Of course, in everyday life, we talk about “middle names”, that is, any name after your first name. The law does not explicitly say that all names are possible, but the law does not impose any restrictions on possible names. A name that identifies an individual for legal, administrative and official purposes. A person`s first legal name is usually the person`s name given for birth registration purposes, which then appears on a birth certificate, but may change later. Most jurisdictions require the use of a legal name for all legal and administrative purposes, and some jurisdictions allow or require a name change to be registered upon marriage. The legal name may need to be used on various government-issued documents (such as a court order). The term is also used when a person changes their first or full name, usually after reaching a certain legal age (usually 18 years or older). In the United Kingdom, companies operating under names other than those of the owner or a legal person must provide the name of the owner and an address on which documents can be served, or the name and registration number of the legal person and its registered address. The requirements apply to sole proprietors and partnerships, but there are special provisions for large partnerships where the registration of all partners would be cumbersome. When clients come to my office, I ask them to fill out an intake form. The first question on this form is about its legal name.
Although this may seem like a simple question, many customers don`t know how to answer this question. Many clients provide their first name, middle name and last name as it appears on their driver`s license and/or marriage certificate; others use a given name, middle initial, and last name; Some women give their maiden name and still others fill out the form with a nickname. What is your official name? Is it the name you were born with or the name you use every day? If one person tries to use different punctuation marks, other people and organizations will usually ignore them. In practice, the name by which a person wants to be called and known is limited by the willingness or ability of other people to call them after that. NOTE: For international students (F-1 and M-1), consider the name on Form I-20 as the legal name. For exchange visitors (D-1), consider the name on the DS-2019 as the official name. For more information, see RM 10211.295 and RM 10211.375. In most states, it is possible for an ex-wife to change her name back to her pre-married name after a divorce. As a rule, there will be a court order stating that the woman has restored her old name.
Sometimes it is not clear what a person`s official name is because they are known by more than one name on different documents. The Civil Code of Québec stipulates that “every person exercises his civil rights under the name assigned to him and indicated on his act of birth”[2] and that the spouses retain their legal name at the time of marriage. [3] They can only be modified at the time of registration under the prescribed conditions and only if the person is a Canadian citizen and has resided in Quebec for at least one year. [4] [5] A person`s official name is usually the same as their personal name and consists of a given name and a surname. The order varies depending on the culture and country. There are also country-specific differences regarding legal name changes by marriage. (See married name.) Legally, your “first name” actually consists of all your first names together. Only one change of name is allowed in the register if a person has not yet reached the age of 16, and thereafter only one change of first name and three changes of surname may be granted during his lifetime, provided that at least five years have elapsed between the change of name. [14] Name changes may also be registered if: given name(s) = full first name and middle name, both of which may have more than one part; And usually, a person receives a full legal name at birth and is listed on their birth certificate, although in many cases a person does not have a legally recognized first name until several months or years after birth. While legal names are important for establishing a formal and permanent identity, they are easily changed for reasons of false identity or professional opportunity. For women in Western countries, it is customary to change the surname at the time of marriage.
The official name is the name used to sign legal documents, deeds or contracts. We do not consider the middle name or suffix to be part of the legal name. Whether the middle name or suffix is included on evidence documents filed with an SS-5 (Social Security Number Card Application) does not matter.