Name Change 101…Yes, You’ll Still Smell as Sweet!
By Heather Faucher | Posted on July 23, 2009 | Filed Under Name Change
So you’ve decided to change your name. Maybe you never liked it to begin with, or maybe you got married and want to take your spouse’s name. Could be that it’s unpronounceable and you’re tired of having it spelled wrong all the darned time. Maybe you’re a wanted criminal and…okay, okay, that last one was a joke. But seriously, changing your name can be easy with the right person to guide you through the process. In the meantime, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Choose carefully. If you’re lucky enough to get to choose your own name, make sure you practice signing it and having people call you by it out loud to make sure you like it, both on paper and on the lips. Also, if you’re the sensitive kind, try and think of any embarrassing nicknames people might come up with based on the new name. Even if you’re out of high school! Just make sure it doesn’t appear that you’re trying to pretend to be someone else to avoid bankruptcy or prosecution, and it’s also ill advised to violate trademarks, to use numbers or symbols except Roman numerals, or to use obscene words.
2. Rules vary. The rules you’ll need to follow are going to vary from state to state–possibly even from municipality to municipality. Here’s where having an experienced lawyer to help you could definitely come in handy. At minimum, you should definitely contact the appropriate local governments to find out what rules you need to abide by to get your name legally changed.
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Tags: change your name, Name Change, Name Changes
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