Name Change After Marriage

[piscesforever 1]

I did my initial name change when I applied for my SSS number. I dropped my mom's last name and made my dad's my middle name. I didn't see any problem with this. However, I just read a topic in the Adjustment of Status (filing) wherein an applicant mentioned that the AOS interviewer told her not to follow the Philippine's way of name changing their middle name after marriage. Instead, keep her mom's last name as her middle name. Follow US rules. Because it will be a problem on Naturalization.

Does anyone have experienced this?

[Scott and Mhay 57]

You can do it anyway you like...when you get married that is your free time to change your name...if you want to do it differently after that it could cost you by going through the courts to do it right. There is no set way to do it in the US...just the ways "so and so" wants you to do it....but its your choice because it is your name. do whatever is customary for you.

[Tahoma 2,291]

You can do it anyway you like...when you get married that is your free time to change your name...if you want to do it differently after that it could cost you by going through the courts to do it right. There is no set way to do it in the US...just the ways "so and so" wants you to do it....but its your choice because it is your name. do whatever is customary for you.

Agreed.

[charlie&pam 1]

have to agree ...Pam is going to use her last name as her middle name

[Arrta 1]

As stated previously, you have 1 free name change when you get married. In Massachusetts, you do this when you fill out the paperwork for the Marriage License. It may be different in different states. You put down your name and your husbands name as well as your married name. After you get married you get a Marriage Certificate with this information on it that you then use to prove you are legally married and your name has been legally changed.

When Charry arrived, we got her SSC about 2 weeks after her arival. It had her maiden name on it (First, Mothers last, Fathers last).

When we got married, thats when we changed her name (First, Fathers last, Our last). We then went back with our Marriage Certificate and got her name changed on her SSC. Her GC has this name on it as well.

If you don't get the SSC until after marriage, bring your Marriage Certificate with your married name on it. They will look up your SSC by your maiden name and make the changes that are listed on the Marriage Certificate before submitting the request for the SSC to be sent to you.

Make sure to have your surname on the mailbox or the mail carrier will not deliver the SSC or your GC. We had to have Charry's SSC with her maiden name sent twice because we only had my surname on the mailbox and had not thought to have her surname on it as well. After the wedding we took her maiden surname off the mailbox.

[Matt & Bing 56]

You can do it anyway you like...when you get married that is your free time to change your name...if you want to do it differently after that it could cost you by going through the courts to do it right. There is no set way to do it in the US...just the ways "so and so" wants you to do it....but its your choice because it is your name. do whatever is customary for you.

Well, not really. My wife began using her former last name as her middle name after marriage. There really was no place on our marriage license to indicate your new last name. She signed it using her new middle and last names however. We applied for AOS using the desired new middle name. At AOS, the officer said we could not change the middle name and the green card was issued with her original middle name. We would of had to change it legally through the circuit court. We decided we had had enough hassels with all the AOS paperwork etc. and decided to not change it legally. We had already changed her middle name on bank accounts and SS card so we had to change those back.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Matt & Bing

[iahmjpinoy 6]

Well, not really. My wife began using her former last name as her middle name after marriage. There really was no place on our marriage license to indicate your new last name. She signed it using her new middle and last names however. We applied for AOS using the desired new middle name. At AOS, the officer said we could not change the middle name and the green card was issued with her original middle name. We would of had to change it legally through the circuit court. We decided we had had enough hassels with all the AOS paperwork etc. and decided to not change it legally. We had already changed her middle name on bank accounts and SS card so we had to change those back.

I guess it depends on the officer doing the interview. We just had our interview on April 13th, the officer didn't mention anything about her dropping her mom's maiden name and moving her fathers last name as her middle name and taking my last name. Maybe she didn't say anything cus we're both Filipino Heck, the interview for her AOS felt like I was just there to BS with her and we actually laughed at some of the answers I gave during the interview. BTW, it was stranged that during the interview, the officer didn't care who answered the questions she was asking, as I was doing most of the answering.

If it were me, I would do it the way you want it, keep with the tradition, and if it comes up, explain to her/him why.

Ingats!

[Richard90027 1]

You did exactly what my wife did and it all worked out great

[Jimfibi 2]

I did my initial name change when I applied for my SSS number. I dropped my mom's last name and made my dad's my middle name. I didn't see any problem with this. However, I just read a topic in the Adjustment of Status (filing) wherein an applicant mentioned that the AOS interviewer told her not to follow the Philippine's way of name changing their middle name after marriage. Instead, keep her mom's last name as her middle name. Follow US rules. Because it will be a problem on Naturalization.

