search to check your state's laws, I'm sure you will find more helpful info specific to your situation.
#4 benstylus
egg wrote:
Yeah I was wondering that. Women do it when they get married, so in that sense getting one's name changed seems really common and kind of mundane almost. But then again the process would be different for marriage probably. I assume anyways. But at the same time I wonder why that is even a thing. Seems antiquated somehow. Why not get married and just y'know keep your original names. Or would that unravel civilization as we know it.
It's tradition. Some people do it, some don't.
For doing it outside of a marriage or obtaining citizenship situation, it depends where you live. Typically it's a court procedure, and at the end you get an order showing your old name is now officially changed to your new name.
Most jurisdictions won't let you do it to try to avoid creditors or otherwise skirt the law. Some jurisdictions have additional requirements like you have to have been using the new name commonly for a certain amount of time, etc.
Just do an internet search to check your state's laws, I'm sure you will find more helpful info specific to your situation.
12-Aug-23 6:37am
#5 benstylus
Your bio says your are in New York. Here is their page for name changes
https://www.nycourts...
#5 benstylus
Your bio says your are in New York. Here is their page for name changes
https://www.nycourts...
12-Aug-23 10:28pm
#7 nonamesleft
I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf" for example?
#7 nonamesleft
I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf" for example?
13-Aug-23 12:07am
#8 ryanflucas
There's a woman in Florida politics named Tiffany Justice. That can't be her birth name can it?
#8 ryanflucas
There's a woman in Florida politics named Tiffany Justice. That can't be her birth name can it?
13-Aug-23 12:18am
#9 Bleed_DukeBlue
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America.
nonamesleft wrote:
I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf" for example?
#9 Bleed_DukeBlue
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America.
nonamesleft wrote:
I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf" for example?
13-Aug-23 2:11am
#10 egg
I read that Penn Jilette named his daughter Roxy Crimefighter. So it seems parents are not required to use their last name when naming the kid. Tiffany Justice is not out of the question.
#10 egg
I read that Penn Jilette named his daughter Roxy Crimefighter. So it seems parents are not required to use their last name when naming the kid. Tiffany Justice is not out of the question.
13-Aug-23 2:29am
#11 nonamesleft
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America. nonamesleft wrote:> I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf"> for example?Interesting because Trout is a last name. And it does sound like it can be a first name too. Fisher is a last name, but Fishing? Haven't heard that as a last name before.
#11 nonamesleft
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America. nonamesleft wrote:> I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf"> for example?Interesting because Trout is a last name. And it does sound like it can be a first name too. Fisher is a last name, but Fishing? Haven't heard that as a last name before.
13-Aug-23 3:21am
#12 egg
This form asks if you were convicted of a crime. Can't I just say no?
https://eforms.com/n...
edit: Nevermind, I didn't know that traffic tickets aren't considered crimes.
#12 egg
This form asks if you were convicted of a crime. Can't I just say no?
https://eforms.com/n...
edit: Nevermind, I didn't know that traffic tickets aren't considered crimes.
13-Aug-23 8:00am
#13 Tony
Parents sometimes get creative in naming their kids and don't really think about how it might affect them when they grow up. The actress in CSI is Pauley Perrett. I worked with a girl named Melody Belles. She couldn't wait to get married.
I also worked with a girl whose mother spelled her name Mellsia on her birth certificate, but pronounced it Melissa. She had to spell it that way on all forms and write it as her signature. For some reason she spelled it that way on her name tag, so she was constantly having to correct people's pronunciation ("Mel sea ah" or "Mel sha") and explaining the spelling.
#13 Tony
Parents sometimes get creative in naming their kids and don't really think about how it might affect them when they grow up. The actress in CSI is Pauley Perrett. I worked with a girl named Melody Belles. She couldn't wait to get married.
I also worked with a girl whose mother spelled her name Mellsia on her birth certificate, but pronounced it Melissa. She had to spell it that way on all forms and write it as her signature. For some reason she spelled it that way on her name tag, so she was constantly having to correct people's pronunciation ("Mel sea ah" or "Mel sha") and explaining the spelling.
13-Aug-23 5:52pm
#14 egg
I would think Pauley Perrete has been objectively proven to be a winning name seeing as how she managed to be as successful as she is.
https://en.m.wikiped...
Coincidentally I was watching some yt videos where I learned that Arnold and Harrison Ford were both advised to get their name changed if they wanted to be successful actors.
https://m.youtube.co...
https://m.youtube.co...
#14 egg
I would think Pauley Perrete has been objectively proven to be a winning name seeing as how she managed to be as successful as she is.
https://en.m.wikiped...
Coincidentally I was watching some yt videos where I learned that Arnold and Harrison Ford were both advised to get their name changed if they wanted to be successful actors.
https://m.youtube.co...
https://m.youtube.co...
13-Aug-23 6:17pm
#15 Tony
It used to be common in Hollywood for actors to change their names to sound less ethnic or even just to have fewer syllables to be more memorable.
Would John Wayne have been as successful or as iconic as he was if he had continued to use his real name of Marion Morrison? Or Tony Curtis if he had used Bernard Schwartz?
In A Fish Called Wanda, John Cleese's character is named Archie Leach. Archibald Leach became famous in Hollywood after changing his name to Cary Grant.
