I think it depends where you live, SA, and what you're changing it from/to.

The reason I ask is because I want to change my name from SA T. to SA A., taking my mother's surname. But I didn't know if, for example, I did it before I graduated college, whether I'd have to get my passport changed, my birth cert, driver's license, etc changed; and whether my new name would show up on my diploma. And how much it would cost, how much it would affect my life, etc.

cereal:

Thanks, Kristen, that's really helpful. Do you have to do it in your home state? And do you have to go through a lawyer?

I don't use the name on my birth certificate, but have never done anything formal, and at this point, the birth cert is the only place where that name is .

Using Annie Oakley inspired too many questions?

I did it my home county, which was Kings (Brooklyn). I'm not sure if we had to do it there or we just did it there because that's where I was born and still lived. This was about 15 years ago so we just went to some Jacoby & Meyers dude because we didn't know how else to do it. (The legal fees were a birthday present from my mom.) Nowadays, you can probably do it yourself. I'm sure there are forms online. I mean, when I became a business last year, I did the ficitious name filing myself and it was fairly painless.

You might want to look into local legal publications in your area. The Daily Journal here had a service where I could send them my paperwork and they'd handle the filing, the publication and the filing of the proof of publication. Their fee was a lot less than I would have paid a lawyer.

Also, you do need a certified copy of your birth certificate. I remember this because we had to go to the courthouse to get one.

And Kristen has the actually useful information! I'm sure if you notify the school of a name change, it'll go on the diploma.

I have knowledge! And yes, once I had the official paperwork, I just marched down to the Registrar's office and everything got changed to my new name.

ETA: The only glitch was SS. I was a bit of a slacker and didn't do that for, like, three or four years. So every year or so I'd get nasty letters from them and the IRS about using the wrong SSN.

Do you know why they make you publish it?

cereal: you get a new SSN? That will be a bitch to remember.

It's to ensure that you're not doing it to defraud, yadda, yadda, yadda. Usually you publish in some tiny local paper that no one reads. I think we published in some Brooklyn paper I'd never heard of before.

ETA: No, you keep the same SSN. They just update the record to reflect your new legal name. You do get a new SS card but with the same number.

Usually you publish in some tiny local paper that no one reads.

Heh. Wonder if the Berea College newspaper would count. (Not really.)

You do get a new SS card but with the same number.

Thanks, that clears it up.

Seriously, Kristen, thank you so much. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but I think I want to do it before I graduate; start fresh, in a way. Your information helps a lot.