Changing of names is legally acceptable in most countries and states unless it is being done for fraudulent reasons. Most of the time people change name or their original names so that they can acquire new identities. Here are some of the reasons people change names;

Reasons

Dislike of original name

Names are usually given at birth by parents. However, as one grows up, they may develop an interest in another name and hate the name their parents initially gave them. This usually happens especially with teenagers. This sometimes may cause them to change their name original name and acquire a new one.

Wife taking husband’s name

Sometimes when women get married, they opt to drop their maiden name and adopt their husband’s name. This happens as a sign of a change of identity and also as a way of identifying with the new family.

Husband taking the wife’s name

This is a new trend that is becoming popular in the modern day society where a husband identifies with his wife by taking one of her names. The process of name change in this scenario is similar to the one in which a wife takes the husband’s name after they get married.

Divorce and separation

In most cultural communities, women usually take their husband’s name after they get married. In the case of a divorce or separation, the woman may decide to reclaim their maiden name or have a completely new name. This may also happen to husbands who take their wive’s names.

Change of a child’s surname

This mostly happens in cases of absentee fathers; the mother of the child may decide to change the name of the child to hers for the reason that the father is not responsible or has disappeared from their lives. Another similar case is a situation where a father has been absent in a child’s life, and then he shows up and wants to take responsibility for his child. This might necessitate a change of name if the child had taken the mother’s name.

Hyphenating names to create new ones

This is another trend of creating names that have been noted especially with newlyweds or with a couple who are cohabiting. It is a style where both individuals take parts of their names and combine them to form one new name. The paperwork involved in this type of name change may depend on the country and state that one lives in.

Ethnicity

Some people desire names that are less ethnic or names that do not identify with a particular ethnic background. This has been viewed as a way of getting neutral ground in workplaces and also political platforms.

The modern society has been confronted with a lot of transgender, religious and social issues that make some of the reasons people change names. It is, however, important to understand the requirements of the state’s law with regards to name change before taking the first step…