Name change (or not change) advice needed!

You're married. Many married women keep their own name. If the legal paper work was signed, notarized and filed you're good.

View Quoted Comment I should clarify that by “married” name I mean that I was told to write/sign my spouse’s last name instead of the name I kept.

View Quoted Comment Does your pastor know the marriage laws very well? I think you should look that up because it can vary state-to-state. From my understanding as long as you both sign your name and if legally needed had Witnesses and it was signed and notarized you should be married but that would be a question for the courthouse.

No!!! I’m not changing my name and plenty of my friends haven’t changed theirs. You’re still legally married. Taking someone’s name is old fashioned, it doesn’t mean anything these days!

I don’t have the answer. However it’s strange that he’d ask you to sign a name you never intend to have; you should definitely check because I always saw the license as the beginning of the legal name change process. If you’re not changing it your license probably shouldn’t say it.

Even if you were 100% changing your name, you don’t sign the license with your future name because that’s not your legal signature.

That sounds strange to me. I picked up my FH and I's marriage license this past Wednesday and they gave us a paper with clear instructions on how to fill out/sign our marriage license. Our sheet says for my FH to sign his full name and for me to sign my full maiden name. My paper even has "maiden" bolded, lol. Because you have not legally changed your name, your license will probably be rejected by your local probate court when you turn it back in for them to record it. They'll make you and your FH go to the court house and sign the documents in front of them most likely.

Your pastors instructions sound bizarre. Perhaps call your local courthouse or clerks office for clarification? If you’re not changing your name, how could you possibly sign with a last name that isn’t legally yours?!

Your single name was XYZ. Your married name is XYZ. Sign XYZ. (Your pastor sounds way out of line here.)