Of course, two of these were used in the famous Cheers episode when Cliff Claven competed on Jeopardy: Entering Final Jeopardy, Cliff has amassed $22,000, with his closest competitor having only $3,300. However, under a category of "MOVIES", Cliff foolishly wagers his entire $22,000 and is stumped by the clue of "Archibald Leach, Bernard Schwartz and Lucille LeSueur". Cliff's response of "Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?" is deemed humorous, but incorrect. (The correct response was "What were the real names of Cary Grant, Tony Curtis and Joan Crawford?")
#15 Tony
It used to be common in Hollywood for actors to change their names to sound less ethnic or even just to have fewer syllables to be more memorable.
Would John Wayne have been as successful or as iconic as he was if he had continued to use his real name of Marion Morrison? Or Tony Curtis if he had used Bernard Schwartz?
In A Fish Called Wanda, John Cleese's character is named Archie Leach. Archibald Leach became famous in Hollywood after changing his name to Cary Grant.
Of course, two of these were used in the famous Cheers episode when Cliff Claven competed on Jeopardy: Entering Final Jeopardy, Cliff has amassed $22,000, with his closest competitor having only $3,300. However, under a category of "MOVIES", Cliff foolishly wagers his entire $22,000 and is stumped by the clue of "Archibald Leach, Bernard Schwartz and Lucille LeSueur". Cliff's response of "Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?" is deemed humorous, but incorrect. (The correct response was "What were the real names of Cary Grant, Tony Curtis and Joan Crawford?")
13-Aug-23 6:43pm
#16 nonamesleft
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America. nonamesleft wrote:> I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf"> for example?I just realized something that I completely overlooked when I saw your post a couple days ago. You didn't say that his name was Trout Fishing. You said his name was Trout Fishing in America.
Ha!
But that's the name of a musical duo from Texas. I guess this guy really likes their music.
#16 nonamesleft
Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:
There’s a guy in Virginia who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America. nonamesleft wrote:> I wonder what the rules are. Can you legally change your first name to "Bookshelf"> for example?I just realized something that I completely overlooked when I saw your post a couple days ago. You didn't say that his name was Trout Fishing. You said his name was Trout Fishing in America.
Ha!
But that's the name of a musical duo from Texas. I guess this guy really likes their music.
14-Aug-23 6:03am
#17 rayzor6
In this day and age of having to provide so much information for loans, applications, credit checks, etc...I personally wouldn't want another barrier to that unless your current name was unbearable.
#17 rayzor6
In this day and age of having to provide so much information for loans, applications, credit checks, etc...I personally wouldn't want another barrier to that unless your current name was unbearable.
23-Aug-23 4:53am
#18 egg
So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman.
https://twitter.com/...
https://twitter.com/...
#18 egg
So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman.
https://twitter.com/...
https://twitter.com/...
23-Aug-23 6:18am
#19 benstylus
egg wrote:
So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman.
I had a friend who did that. His dad was a deadbeat who abandoned the family when my friend was a kid.
As soon as he was old enough to do it, he changed his last name to his mom's instead.
#19 benstylus
egg wrote:
So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman.
I had a friend who did that. His dad was a deadbeat who abandoned the family when my friend was a kid.
As soon as he was old enough to do it, he changed his last name to his mom's instead.
23-Aug-23 8:21am
#20 Tony
benstylus wrote:
egg wrote:> So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman. I had a friend who did that. His dad was a deadbeat who abandoned the family when my friend was a kid. As soon as he was old enough to do it, he changed his last name to his mom's instead.Similar story. A young man in my church had a deadbeat dad. When he got married, he and his wife took his mom's maiden name for their family name as a way to honor his grandmother.
My father was an alcoholic and my parents divorced when I was too young to even remember my father. My mom remarried before my brother and I enter elementary school (kindergarten wasn't required). I don't know how she got away with it, but she enrolled us in school under her husband's last name. I didn't start using my real last name until Junior High.
#20 Tony
benstylus wrote:
egg wrote:> So apparently changing my last name to my mom's maiden name would be more death metal than changing it to something like Kirby or Batman. I had a friend who did that. His dad was a deadbeat who abandoned the family when my friend was a kid. As soon as he was old enough to do it, he changed his last name to his mom's instead.Similar story. A young man in my church had a deadbeat dad. When he got married, he and his wife took his mom's maiden name for their family name as a way to honor his grandmother.
My father was an alcoholic and my parents divorced when I was too young to even remember my father. My mom remarried before my brother and I enter elementary school (kindergarten wasn't required). I don't know how she got away with it, but she enrolled us in school under her husband's last name. I didn't start using my real last name until Junior High.
25-Aug-23 9:57pm
#21 synthetic1
I changed a letter in my last name when I was in college like 20 years ago. There was a typo on my grandfathers birth certificate and it changed an “a” into an “i” so I fixed it and changed it back. It was a surprisingly easy and cheap process. I could answer any questions from my experience. The hardest part is just updating your IDs. New drivers license, new Social Security card, etc. but otherwise, pretty easy and smooth.
#21 synthetic1
I changed a letter in my last name when I was in college like 20 years ago. There was a typo on my grandfathers birth certificate and it changed an “a” into an “i” so I fixed it and changed it back. It was a surprisingly easy and cheap process. I could answer any questions from my experience. The hardest part is just updating your IDs. New drivers license, new Social Security card, etc. but otherwise, pretty easy and smooth.
Has anyone here legally changed their name?