Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site mhuxr.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mfs From: mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON) Newsgroups: net.legal,net.women Subject: Re: Name Changes Message-ID: <400@mhuxr.UUCP> Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 15:50:22 EDT Article-I.D.: mhuxr.400 Posted: Mon Aug 19 15:50:22 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 22:13:05 EDT References: <139@rruxa.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 28 Xref: watmath net.legal:2124 net.women:6984 > I am getting married soon. From what I have read, I understand > I can legally choose to keep my name or change it, as long as I > do so consistently. Ideally I would like to change my name for > personal use (the idea of everyone in my new family having the > same name appeals to me), but keep my name (&reputation) at work. > At a later time when I changed jobs and my old name didn't mean > anything to anyone I would use my new name everywhere. > > In some professions (e.g., acting) people have "professional" and > private names. Is there any way I could do that? My main concern > is my paycheck (could I cash it if it were in my maiden name) > and my IRS records. So long as there is one Social Security Number referring to you, there is no legal problem with having two names, or twenty five, with two exceptions: your tax returns should all be in the same name. If you and your husband file together, you will unfortunately be known to local and national tax authorities as "Doe, John F and Jane Q.", where Q is either your middle initial or the initial of your maiden name. The second exception is the voter registration rolls. Voting authorities (at least those of Hudson COunty, NJ) are incapable of dealing with hyphenated names, so you may have to pick one or the other. Hyphenation may well be the best option, so banks and the like won't hassle you if checks are in one name and the account in another. Good luck. Marcel Simon