Legal Question in Administrative Law in Illinois

I am adding my husband's last name to mine. I can't decide whether to hyphenate or to have both names with a space between (e.g. Betty Smith-Williams or Betty Smith Williams). If I choose to have a space between the two last names with no hyphen, can I legally sign documents using just my birth name (e.g. signing Betty Smith instead of Betty Smith Williams)? I would like to be known by my birth name for all practical reasons but would like to share the same last name as my children whom have my husband's last name only.


Asked on 9/27/12, 11:43 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Stephen Messutta

You can do basically what you like as long as you are not attempting to defraud anyone. There is a name change procedure you can apply for at court which is not a big deal too. But there are other things you may need to deal with if you start using more than one name: like your social security account too, because it will still be in your pre-married name unless you change it specifically. Other things like voter ID and driver's license may require you to produce your marriage certificate.

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Answered on 9/29/12, 10:14 am


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