FAQ: Can I choose any name?

Frequently Asked Questions About Name Changes

While most women revert back to their maiden name or the name used prior to marriage, you can generally change your name to just about anything you want within reason. However, if you're pursuing a complete name change as opposed to just a "married vs maiden name" scenario, you may want to handle this issue separately rather than trying to address it during your divorce.  (In fact, some states only allow the court to restore a woman's maiden or other former name as part of a divorce action.)

You should note that the courts will not allow you to change your name to avoid legal issues such as debt collection, criminal prosecution or tax evasion. You can also not change your name to that of a famous person unless of course, you have a good and valid reason for using that name.

In addition, most courts will scrutinize any name change request that seems overly unusual or "frivolous". That said, name changes have been notably on the rise and some odd requests have been granted.

A New York judge, for example, granted a parents' petition to change their four-year old son's name to Yo Xing Heyno Augustus Eisner Alexander Weiser Knuckles Jeremijenko-Conley and entertainer Dan Miller changed his name in an Ohio court to "The" Dan Miller Experience. His first name is "The" Dan (with quotation marks intact), his middle name is Miller and his last name is Experience.  So, anything's possible!