Name change

[JenniferZ2009]

So I am getting my letter next week and I am going to be changing my name before I go full time. I have a plan to get everything doen in teh next 3 months to start living full time while going to school.

My question is how long can you really use your old name while getting your new name set up in other areas? Such as using my female name to apply to schools, change banking stuff, and get medical records straight and such while using my male name at work?

Anyone have experience with this?

[luvSophia]

:doh: My name change was done last January and I am STILL working on getting it changed everywhere. It's a process that takes a long, long time. I found that a lot of things are somewhat linked together. For instance, I changed my driver's license and bank accounts at the same time so that I would have an ID to show when using a check or credit card. But I still have direct deposits going into the bank under my old name. Medical records need to be done at the same time as your health insurance, which could be a problem if your insurance is through your job. I wasn't able to change the name on my mortgage until after I fixed it with my insurance company.

But to actually answer your question (finally), yes, you can change your name in one place and not the other. You just have to think about how things relate to each other.

[Katesback]

I can say that once you have your name legally changed you can continue to use your old name if you wish. The reason behind this is that you have the court order that links the two names toghether.

It is like a woman who gets married but does not change her last name. With the marriage license she can sign both names if she wants since they are legally linked.

I did not change my name on the house and car and bike for some time after I legally changed my name. Never had any issues.

Katie

[Kaitlyn Michele]

both names legally work..

otherwise we could all change our names and evade paying bills and debts, avoid laws that we broke under old names, etc..

you may have moments where you wish you had one name, but such is life

[CharleneT]

Don't worry, as the others have said, you can use both for a while. Some changes may take weeks/months. My birth cert still hasn't come thru from Hawaii for example ( applied 1.5 months ago). One recommendation I can give is to get your credit cards changed fairly quick. I had to travel (emergency to see my mom) right after my name change. I ended up in CA, at a car rental at the San Diego Airport with CC in one name and ID in another. They would not let me rent the car. I even had the court order in my hands. I had a debit card in my new name, but they would use it only if they raised the rates by 2.5X !! I did find a way around it the next day, with a car rental near my brother's. But lesson learned.

Some things need to be done in order, for example, DHS after Soc Sec. Ask questions of government agencies as you go so you can watch out for "gotchas" like that.

Congrats !!!

[SusanLeigh3454]

My recommendation is to make a list of everything that needs to have a name change and make sure that you have a court order legally changing your name. People can use an alias, but your legal name is your legal name. One of the requirements in each state is a verification that the change of name is not to evade creditors or any improper purpose.

[carolinoakland]

I changed my name a year ago and I'm STILL sending out notice's. But it's so worth it. I filed the papers in Dec. 08, the court date wasn't until May 09. My union issued me a name badge with my new name when I went full time in Jan 09. I usually would let the employers know that I was in the process of changing my name and that for the purpose's of tax id's and such my old name was what needed to be used, but on the job site and in person the new name and gender were to be used. I still have one jerk though that thinks that getting my name right isn't important. sigh.

[Empress Lainie]

I filed for my name change the last week in November , 2007, in county family court. My app was delayed one week due to the clerk giving me the wrong information on whether I had to go to court. Some of the judges don't require it. This one did but the clerk seemed to not know it. My name change was granted on Jan 8,2009. On Jan 9 I went into the hospital as a female under my new name to have my pacemaker changed. The history nurse asked if I had a hysterectomy. I kept my wig on during the surgery.

The next month involved letters with certified copies of the name change and my new DMV ID to all people I did business with.

I got my Real Estate Broker License changed to my new name.

I also got my University to change my transcript to show that I graduated (in 1963) as female and under my new name. This step can be of much help in job searches. I ordered several certified copies of the new transcript to use in job searching.

The biggest thing that would be helpful to all of us transfolk would be for ALL the states to allow pre-ops to have the gender marker matching how you live. Few states do it and I was lucky as in this one it depended on the people at the desk at that time, and now you can't get it.

Another helpful thing is to contact former employers and coworkers and get them to agree to a recommendation under your NEW name. Hopefully potential employers can contact them using your NEW name and get a good reference.

Changing your name is one of the most important and gratifying steps you can take, not to mention an extremely necessary one.

[pamela_a]

After I transitioned at work last August I used Pamela for everything I could that didn't require legal identification. In several instances I used Pamela but noted "his" name and that I was in the process of having it legally changed. Once my name was legally changed last Feb I've been working on getting my name and gender marker corrected on everything.

It is a process and takes times. As long as you have the court order showing both names it shouldn't really matter if things are still in your old name but it does add a level of confusion.


Another helpful thing is to contact former employers and coworkers and get them to agree to a recommendation under your NEW name. Hopefully potential employers can contact them using your NEW name and get a good reference.

I've been told by several HR people that most employers don't even keep employment records past 10 years so if it's been longer than that don't worry about it. Schools, however, should be contacted to have your transcripts updated.