Whether or not to keep their husband’s name or return to their maiden name is a tough decision for many women who are going through a divorce. Some women believe that taking back their maiden name is a good way to get rid of their old identity as a married woman. However, for those who have children or who have spent decades with their ex-husband’s name, the decision may not be that easy.
If you are considering reverting to your maiden name after your divorce, it would be wise to make a final decision before the divorce is final. If you put in your divorce decree that your maiden name should be restored, you do not have to take any additional steps in court – instead, you can use that divorce decree to change your driver’s license, social security card, passport, etc.
If you do not include it in your divorce decree, but decide later that you want to change your name, you have a couple of options. You can try to modify your divorce decree, or you can go to court and get a legal name change. Both will require a court hearing in most cases. If your divorce was a significant amount of time ago, it would probably be easier to do a legal name change in court.