Your name is an important part of who you are and how you identify yourself. After all, when you first meet someone you share your name with them. If the two of you become friends or coworkers, the person you just met will be calling you by that name for years to come. But if you are considering a divorce and took your husband’s name when you were wed, you may be thinking of reverting to your maiden name.
The reality is choosing to change your name or not is completely up to you. Some decide to retain their ex-spouse’s surname for professional reasons or because they want to have the same name as their kids. Others change their name as soon as possible and find doing so liberating.
Documents to Update with a Name Change
If you do decide to change your name, there are a range of accounts and documents that will need to be updated. There are many items to attend to when navigating a divorce, but making a to-do list and seeing the process through to completion can be empowering and rewarding. Some of the items you will need to change include the following:
- Driver’s license for trucks or cars
- Social security account and cards
- Records with your employer, through the human resources department
- Documents connected to debts, such as mortgages
- Financial and bank accounts
- Passports
- Estate plans
Each person has their own list of items. For instance, if you have a business with your spouse there are likely more documents that will need to be untangled. And when you update your name with your employer, be sure to make beneficiary changes as well.
Connect with a Skilled Florida Family Lawyer
A Tampa family lawyer can help you with all aspects of your divorce, from strategizing asset retention to guidance on how to change back to your maiden name. Your name choice is your own decision, your spouse does not have any say in the matter in the majority of situations. The only hiccup could be language within a prenuptial agreement or other legal document in which you agreed to a specific name in the event of a divorce. Some prenups state a woman is not permitted to keep her married name, for example. To build the life you want, work with a talented Tampa family lawyer.
Has a name change recently been added to your divorce to-do list? Compassionate attorneys understand how difficult it can be to make major life changes. You do not have to go through the process on your own, support systems are available.
