Many times when women and men divorce, the woman no longer wants to keep her ex-husband's last name. When the woman decides to drop her husband's name, she may want to assume her mother's maiden name--the name her mother had before she was married. She can change her last name to a mother's maiden name by filing the appropriate documents.
Go to your nearest Social Security Administration office and bring along a certified copy of your divorce decree, your birth certificate (to prove your identity) and your completed SS-5 application (the application to change your name on your Social Security Card).
Take a certified copy of your divorce decree to your department of motor vehicles (DMV) office so that you can update your driver's license.
Read More: How to Change Your Last Name Back to Your Maiden Name After a Divorce
Update bank accounts, doctors, military branches, insurance companies and all other accounts of your name change by mailing or taking them certified copies of your divorce decree. Include a scanned copy of your driver's license so that they know what your new name is, or if you go there in person, simply show them your driver's license.
Warnings
- When you change your driver's license information, there is oftentimes a fee for the DMV to print a new driver's license card.
Tips
- Make sure you change your Social Security card first because it is the most important one and should be changed before other documents.
References
Resources
Tips
- Make sure you change your Social Security card first because it is the most important one and should be changed before other documents.
Warnings
- When you change your driver's license information, there is oftentimes a fee for the DMV to print a new driver's license card.
Writer Bio
Kayla Lowe has been a freelance writer since 2008. She writes for various online publications and is also the author of the book "Maiden's Blush," a Christian-fiction romance novel. Lowe is pursuing a degree in elementary education.