aegroup@tekigm.UUCP (Dennis Ward) (11/20/85)
Subject: Name Changing Message-ID: <130@tekigm2.UUCP> Date: 29 Aug 85 16:32:50 GMT Date-Received: 14 Nov 85 06:14:27 GMT Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR Lines: 48 About 30 years ago I decided that I did not like my name. I was in high school at the time and just changed it. (I merely reversed my two given names.) Through the years many people, including my mother, insisted that I could not do this. However, I received my driver's license under this name and registered for the draft and to vote under this name. Finally I got married in 1966 and decided that if my wife could change her name by reason of marriage, so could I. So I did. Now I figured this is legal. I even went to the SS office and filled out there form. And guess what, on it was a little check list of why the name was changed and one of the choices was "by marriage" which I promptly checked. They did not even blink an eyebrow, now I even have my SS card under my "assumed" name. I think that the main issue is why or what intent you have to change your name. If you do not have an intent to defraud anyone, then no one cares. There after all is probably no legal basis for women changing their names in this country, it just has been done for several hundred years and so is customary. Now days, women quite frequently do not change their names upon marriage and no one really cares, except that some sexist organizations have troubles but then who cares. As long as all of your ID, credit cards, SS, etc. show one common name there should not be any problems. Your birth certificate is the only thing that I am aware of that takes a specific court order to change (name or sex). Granted it is awkward to be introduced as John Smith and Jane Doe, people wonder -- Are they married, or what? -- but if you don't care, don't worry. I do have a possible solution, however. It only works for couples being married (which is what this is all about anyway) and that is rather than worry about whose name to take or hyphenation or 'y' or 'de' or any of the other cultures' methods of handling this situation: why not both adopt a totally new name? Thus when John Smith marries Jane Doe, they both become known as John and Jane Brown. That way both could decide mutually who they were going to be and create a new personality. Their children (if any) could become Browns until they grew up and became someone else. This would eventually get rid of all of the Smiths, Jones, etc. and with some creativity new names could be created. What is sacred about names anyway? A distant relative of mine is doing our family history. In doing so he discovered that we "Dippert's" were related to his "Dipert's" and that our common ancestors were "Deibert's", "Taubert's" and various other spellings. We all share common ancestors in Germany/Austria and all forms of the name are still in use somewhere, yet we have now about five or six ways of spelling our last name even though we are all related. So if the Browns want to become the Brauns who become the Bruns, etc. so what? Someday we may all become numbers anyway (heaven forbid)! Sorry that this became rather rambling, but have been reading all of the arguments pro and con and finally decided to put in my two cents worth. --Bill--
vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers) (11/25/85)
In article <619@tekigm.UUCP> aegroup@tekigm.UUCP (Dennis Ward) writes: >school at the time and just changed it. (I merely reversed my two given >names.) Through the years many people, including my mother, insisted that >I could not do this. ... Is this true? Is it that simple? I have suffered all these years for nothing ?!?! I'm not kidding. Marnix Alexander van Ammers ^-------Capitol 'A' ^--------space (ASCII 32, 040, H20, ' ') ^-----------small 'v', start of last name ^----------------------middle name ^-----------------------------Kind of like Mannix only with an 'r' I want to change my name to 572-58-0598. No first name, no middle name, no last name, just the name 572580598. No middle initial, no national origin, no "how do you pronounce ...", no "where on earth did you ...", no "what kinda parents ...", no NOTHIN !!! ... ... But I wouldn't mind keeping "Marnix" for my nickname. I've kinda grown into it. Hi mom. Are you out there? Marnix -- Remember, a statistic correlaton does not necessitate a specific causaton.
jeff@utastro.UUCP (Jeff Brown the Scumbag) (11/26/85)
> I want to change my name to 572-58-0598. No first name, no > middle name, no last name, just the name 572580598. No middle > initial, ... I believe that most places *won't* let you do that. A lot depends on the stuffiness of the local authorities. I remember reading about a court case involving something like this a few years ago; some individual (in Arizona, I think) wanted to change his legal name to a number (and I think it was his SSN). The request was bounced by the powers-that-were and the individual took it to court, and lost (at the state level, and no higher court deigned to overturn it, if I remember right). He had a terrible time convincing the court it wasn't a "frivolous" thing. I'm surprised that more people don't get their name changed. It is not that difficult a process, and if you're willing to take on the burden of demonstrating that the name you now bear is connected to the one on your credit record/birth certificate/ school transcript/etc. then I can't see what difference it should make. An ex-roommate of mine advocated (though I think he stole the idea from somewhere) that upon reaching adulthood, everyone should be FORCED to assume a new legal name which could not be the same as their birth-name; his opinion was that a lot of nonsense of "oddball" names inflicted on offspring by parents, and the absurd egotism of things like Earnest Blublood Bigott VII would fall by the wayside quickly. (Then again, he had a lot of other weird ideas too ... :-) Jeff Brown the Scumbag {allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!jeff jeff@astro.UTEXAS.EDU Astronomy Department, U. of Texas, Austin