Name Change After Marriage

Marriage comes with its own list of changes, stresses and decisions. If one of the decisions made happens to be a name change, you want to go down the quickest and easiest avenue to make this possible. Getting married does not require you to change your name, but if a name change is desired, only your last name can be legally changed. You can choose either your spouse’s last name or create a new one by hyphenating yours and theirs last name. Once you write your new name in your Marriage License, and your marriage is complete, your name will have legally changed.

Post-Matrimonial Name Change

There are restrictions when you changing your last name through marriage. The State of New York gives you the following options to write into your Marriage Certificate for your new last name:

• Surname of either you or your spouse
• Any former surname of you or your spouse
• A name combining the two last names into one singular name
• Two of you and your spouse surnames combined by a hyphen

Any other change of name will not be deemed legal through marriage, and in order to have a legal name change, you must file a Name Change Petition and Proposed Order.

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Once you have properly filed your Marriage Certificate and have gotten married, you can then change your driver’s license, social security card and other legal documents by presenting your Marriage License as official proof of your name change.

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Learn More About Name Changes

Name Change Basics

Name Change Due to Privacy

Name Change After Divorce

Name Change for Re-Marriage

Name Change for Children

Name Change Due to Fraud