Shedding Your Married Name
Although it has become more common for brides to retain their maiden name, most begin using the surname of their spouses after the wedding. Legally speaking, it is up to you—there is no law that says you must change your name. Some married couples decide to use hyphenated versions of their last names as a way to be inclusive and modern. Divorce, however, can bring changes to many areas of a married couple's life, and making a decision about your last name during the divorce is a more cost-effective and easy way of doing so rather than in a separate court action. To learn more about your options for your name after a divorce, read on.
Consider the Consequences
Many women are so accustomed to being known as Mrs. Smith that they opt to continue using their former husband's last name. It can make things less confusing if you have children, and there is no need to get a new driver's license and make other important changes. If your former husband remarries, however, you should consider the potential for confusion about there being two Mrs. Smiths.
Done and Ordered
You can change your name to whatever you wish at any time by seeking a legal name change through the courts. A divorce, however, is very likely the one and only time that you can change your name back to your maiden name without taking a separate legal action. In most cases, your desire to take back your maiden name can be added as a provision in your divorce and becomes legal when the divorce decree is signed by the judge.
Usually, if you want to continue using your married name, you need not to take any action at all. Continuing to use your married name has a long history and is considered the default action. It should be noted that if you opt to change your married name back to your maiden name using your divorce papers, you may not opt to use other names. If you want to change your name to something else entirely, you must do so using the traditional name change court actions. It should also be noted that husbands who have used a hyphenated version of their last name and their former spouse's last name can simply revert back to using their own last name using the divorce decree as well.
To learn more, speak to attorneys like those at Cooper Levenson Attorneys At Law.