Name Change

[Roomwithaview]

Will discuss with medical board, but also looking for experienced advice on this query:

Getting married mid-fellowship, would like to change last name to SO's for personal reasons. Two publications under belt, in process of writing/submitting grants.

After some pondering (for like 10-20 minutes, I'm busy), it seems it would work to simply add SO's last name after mine. Then the former name isn't "invalidated" by the name change.

Anyone been through this? Pitfalls to watch out for? Better ideas?

Thanks!

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[gutonc]

Will discuss with medical board, but also looking for experienced advice on this query:

Getting married mid-fellowship, would like to change last name to SO's for personal reasons. Two publications under belt, in process of writing/submitting grants.

After some pondering (for like 10-20 minutes, I'm busy), it seems it would work to simply add SO's last name after mine. Then the former name isn't "invalidated" by the name change.

Anyone been through this? Pitfalls to watch out for? Better ideas?

Thanks!

The easiest thing to do would be to go by Mrs. Husbandsname (or Mr. Wifesname...or Mr. Husbandsname or Mrs. Wifesname...whatever) while keeping your current last name as your legal name. I know plenty of people (OK...all women) in science and medicine who have taken this approach because it avoids the issues of suddenly having a completely blank publication record or having to change every medicolegal document (license, DEA, malpractice insurance, hospital privileges, insurance credentials, etc). To their friends, family and non-professional acquaintances, they are "Mrs. Wifesname" but to their patients, students, colleagues, etc, they are Dr. Maidenname.

There are myriad other ways to approach this, but if I were in your shoes, this is the route I would take. When my wife and I got married, we discussed this. But we both had good reasons to keep our own names including the fact that they'd served us well enough for 30 years, I had a publication record in my own name and my wife has SAG, Equity and AFTRA cards all in her given name which borders on unheard of for people with relatively common names.

 

[michaelrack]

I had my wife take my last name. We were both residents when we married. It hasn't been a problem for her.

 

[Roomwithaview]

The easiest thing to do would be to go by Mrs. Husbandsname (or Mr. Wifesname...or Mr. Husbandsname or Mrs. Wifesname...whatever) while keeping your current last name as your legal name. I know plenty of people (OK...all women) in science and medicine who have taken this approach because it avoids the issues of suddenly having a completely blank publication record or having to change every medicolegal document (license, DEA, malpractice insurance, hospital privileges, insurance credentials, etc). To their friends, family and non-professional acquaintances, they are "Mrs. Wifesname" but to their patients, students, colleagues, etc, they are Dr. Maidenname.

There are myriad other ways to approach this, but if I were in your shoes, this is the route I would take. When my wife and I got married, we discussed this. But we both had good reasons to keep our own names including the fact that they'd served us well enough for 30 years, I had a publication record in my own name and my wife has SAG, Equity and AFTRA cards all in her given name which borders on unheard of for people with relatively common names.

Thanks for the reply!

Funny thing is, as a fellow, well almost all my friends and acquaintances are also colleagues and coworkers, former or present, so there aren't really "separate worlds" for different last names. I don't have an established patient base yet, so a name change wouldn't throw too many people off. My SO isn't an MD, so it won't generate any confusion to have two Dr. X's around.

The paperwork is daunting, though.

 

[Roomwithaview]

I had my wife take my last name. We were both residents when we married. It hasn't been a problem for her.

You're literally the first person I've found who's been through the name change! I'm glad to hear it hasn't been a problem for her. If she has any insights for me I'd be glad to hear 'em.

 

[pooh86]

The easiest thing to do would be to go by Mrs. Husbandsname (or Mr. Wifesname...or Mr. Husbandsname or Mrs. Wifesname...whatever) while keeping your current last name as your legal name. I know plenty of people (OK...all women) in science and medicine who have taken this approach because it avoids the issues of suddenly having a completely blank publication record or having to change every medicolegal document (license, DEA, malpractice insurance, hospital privileges, insurance credentials, etc). To their friends, family and non-professional acquaintances, they are "Mrs. Wifesname" but to their patients, students, colleagues, etc, they are Dr. Maidenname.

There are myriad other ways to approach this, but if I were in your shoes, this is the route I would take. When my wife and I got married, we discussed this. But we both had good reasons to keep our own names including the fact that they'd served us well enough for 30 years, I had a publication record in my own name and my wife has SAG, Equity and AFTRA cards all in her given name which borders on unheard of for people with relatively common names.

I would completely agree with this with the exception that my boyfriend insist I HAVE to change my name. In that case, can I change my name to Mrs. Husbandname on all my legal documents NOT associated with medicine (drivers license, passport, etc.) but keep Dr. maidenname on my medical license, malpractice insurance, etc.?

 

[michaelrack]

I would completely agree with this with the exception that my boyfriend insist I HAVE to change my name. In that case, can I change my name to Mrs. Husbandname on all my legal documents NOT associated with medicine (drivers license, passport, etc.) but keep Dr. maidenname on my medical license, malpractice insurance, etc.?

no (in most states this is not possible).

 

[peppy]

I would completely agree with this with the exception that my boyfriend insist I HAVE to change my name.

No, you don't. If marrying you is important enough to him, he'll get over it.

My guy initially expressed that he would like for me to change my name to his, but he accepted it when I made it clear that I didn't want to. I wouldn't marry someone who couldn't respect that my name is as important to me as his name is to him.

 

[primadonna22274]

I've had the my name-his name (no hyphen, yuck) going on for quite a while. It SEEMS like it would be a good idea for pubs but IME it can get royally screwed up (PubMed listed my first pub under married name, and I couldn't find it until it dawned on me to search that way). I intentionally published last 2 papers with just my maiden name (a decade had passed in between) because it bothered me so much. Now, 6 yr remarried, I am seriously considering a legal name change back to just my maiden name before I graduate med school so I never have to deal with this issue again. I truly wish I had never changed it in the first place, although it took my husband about 4 yr to tell me it didn't matter to him so much anymore. I only use my maiden name personally and professionally so his name gets very confusing--not to mention people mispronounce it ALL the time.

 

[PlutoBoy]

I had the same issue when I got married. My wife is also a doctor. We decided that it was best for her to keep her maiden name. It doesn't affect me in any way.

Dealing with the paperwork of changing names on every little thing seems like too much work and a recipe for confusion for pretty much nothing, IMHO.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I would completely agree with this with the exception that my boyfriend insist I HAVE to change my name.

The whole "changing your last name" convention is a holdover from an era when the women by-and-large stayed home and took care of the family while the man was the professional with a career. As that era is long-gone, it's unreasonable to expect you to conform to an old convention just because "Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so" has a nice ring to it to him.

Of course, if someone wants to change her (or his) name, there's nothing wrong with that; I just don't think anyone should expect it or have a problem if the other person doesn't want to in this day and age.

 

[shopsteward]

I started counting change of name notifications at work: after a year I had confirmed my suspicion that the majority of changes were because of divorce.

 

[EMedGrrl]

I use Myname professionally, and Hisname in my personal life - that way people who really know us can look us up by Hisname and it makes it harder for the crazy people to find me ...

My SS card is First Middle Myname Hisname with no hyphens, as is my passport. My license, boards, etc. all only have Myname. Hasn't been a problem so far.

 

[primadonna22274]

^^that's interesting. My SS card and driver's license are the same. Perhaps I had bad information when I was advised my license (PA) had to read the same? Particularly a problem because I only want to use my maiden name professionally. It comes up again because I graduate med school in a year and a half and don't want to go through all the same confusion with 2 last names where I only use the first.
Hmmm....