How to Change a Last Name to a Mother's Maiden Name | Legal Beagle

How to Change a Last Name to a Mother's Maiden Name

Instructions for Form FL-170
Written By
Kayla Lowe
Kayla Lowe
May 27, 2010
1 minute read

Many times when women and men divorce, the woman no longer wants to keep her ex-husband's last name. When the woman decides to drop her husband's name, she may want to assume her mother's maiden name--the name her mother had before she was married. She can change her last name to a mother's maiden name by filing the appropriate documents.

Go to your nearest Social Security Administration office and bring along a certified copy of your divorce decree, your birth certificate (to prove your identity) and your completed SS-5 application (the application to change your name on your Social Security Card).

Take a certified copy of your divorce decree to your department of motor vehicles (DMV) office so that you can update your driver's license.

Read More: How to Change Your Last Name Back to Your Maiden Name After a Divorce

Update bank accounts, doctors, military branches, insurance companies and all other accounts of your name change by mailing or taking them certified copies of your divorce decree. Include a scanned copy of your driver's license so that they know what your new name is, or if you go there in person, simply show them your driver's license.

Resources

Tips

Make sure you change your Social Security card first because it is the most important one and should be changed before other documents.

Warnings

When you change your driver's license information, there is oftentimes a fee for the DMV to print a new driver's license card.

Kayla Lowe

Kayla Lowe has been a freelance writer since 2008. She writes for various online publications and is also the author of the book "Maiden's Blush," a Christian-fiction romance novel. Lowe is pursuing a degree in elementary education.

Sponsored
Legal Beagle Logo

Legal Beagle is a keen, astute resource for legal explanations. Take control, understand your rights, and become a legal beagle.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.