Groom Name Changes & Making Up Laws

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A close friend of mine is getting married and wants to change his surname to something completely different -- that is, not a hyphenated surname but a new name based on a combination of his and his fiancee's surnames. He's run into trouble with the town clerk in Providence, where he wants to get married, who dubiously informed him that such a name change was ILLEGAL.

I suspect the clerk is a withered antediluvian hag who is just stonewalling based on her own values that only the wife should change her name. Does this sound like complete bullshit to anyone else? If not, what would be the purpose of such a law? And what recourse does my friend have to actually finding out whether such a law is actually on the books, and not the invention of a stuffy old bitch?

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 20:53 (5 years ago) Permalink

It's complete bullshit.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 20:57 (5 years ago) Permalink

You can change your name to whatever you want to. Unless it is copywritten, of course.

― Kareem Abdul-Jabber in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:00 (5 years ago) Permalink

And since you can't copyright a name, you're set!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

Uh yes you can.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:08 (5 years ago) Permalink

See example above.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:09 (5 years ago) Permalink

That's what I thought -- although I think there is a difference between a straight-up name change and a name-change that happens at marriage. In the former case, don't you have to petition a judge or some shit? I don't know.

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:10 (5 years ago) Permalink

there may very well be a difference--a woman changing her name at marriage is a much more regular and accepted occurance and so there are lots of allowances for it. This is going to be different by state also. I got married in Illinois and at the time I got married, I hadn't decided if I was going to change my name, and they didn't care--my maiden name and the groom's name are on the marriage certificate and that's as far as the state was involved. When I got back from my honeymoon, I decided to change my name, and I just went down to the social security office and did it, and that's all that was necessary.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:22 (5 years ago) Permalink

Me and my wife are going to merge our names.

Well, not really, it would sound silly. But we thought about it!

― Edgware General (nordicskilla), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:38 (5 years ago) Permalink

I think everyone thinks about it. Or at least I am always hearing about it.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:40 (5 years ago) Permalink

Well, we are talking about Rhode Lsand / Mass. here, where you couldn't buy liquor on a Sunday until as recently as 2 years ago. Fucking Puritans.

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:52 (5 years ago) Permalink

You cannot copyright a name. You could perhaps trademark it, but you can't copyright it.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:54 (5 years ago) Permalink

http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html

How do I copyright a name, title, slogan or logo?
Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for further information. However, copyright protection may be available for logo artwork that contains sufficient authorship. In some circumstances, an artistic logo may also be protected as a trademark.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 21:58 (5 years ago) Permalink

I knew an arty geek couple who both changed their names, and others who have merged their names.

― kingfish (Kingfish), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:01 (5 years ago) Permalink

Ah so he trademark it. Fine split hairs.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:03 (5 years ago) Permalink

Thanks, Casuistry, you're so helpful.

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:08 (5 years ago) Permalink

This isnt about couples per se, but the aftermath..

A Women's Studies prof I had had this odd plan for naming their kids where their son kept the father's last name, and the daughter kept the mother's name. The real crime here is that her husband's last name was 'Whitebread'.

― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:10 (5 years ago) Permalink

Any advice about how to research the possible existence of this type of code / law / policy? FindLaw is crap at this type of thing, as is RI.gov.

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:26 (5 years ago) Permalink

http://www.namechangelaw.com/states/ri/rhodeisland.htm

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:29 (5 years ago) Permalink

Somewhat related: http://www.riaclu.org/07282004.html

"The suit was brought by the ACLU on behalf of a woman who, after her divorce, sought to resume the use of her birth name on her driver’s license, but was rebuffed. The ACLU appealed that court decision and, on July 27, 1979, the R.I. Supreme Court unanimously overturned that policy, holding that individuals have a common-law right to use or adopt any name as long as it is not for fraudulent purposes."

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:32 (5 years ago) Permalink

I believe the new mayor of Los Angeles changed his name in the very manor that your friend wishes to, Alex. The hybrid name is Villaraigosa.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:56 (5 years ago) Permalink

My friends all want to change their names to Kareem Abdul Jabbar!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:57 (5 years ago) Permalink

Well, we are talking about Rhode Lsand / Mass. here

What I heard about Mass. was you just fill out a form when you get married, and both of you can fill in whatever new name you want.

― I know some come from the reality (wetmink), Thursday, 30 June 2005 22:58 (5 years ago) Permalink

I'm going to do this when I get married!!!

― Ian Riese-Raggett has been xeroxed into a conduit! (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:00 (5 years ago) Permalink

Alex, unless they're planning to commit fraud by being called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I suspect it's perfectly legal.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:02 (5 years ago) Permalink

That's what I assumed. Damnit. It makes me furious to think of low-level government workers making up laws on whim and assuming no-one will call their bluff. Or even worse, if they actually BELIEVE such a fake law exists out of lazy assumption.

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:03 (5 years ago) Permalink

Okay so apparently no one but me remembers this but me (and the web is being really difficult to search on it) but about a decade or so ago a kid played running back for the UCLA Bruins and then the Miami Dolphins. His parents being huge Lew Alcinder fans had named him Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem sued him (for trademark/copywrite infringement or whatever, I believe) and the guy was forced to modify his name to the slightly less controversial Karim Abdul Jabbar.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

I think Kareem made Karim change his Dolphins jersey to say "Abdul" instead of "Abdul-Jabbar", because the original Kareem claimed people buying the replica jersey were doing so because they knew his name. That may be in addition to what you said, Alex.

― I know some come from the reality (wetmink), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:12 (5 years ago) Permalink

Kareem was just bitter cuz of the pot bust.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 30 June 2005 23:14 (5 years ago) Permalink

http://www.amiannoying.com/(ej54sqzyv3jiroznxqvoh1ro)/view.aspx?id=14798&collection=-1

That sounds more like fraud, though. Or, an attempt to gain famousness based on someone else's reputation. I don't think he could stop you, someone who isn't a professional athelete or even a famous person at all, from changing your name.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:36 (5 years ago) Permalink

Haha yeah I suppose it might not be representative.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 1 July 2005 03:10 (5 years ago) Permalink

Even if I dont marry him I'm totally tempted to take my b/f's last name, because then I'd be Tracy London and that sounds pretty damn cool (his name sounds all rock stah like)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 1 July 2005 08:06 (5 years ago) Permalink

hmmmm Harmer + Frame add to the name spin machine merger = farmer....

― battlingspacemonkey (battlingspacemonkey), Friday, 1 July 2005 08:38 (5 years ago) Permalink

The rules of Equity (UK actor union) says you cannot have the same name as an existing Equity member, so you have to adopt a different stage name. An awful lot of famous actors have been affected by this rule. My favourite being Stewart Grainger, whose real name was James Stewart.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 1 July 2005 08:41 (5 years ago) Permalink

ahhh rhode island. what do you expect really? she probably got her job because she slipped cianci some doobie. they're bloody useless there. this wasn't the registry office by any chance? they also have a loose grasp on the law.

― dahlin (dahlin), Friday, 1 July 2005 08:46 (5 years ago) Permalink

I just realised if my gf and I got married and did this our surnames would be "Farmer"! Classique!

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 1 July 2005 09:39 (5 years ago) Permalink

Hello farmer boy :-P

― battlingspacemonkey (battlingspacemonkey), Friday, 1 July 2005 11:07 (5 years ago) Permalink

Those Equity laws might apply in the US too because of all things, there's a David S Cohen who is a writer for the Simpsons, and a David S Cohen who is the exec producer/head writer for Futurama - he had to rename himself David X Cohen.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 1 July 2005 11:14 (5 years ago) Permalink

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