Does anyone have experienced this?

I have two first names, which adds to confusion of which middle name to use, but I will get the bridge when I get there. We are not filing for AOS anyway...

Edited April 15, 2010 by Jimfibi

[Jimfibi 2]

I have two first names, which adds to confusion of which middle name to use, but I will cross the bridge when I get there. We are not filing for AOS anyway...

[Marzy 1]

I kept my middle name.

[piscesforever 1]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I will let it as it is... Unless my interviewer told me to do so.

[MI.PI 7]

I did my initial name change when I applied for my SSS number. I dropped my mom's last name and made my dad's my middle name. I didn't see any problem with this. However, I just read a topic in the Adjustment of Status (filing) wherein an applicant mentioned that the AOS interviewer told her not to follow the Philippine's way of name changing their middle name after marriage. Instead, keep her mom's last name as her middle name. Follow US rules. Because it will be a problem on Naturalization.

Does anyone have experienced this?

This was my concern also a couple of months ago. I signed our marriage certificate using my 2 first names and my husband's last name. I had my SSN and state ID with my 2 first names, my maiden name (as my new middle name) and my husband's last name (as my new married name) and it is how I had my name also in my AOS application. We had heard about this name change issue and did our research. We asked our county clerk about it but they said I can have my name however I want it and if I need to change it, I can only do it after 1 year of residency.

When I went to my biometrics, the supervisor told me I could not have my name the way I had it written on the application because there is a state law in Michigan that do not allow any other naming convention. She said that I would need to file for a change of name and attend a court hearing if I want to follow the Philippine naming convention. She even tried to scare me by saying that if she was the Immigration Officer handling my case, she would deny my AOS application. Of course this is ridiculous! We told her what the county clerk told us about the timing of filing for a name change so there is no way we can do that while doing the AOS. We also told her that we did not realize that it is going be an issue because other states do not care about how one wants to have their name changed after marriage. We said we will deal with whatever issue we will have with the Immigration Officer when we have our interview. I guess she knew we did our assignment and she cannot possibly intimidate us so she just had my biometrics taken without any more problems.

We had our interview last Monday (April 12) and the Immigration Officer did not even mention anything about the name change issue. Today, I received my welcome letter and it has my name the way I have written it on my application.

So I guess there is really nothing to worry about the name change.

Edited April 16, 2010 by MI.PI

[Matt & Bing 56]

This was my concern also a couple of months ago. I signed our marriage certificate using my 2 first names and my husband's last name. I had my SSN and state ID with my 2 first names, my maiden name (as my new middle name) and my husband's last name (as my new married name) and it is how I had my name also in my AOS application. We had heard about this name change issue and did our research. We asked our county clerk about it but they said I can have my name however I want it and if I need to change it, I can only do it after 1 year of residency.

When I went to my biometrics, the supervisor told me I could not have my name the way I had it written on the application because there is a state law in Michigan that do not allow any other naming convention. She said that I would need to file for a change of name and attend a court hearing if I want to follow the Philippine naming convention. She even tried to scare me by saying that if she was the Immigration Officer handling my case, she would deny my AOS application. Of course this is ridiculous! We told her what the county clerk told us about the timing of filing for a name change so there is no way we can do that while doing the AOS. We also told her that we did not realize that it is going be an issue because other states do not care about how one wants to have their name changed after marriage. We said we will deal with whatever issue we will have with the Immigration Officer when we have our interview. I guess she knew we did our assignment and she cannot possibly intimidate us so she just had my biometrics taken without any more problems.

We had our interview last Monday (April 12) and the Immigration Officer did not even mention anything about the name change issue. Today, I received my welcome letter and it has my name the way I have written it on my application.

So I guess there is really nothing to worry about the name change.

Interesting as I am in Michigan too. Yes, there is nothing to worry about ... depending on your IO!

(A woman at our biometrics also told us we could not change the middle name unless by doing it legally).

Edited April 16, 2010 by Matt & Bing

[abbielovesjeremy 5]

hm.. i have two first names too. and i have written down my name in all applications the filipino way (first name, 2nd name, dad's last name, hubby's last name) but when my GC arrived it had my 2nd name as my middle name (first name, 2nd name initial, hubby's last name). but the codes at the bottom of the card says (first name, 2nd name, dad's last name, hubby's last name) so i am a little bit confused. my SSN card though has my name right (the filipino way, the way i wanted it)