lyzareddick said:
Hi; I live in Georgia, but will be getting married in Alaska June 2001. I would like to keep my maiden name, but use my husband's name in family-type situations. Is this legal? How do I go about making it legal? Can I just keep all my identificatioin in my maiden name? Can I legally just be known by either/or name? Thankyou, in anticipation of your advice, Lyza Reddick
My response:
First, tell me how long a "lyzareddick" should be.
For legal purposes, you need to choose one each of first, perhaps second, and definately a third name. Whatever name you choose will be your legal name. You can even choose to keep your maiden name as your legal name. Taking on your husband's last name is merely "tradition", and there's no law that says you must use his last name.
Now, that doesn't mean that you can't be known by some other name. It just won't be "legal". For example, some people are known throughout their lives by:
Harry "The Nose" Vincennes, or
"Lucky" Lucianno, or even,
"Scarface".
So, call yourself whatever you like. But, when you sign "legal papers", make sure you sign with your legal name.
Good luck.
IAAL
