Name Change after Marriage

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Your Married Name: Would You Keep It If Your Marriage Ended?

Would you keep your married name if your married ended? As a name change expert, I do a great deal of reading on the topic of (surprise) married name change. Once in a while the concept of married names and divorce comes up. As this is a newlywed blog, we don’t mention the “D word” very often. However, married name change and its ramifications (including after a marriage sadly ends) is something everyone newly engaged or newly married woman should consider.

Married Name Change

Changing your name after marriage is a very personal choice. If you do opt to become a Mrs., your name changes legally and stays changed. Unless, you pass away or opt to legally change it again based on another marriage, divorce or a whim. This is not a decision to be made lightly as it involves mountains of paperwork to accomplish and mountains more to change if you change your mind. Have you made up your mind and decided in favor of changing your name? Save 13 hour of stress and hassle with the MissNowMrs is an app and online name change service.

Help Me Change My Name

The name change article I read was answering someone’s question as to why a divorced woman would choose to keep her married name post divorce. While a new married name is new when you’re changing your business cards and monograms, it becomes part of your identity as you build your career, family and life. At some point your new name is simply your name. Many women opt to keep married names post divorce to have the same name as their children or continue to keep the name recognition that they have built in their area of work or expertise. Some women keep their married names because that is what they are comfortable with or even to spite their ex husbands.

Divorce Name Change

Name change post divorce is a very similar process to married name change. Instead of using a marriage certificate to file for your new name, you will need a legal name change order in your divorce decree. That is the legal document that allows your legal name change after your divorce is finalized. Should you be ready to get your maiden name back, services like GetYourNameBack streamline the process for a nominal fee.

Once again, name change proves to be a highly personal choice. There are many factors regardless of whether you are taking/adding your spouse’s last name or taking your maiden name back. Choose wisely ladies!

MissNowMrs Name Change Gift Cards Now at Target!

MissNowMrs name change gift cards are now at Target! Tis the season for bridal showers and weddings! Do you feel like you’re attending one or the other every weekend from now through early Fall? While watching friends and family fall in love and get married is amazing, it can leave a girl feeling overwhelmed on the gifting front. While something from their registry is always a good idea, some people like to give gifts that brides-to-be don’t even realize they need (including yours truly).

If you’re looking for a unique and useful gift for bridal showers and weddings this year, stockpile MissNowMrs gift cards! For $29.95 you will save each bride in your life 13 hours of hassle on her transition from Miss to Mrs. The easy online name change service auto-completes all of the necessary legal paperwork (think Social Security cards, passport, driver’s licenses and updating all her creditors) and makes sure she skips standing in long offices lines with the inside scoop on how to file by mail!

MissNowMrs gift cards are available online, at Rite Aids across the US. And, as of Sunday in 100 Target stores! Could that be any more convenient? So be the friend that gives the gift of more time spent enjoying newlywed life instead of a cookbook.

Angelina Changes to Her Married Name, Surprising the World with a Semi-Conventional Switch

Shocked Angelina changes to her married name? Every time the world believes it understands Angelina Jolie, she does something unconventional. Now she’s surprising the press by doing something semi-conventional: Angelina changes her married name. Angelina has made two high profile uses of the name Angelina Jolie Pitt recently, which indicates she’s made the switch mentally and most likely legally.
Taking two last names is a very popular name change choice for newlyweds in 2015, and it makes sense for Angelina. This option allows the star to keep the maiden name associated with her early work and take on her husband’s famous name. More importantly, her last name will now match those of her six children. Her age also plays a factor, as most women over 35 tend to keep their maiden names in some way.

The other name change trending upwards with brides this year is taking a maiden name as a middle name. This name change options also allows women to hold onto their maiden names but not have to say them at every introduction. Curious what name change option is right for you? Play the Married Name Game and let its patent-pending algorithm help determine the married name that is perfect for you!

Is Keeping Your Maiden Name a Huge Mistake?

Considering keeping your maiden name? In the controversial world of married name change there is much debate around whether a woman should change her name after marriage. In the whirlwind of debate there are the multiple choices of names that a married woman can opt to take.

Name change is a personal decision for every bride, and she should weigh all the factors that are important to her and her name now and in the future to avoid making a mistake that can last for decades.

Many women punt on the married name change decision and wait a few years or until they’re pregnant to make a choice. While that may take the pressure off as a newlywed, it intensifies the pressure into a 9 month block later in life. Consider how important it is to you to have the same name as your child or children.

Does it matter that you may need to explain your marital status and mis-matched names at various schools and social functions? Do you think your kids will feel less connected as a family if they have your spouse’s last name and you use your maiden name? Again, the choice is very much up to you and how you feel.

I recently read an article about a mother lamenting keeping her maiden name. It’s rare to have a window into another person’s feelings about their name and name-change choices, so I was intrigued. If you want to know why one mom feels that keeping her maiden name was a huge mistake, read Jill Simonian’s story. The main takeaway from her story is that “My name doesn’t match the people that are most important to me, which makes me sad, guilty, confused and scared.” Those are big emotions, so take a moment and make sure that you won’t feel similarly if you keep your maiden name.

If you do decide that changing your name after marriage is the right choice for you and your (future) family don’t waste 13 hours standing in long office lines. Use the MissNowMrs easy online name change service or app to go from Miss to Mrs. in a matter of minutes!

Help Me Change My Name

5 Reasons to Take Your New Married Name in the New Year

Ready to take your new married name in the New Year? We’re twelve days into January, and sadly many newlyweds’ New Year’s resolutions are already falling by the wayside. Did you resolve to change your maiden name after getting married? That’s one resolution that should be easy to keep and there are many benefits to changing to your married name in the beginning of the year.

Take Advantage of Available Options – Not all states allow all variations of married name change (ex: Ohio doesn’t allow maiden to middle name change). If plan to change your name, the sooner you begin the transition, the more options you’ll have as most states make legislature changes in early spring. It would be terrible to decide upon a specific married last name combination and find out that you missed your chance in your state by a few weeks.

Travel – Thinking about booking a trip for Spring Break or over the summer? Now is the time to apply for a new passport in your married name. The State Department is taking ~5 weeks to issue new passports, and you’ll need your new passport number before you book your flights somewhere warm! The other reason to get a new passport now? You’ll get to keep track of all of your trips as a Mrs. instead of having them split between two books.

Taxes – No one wants to think about taxes, but changing your name in the beginning of the year will make filing taxes under your new name much simpler next year. After working a full year as a Mrs, your accountant will thank you and you won’t have to stress about which amounts were made under which name.

Employment Ease – Employers need to be notified of married name changes and if that notification comes in the new year, odds are in your favor that you’ll get prompt attention from HR, new business cards, email etc before everyone is bogged down with projects. Another pro: you’ll receive credit in your new name. As someone who received a president’s club trophy and trip in a hyphenated name (as HR guessed)…I really wish I had notified them of my new non-hyphenated last name in the New Year!

Now or Never – Name change is one of those life changes that fall into the now or never category. The sooner you start the married name change process the sooner it will be finished and you’ll be an official Mrs. The longer you wait, the more your maiden name gets attached to important things like leases, mortgages, degrees, etc. and the harder it becomes to make the switch to a new last name.

If your New Year’s resolution was to change your name, hopefully these five benefits give you the boost you need to start the process. MissNowMrs is an easy online name change service that will streamline the paperwork and pain from 13 hours into 30 minutes for $29.95. How’s that for a great deal and a way to ensure you check that particular resolution off your list?!