Name Changes

[alicia-w]

Does anyone know the process by which you can change your name legally? i'm not talking getting married or divorced but changing your given name.

[JonathanBelles]

Why would you wanna change it?

[gtalum]

It varies from state to state. Check with the officials at your local courthouse.

[Regit]

Like gtalum said, it varies. Most states require you give a genuine reason. Then you appear before a judge who grants or denies the request.

In most states, the first place you'd go is your county's Clerk of Court.

[alicia-w]

Why would you wanna change it?

that's a bit of a prying question.

there are a couple of reasons, neither of which i care to disclose here. my security clearance may be an issue though. too much paperwork!

[JonathanBelles]

Security clearance...is something wrong?

[bayway]

I was a waiter in college and one of the other waiters changed his name to
"Sky Blue"... no kidding. He had brown eyes and started wearing contact
lenses that where colored bright blue. He was pissed when we all just kept
calling him Chuck.

[alicia-w]

no, nothing's wrong. i just want to change my first name from alice to alicia. the local courthouse here said i can change it through common usage, that a formal legal process isnt required.

[bayway]

I also have a brother in law... he was just a few years behind us in school. His
name was Ed. He went to college and got his Accounting Degree and wanted
everyone to start calling him Richard (his middle name). So we started calling
him Dick.

[Regit]

Alicia is a good one. I was worried you might be one of those people who legally changed your name to some phrase, like "Dot Com Guy" or "Bubba the Love Sponge."

[alicia-w]

no love sponges here.....

my friends have called me Alicia for years and I like it. Alice is my mother's middle name. Her first name is my middle name. While she was living, it didnt seem respectful to change it, but she's been gone for 9 years now and I think it's been long enough. I figure a decent lightning storm will indicate her displeasure at the choice.

[MSRobi911]

no, nothing's wrong. i just want to change my first name from alice to alicia. the local courthouse here said i can change it through common usage, that a formal legal process isnt required.

It will stay the same with the IRS, Social Security and your medical insurance companies unless you change it legally and send in the doccuments to back it up. This causes lots and lots of problems if you register at your doctors office with the name you call yourself and then your insurance cards say something else...they will turn your claims down in a heart beat! If you don't call the clerks attention to the name difference so they can put it in the policy holder area and then it will be different than the patient's name and cause different problems....sorry this does cause problems often.

Mary

I knew a lady that her first name was Roy. She never changed it and everybody called her Mrs. Roy!! What a magnificent lady she was, a true Southern Belle.

[coriolis]

I also have a brother in law... he was just a few years behind us in school. His
name was Ed. He went to college and got his Accounting Degree and wanted
everyone to start calling him Richard (his middle name). So we started calling
him Dick.

I want to know what's wrong with "Ed." It works for me.

[Opal storm]

This thread reminds me of that guy who had to change his name to Peyton Manning after losing a superbowl bet.

[MusicCityMan]

I remember that Opal.. I laughed so hard after hearing that..