We’ve all known someone with that name everybody makes fun of. “Sunshine Ray”, “Jack Hoff”, etc. etc.
- Did you end up with some cheesy name that your love-struck parents pinned on you when they gazed into your eyes for the first time?
- Were you the recipient of the name of a parent’s favorite great uncle?
- Have you always gone by a nickname or your middle name, and feel stupid when someone discovers your real first name?
Would you love to change your name? Well…today is YOUR lucky day!
According to Holiday Insights, April 9th is “Name Yourself Day“. Today is your chance to give yourself whatever name you’d like; either just for the day, or changed permanently and legally.
Legal Zoom cited the ten top reasons people are changing their names, and look at what’s sitting right there in the #1 spot.
- Dislike Current Name A name change request can come about simply because a person doesn’t like his or her name as given at birth; perhaps they’d prefer something more unique than Britney or Ashley or something less unique than a homespun name that combined parents’ names. In this same vein, people with names that could be embarrassing, especially if mispronounced or misspelled, may also seek name changes.
- Changing Name Following Divorce If a woman has taken her husband’s name upon marriage, she may decide to reclaim her maiden name upon separation or divorce.
- Husband Taking Wife’s Name upon Marriage It’s becoming increasingly popular for a husband to take his wife’s surname.
- Changing Child’s Surname to Mother’s or Father’s In the case of an absent father, a mother may wish to have a child’s surname changed to hers.
- Couples Combining or Hyphenating Surnames to Form a New One Another popular trend with married or cohabitating couples is the creation of a new surname using parts of each partner’s name or simply hyphenating the two last names for a brand new joint surname.
- Desire for a Less or More “Ethnic” Name People with names that are identifiably “ethnic” sometimes request name changes for various reasons, including ease of pronunciation and spelling.
- Transgender Name Changes Transgender people often request name changes to reflect gend
- Religious Reasons Whether it’s because of a recent religious conversion or simply to honor a person’s religious deity, name changes for religious reasons are quite common.
- Same-Sex Partners Sharing Surname Although same-sex partners may not be allowed to legally marry in all states, they can choose to share a surname.
- Political Statement
If you really wanted to rename yourself, would you? Can you – legally? Yup, sure can, and from what I learned from Wikipedia, it’s not that hard to do.
Usually a person can adopt any name desired for any reason. As of 2009, 46 states allow a person legally to change names by usage alone, with no paperwork, but a court order may be required for many institutions (such as banks or government institutions) to officially accept the change. there are differences in acceptable requirements; usually a court order is the most efficient way to change names (which would be applied for in a state court), except at marriage, which has become a universally accepted reason for a name change. It is necessary to plead that the name change is not for a fraudulent or other illegal purpose, such as evading a lien or debt or for defaming someone else.
The applicant may be required to give a reasonable explanation for wanting to change their name. A fee is generally payable, and the applicant may be required to post legal notices in newspapers to announce the name change. To maintain a person’s identity, it is desirable to obtain a formal order so there is continuity of personal records.
So…If you could choose a completely different first, last and middle name, who would you be? Try it on by typing your new name in a comment below. If there’s a story behind your choice, please share!
