Two of the more common questions on a person’s mind when getting a divorce – especially a woman who took her spouse’s last name in a marriage but also men who may have hyphenated their last names with their spouse’s – is whether to change their name back to their pre-marriage name and how that is accomplished. Some people have built a professional and/or community identity on their current name or simply have no wish to the change their name and, in Virginia, they are allowed to keep their married name. But for others who would like to revert to a previous name, there is a relatively straightforward process of doing so.
Changing Your Name Through The Courts In Virginia
Anyone may pursue a name change in a Virginia court for any number of reasons, and the court will examine the application for fraud or other nefarious purposes, but in the context of a divorce, the court must restore a spouse to his or her previous name upon a valid motion for a name change following a divorce order where the spouse had previously changed their name on account of the marriage. Thus, simply having your family law attorney make a motion to the court as part of your divorce should get the job done in legally changing your name to a maiden name or other pre-marriage name.
If the spouse has custody of children from the marriage and would like to pursue a name change for the children, then the spouse can submit a motion on behalf of the children, but the court will only issue the name change if it determines that the change would be in the best interests of the children.
Experienced Virginia Divorce Attorneys
While changing one’s name following a divorce in Virginia should not be a challenging process, the steps involved in protecting yourself and the financial and personal interests of you and your children during a divorce are not always so simple, but experienced legal guidance is available in any Virginia divorce issues you are facing. At Kurylo Gold & Josey, PLC in Fredericksburg, Virginia, we will guide through your questions regarding your divorce and help you work towards a favorable outcome in your family law matter. To schedule a consultation with one of our Virginia family law attorneys, contact Select Law Partners at 540.642.1766.
Matt Kurylo
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