Moving maiden name to middle, but as second middle?

General Name Discussion
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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] Berries,

I’m hoping some of you can help me out!

I am getting married soon (yay) and I have been thinking about my last name since I got engaged. I am in my 30s and have a few degrees and a career in my name. I honestly never really thought I’d change my name. (No judgment - I think every woman should do what feels right for her!)

[name_f]My[/name_f] fiancé is totally supportive of whatever I want to do but I know he’d enjoy having us share a last name. And to be honest, I’m thinking of legally changing it because my maiden name is a total pain in the neck to spell correctly.

What I’m thinking is:
Legally move my maiden name to a second middle name position (I don’t want to replace my middle name)
Hyphenate my last name for personal use (because then the misspellings don’t really matter)

Does anyone have experience with this? [name_m]Can[/name_m] you actually legally add a second middle name? Is it more hassle than it’s worth?

Any input is much appreciated!

1 Like
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I never officially changed my last name when I got married. I go by my husband’s name socially but on all documents I still have my maiden name. Saved a lot of hassle.

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Hmm I don’t see why you couldnt move it to the middle but it might be a little more work in the US if its not one of the standard name change options for getting married.

I decided to wait and not change my name when I got married to decide what I wanted. I just ignore it when people assume I did change my last name, no big deal. Whatever your middle name is makes no difference for everyday life but I wouldn’t do the hyphenated last name socially option since it sounds harder to deal with honestly.

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I got rid of my maiden name completely when I married, but my mom moved her maiden name to a second middle and it worked out quite well, though she doesn’t hyphenate personally.

5

Congratulations!

I am not in the USA, but I did exactly what you are thinking of doing. (Although I do not hyphenate the last name for personal use) Where I live it is one of the accepted options after marriage, to move a maiden name to the middle/second middle spot. I am happy with my decision, although I do feel like it gets left out and missed alot as a second middle. It has been no hassle for me though, and was a very simple change.