Name change ?

WoW name change threads can be a bit touchy. Be prepared.

It depends on your profession and how much of your branding is built around your maiden name. You can stick with your old name for business purposes, many teachers I know do. Or, you can change it and post a notice on your website and send an email to your clientele about the name change. It's up to you and what you are comfortable with.

I am not familiar with that website, but the name change process was relatively painless for me. The social security office was the only area of bother and it was just an inconvenience to wait not really a pain.

1. Change your name yourself. It's not hard, just can be time consuming with lines and such. Do you really want a website having all your personal info? What if it's hacked?

2. Your name at work will be the name on your social security card because that verifies your work status so you can't just change it legally and keep your old name at work. HR will update your payroll and employee file based on social security card. Also, sometimes you can't change it until you have the new SS card (some employers accept the marriage license as proof) -- I had to wait 2 months from my wedding until I could change it at work.

(ETA: Socially you could go by your old name at work, but any work docs, payroll, emails, applications, will reflect your legal name)

3. It's easy at work, most works link your email to both last names so that people can find you by either, and for my work signature for 3 months I had

Jane Smith (formerly Johnson)

Accountant

****.*****@***.***

123-456-7890

I work in a field where I like to maintain some anonymity. So, I am legally changing my name, in all senses (payroll, banks, loans, ssn, drivers license, etc) but I am maintaining my maiden name in the everyday workplace. My clients will never know my married name.

I'm changing completely. But I will need to keep the email address at work I've had for 15 years that contains my last name. I'll add a 2nd email to the same account with the new last name.

I changed my name for pretty much everything. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard, even the DMV and SS office were quick. I wouldn't waste your time using one of those websites. The only thing I am keeping my maiden name is at work with my email which is my old last name and in my signature I just wrote "Melissa maiden name married name". Everyone in my company knows I got married but I deal with a lot of government services and didn't want to have to email so many people my new email. People get married and change their name constantly, its not new and clients will figure it out in my opinion.

I changed my last name to his. The transition has been a little difficult with professional licenses, bank accounts, and the like, but it was worth it for me.

I'm changing completely. I'm actually headed to the Secretary of State (DMV) office today to get a new license, woohoo! At work, once we get an email address, it stays the same for life, so that will reflect my maiden name, but for everything else, I will use my married name.

Changing your name does take some work, but it's easy. So I would use the service if you're the type of person that would hire someone to clean your house (you're too busy and your time is more valuable doing something else).

I'm a professional, but I've only been working for 5 years at one company so I did change my name. I can't say if the laws are the same where you are, but I did NOT change my name on some documents, such as my passport, land titles, credit cards. I changed my name at work, on social media, social insurance number, at the bank.

I'm moving my maiden name to a second middle name and taking his last name.

So if I were Ashley Jane Smith now...I'll be Ashley Jane Smith Jones once I'm married. Two middle names. I don't now why, but I oddly don't want to give up my maiden name.

ETA: I however don't like my maiden name enough to want to hyphenate with my new last name. the two do not sound good together LOL. #vain.

Honestly, do whatever you want!

I'm also planning to change my name. I'll do the same as others have mentioned where I'll have my maiden name, in parentheses, on my email signature & LinkedIn profile. My work email is actually just my first ****@*******.***, so I don't have have to worry about forwarding emails.

Since FH & I have been together since college, I've built my professional identity around my first name (working in social media, I have an account on basically everything & avoid using my last name in my usernames), because I knew I would change my last name eventually.

I wrote out a lengthy, kind of personal response to why I didn't change my name, but to be honest, at the end of the day I agree with CatsBoninCats: do whatever you want!

I am not changing my name, for both personal and professional reasons. I think you just have to go with your gut on this one. As others stated, name changes after marriage are common so people should be able to figure it out, if that's the route you choose.

I did what Ashley C said so now I'm Lara Middle Maiden Last. Professionally speaking, if you want to change, you can and it's no big deal. I have a lot of contacts but have had no problem. My email address was LMaiden@, now it's LLast@, but everything LMaiden, will come to be forever. My signature includes all names and in the from column in receivers' inboxes it says Lara Maiden Last, so as not to confuse people. If you want to do it, it's not difficult.

I changed mine a year after we got married but still have some things in my maiden name--work and personal email, passport, at least one bank account. I figure I will change those as necessary. I had some really mixed feelings when I first changed it, but now that I'm used to it, I like it.

ETA: I didn't use a service, just went to the SS Office and got a new card, then went to the RMV. I actually had a harder time with the RMV than expected because I was changing addresses/states and name at the same time, so beware of that if you're moving.

I work in real estate so names are everything. I'm a licensed personal assistant so my name isn't well known so I will be taking my fiancee's last name. But for top producing realtors they often keep their last name because that's how clients know them. Usually hyphen on their new last name but still go mainly by their maiden name.

Although I love my last name, I'm going to be changing my name to my fiance's. I've heard great things about the site, www.missnowmrs.com. It's sort of a one stop spot, to consolidate all of the paperwork that you'll need to change your name for everything. I think it costs maybe $30?

My friend who just got married in October used it, and it went very well for her.

I'm not changing mine becuase (1) I'm lazy and (2) I'm not a fan of the custom where it defaults to a woman taking the husband's name. But I don't care at all what anyone else does. Just do what feels right for you.

If its going to be a huge change over for your business you can actually (legally) have two names. One is called your professional or "Doing Business As" name the other is you legal name. A lot of the professionals in my office do that because it makes business life easier without insulting your FH, if its something he feels strongly about.

I will probably do the same since all of my licensing and degrees are in my maiden name.

I am not changing mine. This is more of a personal reason and because my last name is kind of awesome. I'm the last with this name in my family so I didn't really wanna let it die either. I don't think leaving it the same is bad, nor do I think changing it is. I would change mine if I didn't care about my maiden name so much.