name change at interview

[jons_wifey 22]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

[ManuFred 10]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

If you have already changed your name with the SS-office and USCIS before I don't see why you would answer this question with yes. My understanding is that this option is meant for people who want to change their name at naturalization not for people who have already done so.

Edited April 10, 2012 by ManuFred

[Udella&Wiz 325]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

Unless you indicated you want to do a name change on your naturalization application, they don't ask you. I changed my name back when we married...my name has been my new name since then...they don't ask you about that at the interview. They could care less which name you go by or whether you took your husband's name, hyphenated or not.

Is this the answer you're looking for?

[Ontarkie 14,280]

I changed my name when we got married to my husbands last name. I did like you and changed all my id ssc and GC. I was still asked if I wanted to do a name change. I think sometimes they just ask to make sure you didn't change your mind.

[Tygrys 143]

I changed my name when we got married to my husbands last name. I did like you and changed all my id ssc and GC. I was still asked if I wanted to do a name change. I think sometimes they just ask to make sure you didn't change your mind.

Unlike after the marriage, at the naturalization stage you can also change your first name if you desire.

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

I was asked as my IO went over my application, I said no I had already changed my name to my husbands when we married. But the thing you have to remember is not everyone applying for Naturalization got a green card through marriage, or their marriages might be dissolved.

An example is that in Mexico most people get given a first name, a middle name and then their mothers maiden name and their fathers name as last names. That's an awful lot of names and most people I've met from Mexico only end up using one of their last names, because forms and paper work here aren't designed for all those names. I know when my co-worker naturalized, she changed her name to her first name, middle name and her husbands last name and removed of her family names since her name was so long (she did not get her green card through marriage to her husband). It is now much easier for her when she fills out paperwork.

There are of course, a lot of other reasons someone might choose to change their name at naturalization, such as a woman who changed their mind about taking their spouses name after they had a child together. Not all cultures have women take their spouses name. This is their "birth" as US Citizens, so the government gives them the option of going by whichever name they feel most comfortable with.

Edited April 10, 2012 by HuffyTheSlayer

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

The name change at natuaralization is to give foreign born the opportunity to choose an Americanized name if they wish.

Juan may want to be John. Xui Li may want to be Lisa.

[grrrrreat 109]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

Some people like to change their name completely upon becoming a U.S. citizen, not just changing the surname to reflect a married name, such as if they want to have an "American" name.

[jons_wifey 22]

wow, thanks for the response you guys!

I'm fine with my birth name maiden name-spouse's last name

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

so lets just say my name before i got married was maria jones and when i got married I said to myself I would have my name as Maria jones-smith (smith is my spouse's last name), and got my GC and SS card with that name (first name maiden name- married name).

Is the interviewer still going to ask you if you "want to change your name"??

when i read peoples interview experiences and what they were asked, the name change is one of them,

so are there people here that have gotten married to a U.S citizen but still go by their maiden name on thie GC and SS card? - I am referring to an immigrant female getting married to a male U.S citizen and so that is why the interviewer asks if that person wants to change their name???

Yes. Alla did not change her name and her green card, SS card and drivers license were her "maiden" name. She changed her name with the citizenship. Her citizenship certificate is in her married name and before the ceremony she signed off on the court order of name change, which was done by the same district judge that did the citizenship oath. There were 8 others there that changed their name. The green card is surrendered at the oath ceremony, the name on the SS card really does not matter but I suppose she will change it eventually, she will change her drivers license tomorrow ($15) and her passport will be issued in her married name as on her citizenship certificate. She also got a name change change certificate at the oath ceremony. She may or may not get around to changing her name on her credit cards, etc. Her choice.

As for the interview question, it is a question on the N-400 so I guess they are verifying the person wants to change their name or not. With citizenship you can change your name to anything you want.

[melusine 5]

I will change my name !

Exactly as your example, I did Maria Jones Smith (smith is my spouse's last name) when I married and now want to change it to just Maria Smith, just to have more of a sense of family, having the same name as our son etc...