The implications of a person changing his or her surname

Many women simply adopt their partners name even if they are not married. Or they may change their name for business or professional reasons.

I simply changed my name "by usage" by writing to relevent parties such as my bank, tax office etc and announcing the fact. To those which required "evidence" I bought a statutary declaration form from a law stationers and asked someone to witness it. The witness person does not have to be a lawyer or solicitor. I asked my then doctor and they charged me £5. The form itself was £3. This was back in the 1980s.

I still have the form somewhere.

I think I’m unusual in that I kept my first husband’s name after my remarriage. My first husband had died after our divorce. My current husband doesn’t mind and ‘my’ name is easier than his so he sometimes uses it too. To be honest, I didn’t want a long list of names which indicate my marital history and I couldn’t be bothered to tell banks, utilities etc that I had new name. I answer to both names, as does my husband! There’s nothing sinister in it, I’ve no dark secrets and I’ve got the same name as my sons.

I’m one of those people who didn’t change my name when I married. Other countries manage well without women being expected to abandon their family name and become Mrs X

Never encountered problems. You let the tax office know, that's the important bit and tell everyone else. With some people keeping their maiden name apon marriage, I wonder if the children have mothers or fathers surname, you can't keep double barrelling it for ever more. I wanted us all to have the same surname until I remarried.

Teacheranne, friends did the same, combined both names to make a new, shared family name

My friends daughter made up a combined name when she got married, I think it is lovely. She was Piper and her wife was Anderson so they now have the married name Piperson. Very sadly both her parents, very old friends of mine and greatly missed, died within four months of each other just before their wedding so the new name is a fitting tribute to her family name.

StarDreamer

That is interesting.

So if a woman who has married and changed her surname needs to get Letters of Administration regarding the estate of her intestate father, does that produce a problem?

No, I have a different surname to my mother and there has been no problem with using Power of Attorney when she was alive or for Probate after her death. I don’t anticipate any problems when we get Probate and distribute the inheritance.

When the ex and I considered marriage, we thought we may combine our names into one.
Mr. and Mrs. Bland.

Floradora9

Many lady doctors still use their own name for work purposes.

As do professionals in many many other fields from the Arts to Politics to Business to Medicine to Sport!

Kalu

Upon marriage. I took DH’s name. He was perfectly aware my decision did not give him ownership of me. As if!?

?
Certainly not!

Some colleagues were known by their maiden names professionally but by their married surnames in private lives.

I didn't mind taking DH's surname when we married as I wasn't keen on my maiden name but, having researched our family histories, I find it more interesting and like it better now. I wouldn't bother to change back now though.
Have researched the FH, I've also found out why my DF had such an unusual middle name - it was a surname which might otherwise have disappeared from the family.

Many lady doctors still use their own name for work purposes.

I was married young in 1967, flowers in my hair. My mum suggested I keep my last name, she’d taken my father’s name in 1947 and regretted this was expected. She loved dad, so that wasn’t the issue. Despite the hippie peace flowers, I followed convention and took my first husband’s name. I regretted doing that almost immediately. Regretted the marriage soon after.
I left 11 years later, reverted to my original last name. I considered taking my mother’s ‘maiden’ name but decided I’d stay with my birth name. In divorce proceedings, my solicitor advised I formalise the name change with a change of name deed. Seemed daft to me but I did.
I married for a second time four years later. I chose not to take my husband’s name, he didn’t expect I would. Our children have both names, one name becomes a middle name as we didn’t hyphenate.

It’s a strangely British culture that has women disappearing from family trees when they give up their original family name

I took my husband’s name when we married but for reasons of security I used my birth surname with my middle name for my professional life.
It has never caused any problems for me.

When I was about 7 years old, my parents changed their surname, as the one they had was german. My Dad, (and his older brother) both did this at the same time, selecting a name from around the middle of those four large London telephone directories East to say easy to spell. All done by Deed Poll.

I have that original deed poll, several photocopies of it which I have used over the years to be be able to show why my birth surname was different to the surname under which I married.

Never caused any problems.

So pleased that my husband had an unusual surname, my eldest daughter kept that and it is fascinating how many people from our past have managed to track us down through her because of this. When we divorced, nearly fifty years after our marriage, there was no way I was changing anything again.

Why should Stardreamer not ask a question about a topic which interests him?
There are many threads which cover subjects previously raised but also many new members who have not seen them.

I reverted to my maiden name several years after divorce (waited for kids to leave school so we shared same surname). Gradually I just changed everything over, finishing with driving licence and bank. This wasn't an issue until recently when I needed an enhanced DBS, not only did i had to produce birth/marriage/divorce paperwork but try and give a date I changed my surname back!

Both my DD’s have kept their maiden names and put a hyphen in with their husband’s surname going last. Their idea not mine.
A friend’s husband is called John, referred to as Big John as his own father is Old John. Big
John’s son is known as Little John (although in height he dwarfs his father) and Little John’s son is Baby John!! I’ve got to say I think it’s daft - as Little John and his family are now living with his parents, there are 3 John D………s under the same roof.

Smileless2012

Where is it MissA? Haven't seen that thread and wouldn't mind a virtual cruise.

You are welcome to join.

We started with a few days in Mainz, then got on our cruise ship and departed, stopping at various places on the way, and thus far have also included three overland side trips too.

Quite a way to go still.

LINK > Virtual cruise from Mainz along the river Main

I'm glad I've just the one name to contend with.
I don't want to imagine how the benefits system would take to anything complicated.

Oh yes, so he has .

stardreamer has put a link to it in the post where he mentions it, smiles.

As Maw has said (and it had slipped my mind) her State Pension is based on her National Insurance number and that doesn’t change no matter how many different names you call yourself.

As she has had several different employments it is her Personal Pensions that will require all of her paperwork.

Where is it MissA? Haven't seen that thread and wouldn't mind a virtual cruise.

Smileless2012

Oh that's too easy MissA, must be other one.

(Cough cough!)
Yes, that's right.

Aw thanks StarDreamer.