Changing Your Name After An Allegheny County Divorce

It has been a long standing cultural tradition in Allegheny County and elsewhere that women changed their last names to their husband’s name when they get married. As times have changed, men have started adopting their wife’s names, and some couples both change their names and hyphenate. The fact remains, however, regardless of whose name changed, that upon divorce many people want to reclaim their pre-marital name.

The process for an Allegheny County name change after divorce is extremely simple. Along with all of your divorce documents, your divorce attorney can assist you with filing the proper documentation to change your name back to what it used to be. Once the name change is legalized, you need to make sure that it is reflected across all of your important documents so that you have no identity issues in the future. Here are some tips for making sure that your name change sticks:

1. Start with the government. The two most important agencies to notify are the Social Security Administration and the DMV. If there is a mismatch between your legal name and your social security number, then you could have problems collecting government benefits and filing tax returns. Making sure that your social security number matches will make the rest of the process go more smoothly. Similarly, having the correct name next to your picture on your driver’s license or ID card will make the rest of your name change requests more simple. If the bank or company sees that your name matches your face, your request is more likely to go through.
2. Be organized. Like most people, your information is registered at multiple places and with multiple companies. There is no uniform way to request that private companies change your name, meaning that you must request the change individually for each account. Keeping a spreadsheet or a list somewhere with all of your accounts and all of your name change requests will help you to keep track of your outstanding requests.
3. Be persistent. As you are keeping up to date with your requests, if nothing is happening then make a phone call! No one cares about your name change as much as you do, so it is up to you to take responsibility for moving forward and following up with your name change requests.

Changing your name back to its premarital form is a symbolic part of moving forward with your new single life. Our Allegheny County divorce attorneys are familiar with the entire process of divorce, from filing the complaint to the name change. Contact our experienced Pittsburgh divorce team to discuss your case today!