After getting married, could I use my spouse's surname legally even if I do not legally change my name?

Question

As in, is there a way to legally register aliases outside of business? I ask this because I do not wish to change my surname after marriage, but at the same time, I don't want to have to jump through hoops to prove we are married just because our last names are different.

Alternatively, if I did change my surname, could I still use my maiden name as an alias without legal consequences?

Answer 1

No, legal is legal. Why would you even want the hassle? Just hyphenate. My boss kept her name & that is what's used for all purposes because that is the name attached to her SSN so paychecks, loans, etc. all have her name. People call for her sometimes & ask for her by her husband's last name but that's just because she uses it socially because it pisses him off that she didn't take his name. But anything legal, any type of paperwork at all has to be consistent.

Answer 2

Any Canadian citizen may use any first or last name that they wish, as long as they use the same name for all purposes. (You can't be Jane Doe at work and Dane Joe somewhere else.) A legal name change is recommended as there is no way to validate your personal identification if you are using a different surname in your business dealings, schools, etc. You may be able to change some of your ID over without a legal document, but it is unlikely that you will be able to change credit cards, etc. without formal documentation of your name change. Since ALL id must be in the same name to be considered legal, I suggest that you go the legal route. Name change due to marriage is free, I think it's about $100 if you initiate it for other reasons.

Answer 3

You can use any name you want socially, i.e. you can introduce yourself by his last name even if you don't legally change it. But in any kind of legal situation where you need to present your ID to back up your signature, the name you sign will have to match the name on your ID. Having the same name doesn't "prove" you're married, just as having different names doesn't "disprove" it. Whenever someone needs proof of the fact that you're married, they will not rely on your name, they will ask to see a marriage certificate. You don't have to "jump through hoops" or anything, even if your name is different. I know many women (including myself, my mom, my best friend, and the wife of my boss) who kept their maiden names - and they've had no trouble with it whatsoever. The biggest "hoop-jumping" you will ever do is actually going through all the legal steps to change it to your married name. Keeping your own is a piece of cake, don't even worry about it.

Answer 4

Your legal name is your legal name. Period. If you do not take his name at the time of the wedding, it is no more your name than Jones or Smith or any other random name. That's why so many people went with those super long annoying hyphenated names.



Put simply, you don't get your cake and eat it too. You will either have to jump thru hoops to prove you are married and put up with everything that goes with 2 different names, or take his name, or go back to the 80's and 90's phenomenon of hyphenation.



Do you hate his name?? Have you talked to him about how he feels about all this??

Answer 5

I learned about this recently myself. What might give you the best of both worlds is probably to go ahead and change your surname to his.... BUT then go to your bank and set up a DBA - Doing Business As. And put that as your maiden name.



So for example, say you are Jane Doe. You marry John Smith. You go ahead and become Jane Smith. But set up your DBA as Jane Doe.



This way you are legally sharing his name and don't have to jump through hoops to prove you guys are married. But then if you want to use Jane Doe still, even at work, and have checks made out to Jane Doe, then it will work because you have that DBA with your bank. But of course, since your name would be legally Jane Smith, you could still get paid under that name too.



This is exactly how actors get away with using a "stage name" without legally changing their name. They go by the name they want, have the DBA so they can even get paid by that name if they want... but don't have to legally change their name.

Answer 6

To use the name legally you are going to have to change it legally.



At work (or wherever you need to be recognized by your maiden name), just use you maiden name and your last name together.



When I was born I was Jane Doe, when I got married I was Jane Thomas, at work I am now Jane Doe Thomas. I just write my maiden name in there so people know who I am...though for all the paperwork and everything it's under Jane Thomas.

Answer 7

You can't use a name that's not legally yours for legal purposes. So, it all depends on what you're using it for. If you want to use your maiden name professionally, and you won't be using it for legal purposes, change your last name to his and continue to use your maiden name at work. You're not going to get in trouble for using your former name for work correspondance, emails, and on a company website, for example. However you can't sign any legal document (even something as simple as a contract with a cable company) using a name that's not legally yours. And honestly, most places will want to see your driver's license before allowing you to sign a legal contract, so you'd have to use the name that was on it.

Answer 8

Not legally. But, getting it changed legally isn't really that hard. Take your marriage certificate down to the social security office. It's easy.

Answer 9

Don't legally change your last name to your spouses, rather add it on. That way its legal and optional.

Answer 10

I don't think so. You will have to have it legally changed.

Answer 11

actually..yes..you can hyphen it but you have to use both if you did not change it legally

Answer 12

That's sort of rude. It should be your honor to accept your husband, the man you love,'s name. You should want to be his better half, all through and through.