My last name is Groin. How do I change my name legally?

Normally you have to go to court and pay ($320 in my county) but you can change your name for free when you marry, in most states. About 80% - 90% of women do, these days, but men can do it also. The easiest thing would be to take your wife's surname, but that might feel odd. You could pick a neutral one and both change to it, or try to combine the two; if her name was "Adams", take the "Gr" from yours to make "Gradams", for instance. Look out for ease of spelling and confusion. About one time out of 10 when I go to pick up a pizza or my pictures, they have it as "Back", not "Pack". Once in a while it is "Peck" or "Park". I've always liked "Martin" as a surname; easy to spell, doesn't sound like anything else, most people have heard of it, not as common as Smith, Williams or Jones.

A thought . . . If you know you have ancestry from the Netherlands and the Groin surname came through that family line, it may have originally been spelled "Groen," which means "green" in Dutch. You could Americanize/Anglicize the surname to "Green." You can hear how "Groen" is pronounced in Dutch, here: http://www.forvo.com/word/groen/#nl Be sure you have your computer speakers turned on. Click on the blue arrow/triangle pointing to the right of the "Pronunciation by. . ." line to hear how it sounds in Dutch. The closest to the pronunciation in American-style English might be: "grun." Americans seeing the name "Groen" would probably pronounce it: "GROW-en." From a genealogist stand point, which is the Y!A category where you have posted your question, I think you may either want to opt to take your wife's maiden name as your married surname or change your name to Groen or Green, if you know the surname came down through Netherlands ancestors. Or, you could keep the "Groin" name as a middle name, as many married women do, adding your wife's surname as yours. Example: You are now "John Stephen Groin." That would change to "John Stephen Groin Wife" or "John S. G. Wife" ("Wife" being the surname of the woman you will be marrying.) You will have to have the name your driver's license changed for one thing. Plus, you will need to have credit cards changed to your new name, whatever you choose it to be. Also, any other places where you do business and may have to show your photo ID (driver's license) - employer/payroll, bank, Social Security record, public library borrower card, all insurance coverage, apartment lease or home mortgage records, income tax returns - state and Federal, telephone directory if you have/will have a landline phone, etc.. This is a link to an IRS web page with tips regarding name change as the result of marriage or divorce: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=105969,00.html You will also need to notify all your friends (yours and your fiance's) before the wedding so you don't get some gift with an incorrect monogram. I'm not sure of the etiquette of adding a note about your new name after marriage in a wedding invitation or wedding announcement. I recommend you or your fiance find info on that at the public library in a book covering wedding etiquette. A reference librarian can help you or her find a good source of info. I usually check etiquette books by Emily Post or her successor Peggy Post first for info. This is one recent title the library may hold and which may help determine how to announce your new name/married name in invitations and announcements: Title: Wedding etiquette : cherished traditions and contemporary ideas for a joyous celebration Authors: Peggy Post; Emily Post Publisher: New York : HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. (I'm not at my library now, so I can't look for you.) Here are other thoughts - how do your parents feel about the surname change? How does your fiance feel about it? I understand what it is like to have a name that gets taken in jest. My surname, one of French origin via Canada, gets mispronounced (sometimes making it as undesirable sounding as you find "Groin") and misspelled all the time. I just say "It's a trick name. It's pronounced . . . " and I smile. The jerks who have made fun of your surname are just that J-E-R-K-S. Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer! Find your local Public Library at: http://www.publiclibraries.com/ Find your College/University Library at: http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/Academic_main.html Best wishes