What if you change your mind about changing your name before the ceremony?

[robhostein 57]

Say your oath ceremony is a couple days away, and you decide you don't want to change your name like you indicated on your N-400. Is it too late to say, "No! I want to keep my name the way it is?" 

[robhostein 57]

Or what if you wanted to change the spelling of the new name?

 

Again, this is before the ceremony.

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

It might be. It depends on when the paperwork got to the Judge to sign off on the name change order. I suspect they have to do it a few days beforehand so it’s available at the Oath.

 

However, you as an individual has the right to change your name however many times you want, so even the order went through, you can change your name back to what it was with another name change order.

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

3 minutes ago, robhostein said:

Or what if you wanted to change the spelling of the new name?

 

Again, this is before the ceremony.

I think you last “official” chance was at the interview 

[robhostein 57]

3 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

However, you as an individual has the right to change your name however many times you want, so even the order went through, you can change your name back to what it was with another name change order.

True. And the N-400 seems the most convenient name change process in all the courts of the USA. The courts of the other states would cost more and require you to publish your name in newspapers and other stuff.

 

It's just so important to get that first name change right, cause changing your name once already makes you suspect in people's eyes. But changing your name multiple times with multiple court orders, now your're a weird suspect who cant make up their mind.

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

11 minutes ago, robhostein said:

True. And the N-400 seems the most convenient name change process in all the courts of the USA. The courts of the other states would cost more and require you to publish your name in newspapers and other stuff.

I never bothered with the name change though. It’s just seems so inconvenient. I have bank accounts, credit cards, mutual funds, rental properties, 401k, SSN, .... it just seems like a lot of work to change the name. And you have to keep that name change order for the rest of your life. It’s just a name. If seems like if you want to be called something else, you just need to tell people that. I always introduce myself as “my name is Kim Jung Un, but I go by David or Jim, or whatever” and people will call me David. A lot simpler, no paperwork involved :)))

Edited March 3, 2019 by USS_Voyager

[robhostein 57]

5 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

 If seems like if you want to be called something else, you just need to tell people that. I always introduce myself as “my name is so and so, but I go by David or Jim, or whatever” and people will call me David. A lot simpler, no paperwork involved :)))

Wow, that does seem a lot simpler. Wish I had considered that years ago, lol. 

[robhostein 57]

9 hours ago, USS_Voyager said:

 If seems like if you want to be called something else, you just need to tell people that. I always introduce myself as “my name is Kim Jung Un, but I go by David or Jim, or whatever” and people will call me David. A lot simpler, no paperwork involved :)))

Actually, now that I think about it, I thought about something like that years ago. No matter what excuse I could come up with for keeping my old name, the hassles I'd have to go through, the inconvenience of having to show a court order to whatever agency that needed it, and all that. All the negatives I could think of would be insignificant compared to the honor of having my new name officially printed on my driver's licence.

 

It's totally worth it.

[cyclone27 710]

We changed my wife’s name literally when she got here many years ago. Court date and an ad in the paper - not much of a hassle.  Plus it gave my wife a lesson in the judicial system. (Positive one)

 

i didn’t want to have to change all the documents later because it’s a hassle. Then it when we removed conditions it was changed on her 10yr card. 

Edited March 4, 2019 by cyclone27

[bellez214 9]

On 3/3/2019 at 9:49 AM, robhostein said:

Say your oath ceremony is a couple days away, and you decide you don't want to change your name like you indicated on your N-400. Is it too late to say, "No! I want to keep my name the way it is?" 

I am experiencing this now. Please share what steps have you done to get it fixed. Can I make an appointment to go to USCIS office where I got interviewed and asked for this? Please help.