Tuesday, April 27, 2010
name change
I will be changing my name.
It feels right...I've never questioned it for one minute. I've talked about here...and I'm happy to say that it feels more joyous now that it's right around the corner. I was wondering how it would feel to know there was a limit to how many more days I would live with my born name.....
....and it feels like something big is about to happen...like the stars are going to align. Funny, huh. As my paperwork gets processed at my residency program, I had to fill out forms with my "anticipated name" (you know, for white doctor coats, name badges, business cards.) It was weird as I typed out my "new name". It was weird, and looked a bit foreign, but it made me smile. I'm happy with my choice...and will cherish these last few weeks with the name that connects me with my parents, my family and my Czech heritage.
Except, the hassle of it all freaks me out. Grrr. Read what the smart sassy lady of The Thirty Something Bride has to say about it here...I thought it was helpful...and may just save me some time and money. Two things I enjoy saving.
Did you change your name? What streamlined the process? What did you do first?
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We both want to become myname hisname, no hypen. But I am too lazy and cheap to do the change, so I am going to wait till one day in the far future when I am bored and then I will look into it.
ReplyDeleteI'm changing my name too, and like you I never really questioned it - it just feels right. I just decided to follow my gut instead of getting into a heady debate about the implications. I'll definitely have to check out that streamlined process though. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea all that goes into it - paperwork, etc. but I know I'm going to change my name. I've never really given it a second thought. At my current job I'll likely go by my current last name until I leave here but everywhere else I'll be my new married last name. I work with lots of hypens and knew I never wanted to hypen my name - to each there own on this one but I will definitely change mine. Is it a big paperwork hassle?
ReplyDeleteHere in Ontario we don't need to pay (except maybe for passport.. which I'll wait on since I JUST got a new one a few months before we got married). I changed mine. But word to the wise: if you're buying a first place together, it's probably easier to wait. I learned this the hard way. And I'm still running into things I missed changing (and also missed changing my address since I've been doing both together). Like an old credit card I still have "just in case" but rarely use. Some old investments I'd forgotten about.. etc. And it's been a little over 6 months. So when you do make the change, I'd recommend keeping your marriage certificate accessible for at least a year for things you may have overlooked.
ReplyDeleteI still have to change my name. For me its a little different. I never thought twice about it, until my dad passed away two years ago. I feel like its a little part of my dad that i can hold onto. Since i dont have a middle name, I am thinking of moving my last name as my middle name and then taking Robs last name... Finally. I need to get a move on, since we have been married 7 months now lol!
ReplyDeleteI changed mine, you can change it when you fill out the paperwork for your marriage license, then use your license for everything else - DMV, bank accounts, social security, etc. I've only changed it on my driver's license and my bank accounts. And that took me over a year to do! I still stutter when people ask me my name though.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I battle with, I do not want to change my name and sounds like a royal hassle to do so. I am passionate about my roots and I also have built my business with my current name, I even have trouble considering hyphenating. I have always struggled with this tradition b/c in the back of my mind it always makes me feel subservient. Does anyone else feel like that?
ReplyDeleteA little - maybe not that I feel it's subservient but that I've been me a long time, and there is a whole lot of identity and history tied up in my old name. The solution I like the best is to be Mrs New Name, but (when I finally graduate) Dr Old Name - keeping home and professional identities separate (part of this is child-of-divorce cynicism, which is a whole other can of worms and makes me feel disloyal to my 6-week-old marriage).
ReplyDeleteBut let's face it, having two names is going to be a pain in the a** - and with nothing published yet, there isn't a compelling reason for me to keep my old one. So who knows what I'll do...
I am planning on taking my FH's name when the time comes. I wasn't too sure about it when we first started dating (ubber french canadian name for me, and all english for him).. I didn't want to lose my identity.. but after thinking it through (for a couple years) I figured it's just a name.. you can't lose your identity and who you are through a name change.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, On the other hand, CLEARLY wasn't on the same page. When I told my (french canadian) mother I'd be taking an English family name she had a HUGE fit and freaked out in front of 30 members of my family.. on my grandmothers 80th Birthday. Thinking about it.. I guess I should have saved that conversation when it was just the 2 of us..
lol ahhhh the joys of dealing with family.
I'll change my name. I wouldn't consider not changing it, because I want us to identify as a family.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not to say I'm not going to miss my name. I love my name.
We both changed our names to MyLastName HisLastName with no hyphen. Luckily, CO is nice and allows men to change their last names with ease--in some states, it can cost a lot of money for men to change their last names. It was a hassle, but we both have the same last name and I really like that we have a unique name, different from either of our parents.
ReplyDeleteNot sure yet what we're going to do with this one, but I love that you're following your heart!
ReplyDeleteBeing that I was in the middle of getting my professional license and starting off my career, I opted to not change my name. I am in a similar case like Caroline. I have a established business, a professional license, and so many other things that would be quite a hassle to deal with a name change. My husband understood, not initially but later. As much as I love him, I also felt that I'd be losing part of identity as I am of a different ethnicity and it just didn't match me. Our daughter has his last name which I am fine with. I think to each their own and what they feel is right.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, women have gained so much and the trends change back and forth. Each person is entitled to do what they feel is right to them...
I am curious whether anyone has decided to keep their name at the time of their marriage, but changed it later. I am struggling with the idea of changing my name, but wonder if, in time, I will want to. Would that be more of a hassle? Give me more time to feel comfortable with a new name?
ReplyDeletei was on the fence about changing my name, but decided that i wanted my family to have the same last name. i still haven't made it official (it's been two years!)...my license says one thing, my credit card an other. it's a process!
ReplyDeleteI just got a copy of my certificate I'm getting when I finish my fellowship (hang in there, it will all finish someday) and it had my full new name on it. I"m getting married in 3 weeks so I'll finish fellowship after I get married and it was SO COOL to see it written out. Very official. I'd been kind of uncertain about changing my name, at least at work, but it was a big deal to my fiance. But, I"m so excited about it now and it gave me chills to see it all written out.
ReplyDeleteI've read somewhere there's a site that will take care of most of the name stuff for a fee... sounds more and more what I'd like to do... to save me some of the hassle!
ReplyDelete