How to Hyphenate a Married Name
A couple planning nuptials has many decisions, including ceremony and reception details and honeymoon plans. One important decision that will affect both the bride and groom throughout the marriage is the married name that both parties take. Although usually a woman chooses to take her new husband's last name, there are other possibilities and compromises that some couples choose. If you hyphenate a married name, both the woman's and man's last names can combine into one hyphenated name.
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Instructions
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Determine whether only the woman will use a hyphenated name with her maiden name first and married name second. Another alternative that some couples choose is for both the husband and the wife to use the hyphenated name. This often works well when children arrive because it eliminates the difficulty of deciding which last name the children will use.
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Decide whether the woman's last name or the man's last name will come first in the hyphenated name if both the husband and wife will be using the hyphenated name. Most commonly, the wife's name comes first, then the hyphen and the husband's name comes last.
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Change the husband's name legally, if necessary. A newly married woman changes her name legally with the marriage certificate. If the husband opts to change his name to a hyphenated combination of both names, however, he must change it legally by submitting paperwork with local municipalities. Expect a filing charge to change the husband's last name legally.
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Decide how you will handle your children's names before they arrive. Some couples decide to use an unhyphenated last name for the children (the husband's name only) and other couples decide to use the hyphenated last name for the children (the wife's and husband's names combined).
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Tips & Warnings
Notify government agencies of the name change (for the wife only or for the husband and wife, if applicable). Notify the Social Security Administration, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Internal Revenue Service, bank accounts, utility companies, insurance companies and post office.
