Name change for a hyphenated long name

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aklore

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Jun 22, 2021
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My DD has a long hyphenated last name and also goes by her middle name.
I told her I would help her legally change her name to whatever she wants before she reports. She really doesn’t want to change it but she does hope that she could do as she does now, which is utilize her middle name and portion of her last name.

What’s are peoples thoughts on the name length and using middle name?
Does the academy allow midshipmen to change the use of the rut name away from the true legal bame?
 
I go by my middle name. Short of legal name change, DoD will leverage the legal name and you live with it. In terms of email, you have a chance at getting a username alias granted by the IT team, but all of your forms and paperwork will be just like I presume they are with your current High School - every printed roster has the legal first name and then you inform the teacher of your preference.
 
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Don’t add more risk … let Navy do the heavy lifting.

We call everyone interchangeably by their first or middle names or nicknames or initials.

We have a Polish last name that when people see it for the first time, they always ask, “how do I pronounce it”.
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She will be referred to by her last name by her Detailers during Plebe Summer and by upperclass men and women during the academic year.
I expect that if it takes too much time to say (especially during Plebe Summer) that there will be a shortening of it for efficiency's sake.

So if she is Mary Elizabeth Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, then I'm guessing that she'll be "Ms. AGC" or something like that, unless she wants to pick one and go with it.

It's a good question and now I am interested in what others say!
 
For on-paper names where it counts, strive for exact alignment of names among:
SSN
Passport
TSA Pre-Check and airline loyalty programs
Driver’s license
IRS tax returns
Credit card accounts
Bank accounts and debit cards
Insurance policies and named beneficiary documents

Future headaches will be avoided if this can all be aligned now.

Military records, military pay accounts, future security clearance and initial CAC (Common Access Card, military ID) will be created based on supporting documents supplied by the incoming plebe or cadet. This is typically a birth certificate which, if the name is changed, will have to be augmented by supporting documents.

Assume each SA has its own internal database, and the legal name would have to be inputted there.

Once the foundation is laid for the legal name for various official name items, it’s generally okay to use a preferred first name for informal reasons. Signing documents or submitting a term paper, say, with a variation on the surname, might cause difficulty.

We had a USNA sponsor son with a lengthy hyphenated last name and a first name which didn’t lend itself to a shortened version. He was AAAAAA MI BBBBBBB-CCCCCC. Among the mids, he was “hey, CCCCCC.” His USNA name tag and of course CAC and all other official systems had the full name. Once out in the fleet, his flight suit name tag read “LT BBBBBBB,” but of course his orders, fitness reports and other official documents had the full name. He always submitted written work and signed official documents with his legal name.

Best to get going on that now if it is going to be done. If an appointment is in hand, the floodgates will soon open for all the forms to be completed for various things. Admissions will have to be informed of any changes as soon as they are final, so the internal database can be updated as to the name associated with the SSN identifier.
 
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Depending on the state you are in and the length of time it takes the state to make the changes you maybe opening up a can or worms you may not want opened in this short period of time. Legal name changes can take anywhere from a day to over a year. A lot is moving slow in the courts currently due to restrictions/protocols.
 
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I would suggest fixing things now only if your last name is of the form “Maiden-Married”.
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I have always wondered what happens when someone with a hyphenated name like Stein-Smith marries Oldman-Cooley. Do they become Stein-Smith-Oldman-Cooley? I would hate to have that last name
 
It used to be that when people were married, one would take the other's last name if that last name was "higher in station" than their own.
So if a man married a woman from a more affluent family, he would take her last name.

This still is true in some parts of the world. I think that these days, you might meet a "Stein-Smith-Oldman-Cooley" only in the UK. :biggrin:
 
My DS has a hyphenated last name. The hyphen got dropped on most of his uniform tapes and run both names together. He got chewed out by a senior enlisted for not getting it fixed but he hasn’t 2-1/2 years later. Everyone refers to him by just the first part of his last name (mine, which is difficult for many to pronounce) so it gets butchered. It’s correct on his passport CAC, etc. it’s not a big deal. But we’ve told all our kids they can do whatever they want with their names. We hyphenated when they were born to honor both grandfathers- honorable men who served their community and country .
 
Slightly different. My son's name is Jonathan. He has never been known as anything but that. However, in the military, they call him John and sometimes Johnny although mostly as a joke. He doesn't mind and usually doesn't correct people. However, when my wife hears it, she hates it and complains like crazy that his name is Jonathan
 
Gomer's AFSC was Pavement Maintaining Specialist. Don't laugh he is probably making 1M a year doing your driveway. McNarama's 100,000. Love when they use the Military for social experiment.
 
aklore said:
My DD has a long hyphenated last name and also goes by her middle name.
I told her I would help her legally change her name to whatever she wants before she reports. She really doesn’t want to change it but she does hope that she could do as she does now, which is utilize her middle name and portion of her last name.

What’s are peoples thoughts on the name length and using middle name?
Does the academy allow midshipmen to change the use of the rut name away from the true legal bame?
Click to expand...
My DS is also accepted to USAFA class 2026 and wants to add an additional family surname to his existing last name. So he contacted the Admissions office and here is what they replied to him yesterday, about WHEN to do the name change (see below). I have heard there are attorneys who can help you do the legal name change and expedite the process for a pretty penny, around $800, by advancing your petition to the court, to move it to the front of the line. Not sure if that's possible, but might be worth it. I've read in other places that if you complete the legal name change BEFORE entering the academy (i.e., SSN card, Driver's License, Passport etc.. all changed), then it's easier for everyone. Although below, it sounds like maybe doing it while at the academy is best .

Here's what USAFA Admissions said, and good luck to you and your DD :jump1::

"A legal name change is completely your decision. Some info for you to consider:
  • Candidates who accept an appointment offer will get an appointment checklist soon
  • The appointment checklist includes many legal documents to be done before in-processing, with many follow ups later
  • I-day itself has many document checks as well
  • Inconsistent names on documents, between now and I-day, may cause administrative disruptions
  • I-day itself can be difficult for appointees and any admin issues may exacerbate an already challenging day (and the next few weeks afterward)
  • The I-day experience can also be exciting time with your fellow appointees, as you go through activities together. If you get pulled out to fix or clarify admin issues, that may affect your opportunities and the intangible bonding that occurs among your fellow squadron members
  • The timing of a name change might be more beneficial after I-day, after you get settled in a comfortable routine
  • Cadets have access to a legal office, on the campus, to help with potential legal matters within their scope
  • I encourage you to think through the info and your personal situation….weigh the pros and cons in making your decision"
Best Wishes,
USAFA Admissions Counselor
HQ USAFA/RRS
2304 Cadet Dr., Suite 2300
USAF Academy, CO 80840
Fax: 719-333-4200/3012
 
Whoa boy…I would not recommend entering this rabbit hole, at this time.

I get it, but in our current Covid-delayed climate? Seem like a risk. It would be tough enough to get things accomplished in a shortened time period, absent a backed up/delayed system. Short staffed. Piles of paperwork. Our dd got married and she experienced her own mess with that name change process. The first being an trip through TSA. And it took a looooooong minute to get everything settled.
 
I get the issue with last names among families and understand the point of the hyphenated names. But really it seems to me between the last names and the crazy first names they give today , while it makes the parents happy, it does sure make a mess for the kids as they get older
 
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