NewEnglandLady
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2007
- Messages
- 6,299
So FI and I just got back from Boston''s city hall, where we applied for our marriage license (yay!). For the past month or so I''ve been in contact with several branches of the MA family court, the soc. security office and a marriage lawyer to determine how to keep my maiden name as a second middle name. There is no way to add it on the marriage license form, but apparently I can add it as a second middle name at the SS office, howeiver the SS office and the lawyer confirmed that it was not a legal name change, just a cosmetic name change. Still, they''ll print it on legal documents (still confused about that one). I was really hoping that the clerk could just add my maiden name as a second middle name on the ML itself, so I didn''t have to go through the whole name change/addition process. Here''s how the convo went:
Me: "Yes, hi, I would really like to keep my maiden name as a second middle name. Is it possible to do this on the marriage license so that I don''t have to fill out a name change form, pay a fee and go to court?"
Delightful government clerk: "yeah...just do it."
Me: *stares blankly at her for a few seconds*
Me: "How would I just do it?"
DGC: "Just do it!!"
Me: *looks at FI in a way that portrays I have no clue what to say*
FI: "I''m sorry, but do you mean she should just sign her name like that, can she do that?"
DGC: "sure"
Me: "Well would that be a cosmetic change or a legal change?"
DGC: "I don''t know, I''m not a lawyer!"
Me: "I''m sure you probably get this inquiry often, is that what is recommended?"
DGC: "No, most people just replace their middle name with their maiden name."
Me: "Oh, okay, so is there a way I can do that legally without going through the name change process?"
DGC: "Yeah, just do it!!"
Oy, I just thanked her, paid the cashier and left (we''d been there for almost an hour just to fill out the form and take a one-sentence oath). Then we got cream puffs from Fanieuel Hall to celebrate!
I''m beginning to wonder why I care so much about legally changing (keeping) my name when it doesn''t seem that any legal body in MA cares if I do...
Me: "Yes, hi, I would really like to keep my maiden name as a second middle name. Is it possible to do this on the marriage license so that I don''t have to fill out a name change form, pay a fee and go to court?"
Delightful government clerk: "yeah...just do it."
Me: *stares blankly at her for a few seconds*
Me: "How would I just do it?"
DGC: "Just do it!!"
Me: *looks at FI in a way that portrays I have no clue what to say*
FI: "I''m sorry, but do you mean she should just sign her name like that, can she do that?"
DGC: "sure"
Me: "Well would that be a cosmetic change or a legal change?"
DGC: "I don''t know, I''m not a lawyer!"
Me: "I''m sure you probably get this inquiry often, is that what is recommended?"
DGC: "No, most people just replace their middle name with their maiden name."
Me: "Oh, okay, so is there a way I can do that legally without going through the name change process?"
DGC: "Yeah, just do it!!"
Oy, I just thanked her, paid the cashier and left (we''d been there for almost an hour just to fill out the form and take a one-sentence oath). Then we got cream puffs from Fanieuel Hall to celebrate!
I''m beginning to wonder why I care so much about legally changing (keeping) my name when it doesn''t seem that any legal body in MA cares if I do...