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Changing surname to use professionally and possibly personally?
Let me start by saying that I have never liked any part of my name. My first name sounds strange/foreign to me and I have never truly identified with it. None of its nicknames are appealing to me either (many are much worse). A lot of people in this situation turn to their middle name as an option. I have two middle names, neither were possibilities for a new moniker. The first middle name is more of a sound and not a real name, and the second poses an annoying issue because it is my first cousin's (who is 2 months older than me and I grew up closely with) first name. My surname fairs no better. I actually pronounce it incorrectly on purpose when introducing myself to people, because the pronunciation my family uses sounds awful with any first name (and, ironically, is ALSO incorrect if you consider the proper Croatian spelling). Even still, I have never identified with this name. I have felt this way since as long as I can remember (even in early elementary when practicing penmanship I remember always grimacing at the letterforms of my full name--I felt (and sometimes still feel) it looked "gross").
Over the years (I am 23) I have sort of become numb to this annoyance with a first name that I feel doesn't suit me. It doesn't really bother me anymore that people call me by it, and anyway I would never change my first name at this point since I feel like it would give a rebirth hippie vibe to say I chose my own name.
However, I have been considering the thought of changing my surname for professional (and potentially personal) use. Instead of outright choosing a name at random, I thought it would be nice to honor my great-grandmother and use her maiden name. This is my father's father's mother, so she married into my current surname, and still uses it (my great-grandfather passed in 1994). Her maiden name (Nara) sounds much nicer and more professional (I think) with my first name, and it feels more writerly to me which matters on some insignificant level.
I am about to graduate from my four year university in May, and will be pursuing my master's degree in the fall, followed directly by my post-professional and (a bit later) my Ph.D. I plan in this time to hopefully discover research worth publishing, pursue a university teaching career, and get my professional license (in architecture, if it matters). I also am an avid fiction writer and fine-artist, and I hope at some point to publish some of that work as well. I guess my point is--I have my entire career ahead of me, and I feel like it will be just starting out when I go off to graduate school for the first time this fall.
If I'm going to do this, to me it makes the most sense to do so before I get the ball rolling on my career. Am I correct here or does that feel rushed? Is it too strange a notion to change my surname at all? I mean--people do it all the time when they marry/re-marry, but is this an acceptable reason to pursue it? (As a side note, I would keep the professional name if I ever did marry, so no worries of changing it only to have it change again.)
How do I go about this change? Should I change it legally, or just socially? I feel like if it were just a social change that would be very confusing, but I won't have the money to change it legally before grad school starts in the fall. Also, I am likely attending school in CA, so wouldn't that cause issues trying to change a name right after an interstate move?
Also, not that I care much what people think of the name itself because of the personal meaning, but out of curiosity--how do you feel about Nara as a surname? Does anyone know where it originates from? My great-grandmother isn't sure either, but her family was from Finland. The only information I found related to Indian and Japanese origins but neither of those apply to our heritage.
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I 'changed' my name after about 3 years of working professionally. I love my first name, but it's diminutive and casual, and I choose a more formal variant on it when I applied for my first job.
Eventually, I changed my mind and used my real name, the name I love, even though many of my friends (especially female friends) advised against it. I do sort of wish I'd just used my real name from the get-go, but it wasn't the least bit difficult to change it professionally once I had made the decision.
Frankly, you can begin to use your 'new' name whenever you like. Your university may be a bit confused if your legal name is different than the name you hand things in under, or publish under, but if my experience is any guide, it wont cause any serious issues. I never changed my name legally, I just used two different forms of my first name, one professionally and one socially. Sometimes come tax season I had to confirm with my employer which name to put on my paperwork, but it was never a headache.
Most states let people change their names by 'usage alone' - so there is nothing criminal about just beginning to use another name - but a lot of institutions (universities, banks) will refuse to accept a name unless it's on some sort of federal ID or if you get a court order.
In most causes, changing your name legally wont take a hearing. Filling out the paperwork, which will include giving reason, and paying the needed fee is usually sufficient to get the court order. A hearing usually only happens if the judge has further questions or concerns. If you are changing both your first name and last name, a hearing is more likely. A judge will need to sign off on the court order changing your name, and then you'll need to present (or mail) that court order to the Social Security Administration. Once your social security name is changed, you'll be able to use that to change pretty much everything else.
It's best to really do your research before you do this. In some states, DMV require you notify them of a name change within days of getting the court order.
I don't know how the interstate move would affect anything.
Honestly, if I were you, I would just start using the name I wanted socially and in my art and writing. That will also bolster your case when and if you do get it in front of a judge, since you will be able to show that this your name, the way people know you, by common usage.
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There are a great many reasons for a person to change their name. Some like my father did so because he never liked his first name so he changed it by swapping with his second name, though he never made it legal. This did cause problems in later years for us his children as we never knew he had swapped the two.
You have solid reasons for changing your name. I would suggest you do so as soon as possible so that your future degrees and your name are the same. Leaves less explaining for you to do.
You may be able to file the paperwork with the courts on your own, without the expense of a lawyer. The paperwork is fairly straight forward, sort to fill in the blanks.
Try going to one of the legal websites like legalzoom.com and see if they have forms you can download to complete for a name change in the state you presently reside in. They have a reasonable charge for the forms and they come with instructions to complete.
Once you complete the forms you go to the appropriate court clerk and file them with the clerk. The clerk will give you a hearing date. At the hearing you explain to the judge why you want to change your name. This is where having a lawyer helps as the lawyer speaks for you and puts your reason to the judge in the best possible light.
In your situation I would simply tell the judge that given the direction of your studies and career choice. Your present name does not allow for the professional name recognition you believe you will need. The name you have chosen is that of your great, great grandmothers and provides the ease of recall and name recognition you seek.
The judge may then ask what your career choice is. If so tell the judge that you are seeking your PHD in ______ and that you plan on teaching as well as writing and hope to be a published writer. If you feel the need you can offer what this name offers you as a personal meaning.
Then it is up to the judge. If someone can change her name to "Sexy" and have it approved by the judge because she feels sexy. I see no reason why a judge would turn you down.
I do believe that having you College degrees all in the name you are going to seek employment in be in the same name. You can even request you undergraduate Degree be reissued in you new name if need be and your records reflect you new name.
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Yes! Do it! Now is the time to change. It is not a rushing thing. You need to get people used to knowing you as the new name so that when in professional circles you are being interviewed, hired, the name has already been legal for a while, your bank accounts and drivers license have it.
My husbands daughter from previous marriage decided when she was halfway through college that she wanted to change her name. She likes her first name which is very unique, the middle name is what she wanted to have for her last name because it not only sounded more professional but artsy too and since her degree was in art CG, and she was catching peoples attention and getting side jobs already while in school she wanted to be able to put the name she wanted on her artwork. She has recently graduated and moved to the other side of the continent for a job. It was no problem for us that she wanted to change. We fully supported her idea, which she wouldve gone through with whether we liked it or not.
Think of some actors and actresses, some will change their names to be easier for people to speak, to sound catchier and be more easy to remember, etc. Theres nothing wrong with it. What matters is that you like it.
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