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Abbreviating Name on Official Documents? 195

Posted by Cliff from the civil-servants-and-a-lack-of-common-sense dept.
harlows_monkeys asks: "I went through a bit of a hassle getting a replacement SS card, because my name in their records is 'Timothy' but my driver's license says 'Tim'. They seemed surprised and a little bit suspicious over my going by 'Tim' when my legal name is 'Timothy'. Looking over things, I see that I'm 'Tim' on my driver's license, health and auto insurance, credit and bank cards, bank accounts, mutual funds, paychecks, W-2, and tax returns. I'm 'Timothy' to the SS office, and on my auto lease (but 'Tim' on my auto registration). The SS office warned me that this mismatch would cause problems. Has anyone else run into this? Should I be going around and changing my records everywhere to say 'Timothy' to match my Social Security records?"
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Abbreviating Name on Official Documents? More

Abbreviating Name on Official Documents?

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  • Cross-reference (Score:3, Insightful)

    by erykjj ( 213892 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:17PM (#9750265)
    Just cross-reference it with another document which shows the same last name/address/phone/ID # combination.
    • For some reason I have aquired the habit of signing my nickname instead of my name (it's shorter, I'm lazy, and I think I even forget I have a longer name at times). I have not run into any problems yet, and I think it is because the first thing that most places match is the SS#. I even applied for college using my nickname. My ACT scores, AP scores, and my transcript all transferred flawlessly. This may just be because universities care more, but I mindlessly do this kind of thing often and I have yet t

  • As someone with a commonly abreviated name (Score:4, Informative)

    by Scyber ( 539694 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:23PM (#9750312)
    I find it easier to just go by my full legal name on all documents.

  • I'm in a similar situation (Score:4, Interesting)

    by duffbeer703 ( 177751 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:27PM (#9750345)
    Only worse.

    I have two completely different names... and it became a problem here because some HR dorks didn't believe that I was me because my phone directory listing has my nickname instead of my legal name.

    It also became a problem in college when a professor who knew me personally by my nickname removed me from the class rolls by accident. I had to appeal to get re-added afterwards.

    Use the legal name everywhere. It will be a big pain in the ass otherwise.

  • No (Score:5, Funny)

    by MarkusQ ( 450076 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:28PM (#9750355) Journal

    Should I be going around and changing my records everywhere to say 'Timothy' to match my Social Security records?

    No. Have your name legally changed to something that requires Unicode to represent. Much more fun, and better for society in the long run as well.

    I promise.

    -- MarkusQ

    • Re:No (Score:2, Informative)

      by Matt Perry ( 793115 )
      Although Markus was being funny he was right about having your name legally changed. It will cause problems if you use Tim and Timothy on offical documents and records. Your best bet is to pick one and stick with it. I went from Matthew to Matt because I was running into the same thing you are. If you want to go by Tim instead of Timothy then you should look into getting your name changed. It's a simple procedure that you can usually do yourself. If you live in California you can find the information [ca.gov]
    • Is that symbol used by "The Artist (Formerly Known as Prince)" in Unicode? Something that isn't in Unicode might be even better. Vanquish the bureaucrats and their computers...
    • Just avoid all the confusion and legally change your name to 543-21-0987 or whatever your SSN happens to be.
    • Something like:

      Tïmöthy
      Tímóthy
      Tïmôthy
      Tîmòthy

  • I go by Steve
    Most documents say Steve
    My full name is Stephen J
    My credit report has all valid and used forms of my name.

    So far no problems.
    Even the guys that have stolen my identity have not had problems.

    I am willing to be that this is a common issue and most folks can handle it.

  • Dumbass (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Cranx ( 456394 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:29PM (#9750372)
    Use your real name on legal documents, not the name people call you. You really needed to post an article on /. to tell you that? Go correct it everywhere it's wrong, and from now on, use your REAL name, not your nickname. Dumbass.

    • Re:Dumbass (Score:2, Insightful)

      by LouCifer ( 771618 )
      Damn, you beat me to it.

      I agree 100%. My name's Mike. On all of my legal documents (including my DL) it's listed as Michael.

      Why? Because I'm smart enough to realize the headache it would cause if I put 'Mike' anywhere.

      • Seriously. It's not even a matter of being smart. It's a matter of not being retarded. My name's Alex but it would never in a million years occur to me to put anything but "Alexander" on a formal document.

        When it comes to anything that could possibly be considered a legal document you have exactly one name and that's whatever it says on your birth certificate or the court-approved document giving you a new name.

        *shakes head in disbelief*
    • Had I mod points, you'd be getting one. This is obviously the correct answer. Especially the 'dumbass' part.
      • I would say that's right too.

        You're going to get hell trying to collect on social security if you don't fix this issue. Also, make sure SS benefits are bing reported accurately, since your benefits depend on how much you contribute.

        About the dumbass, I would say that you were uninformed before. So go and sin no more.

        • Re:Dumbass (Score:3, Informative)

          by curunir ( 98273 ) *
          You're going to get hell trying to collect on social security if you don't fix this issue. Also, make sure SS benefits are bing reported accurately, since your benefits depend on how much you contribute.

          That makes absolutely no sense. SS contributions are tracked by your SSN, not your name. Your employer has your SSN so that your contributions can be tracked to your account. The IRS isn't dumb enough to track you based on your name either. They require an SSN or some other tax-payer ID number when you

          • Re:Dumbass (Score:3, Informative)

            by eunos94 ( 254614 )
            Most entities do track your SS#, however they associate it with any name that has ever been used with that SS. Then they correlate that with any other SS's that are used with those names. The idea is to catch anyone flip flopping SS's or names fraudulently. Not that it would be reported to the wrong account, but they might argue it wasn't really you making contributions in the first place.

            With all the new provisions that financial institutions have to undertake with the Patriot Act, I for one wouldn't

          • Actually, banks and healthcare are no longer allowed to use the ssn as person identifyer, for privacy reasons.
        • Also, make sure SS benefits are
          bing reported accurately
          Since we're referring to money here, I think you meant "are bling reported accurately."

  • MP (Score:3, Funny)

    by cephyn ( 461066 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:30PM (#9750385) Homepage
    I'm surprised they weren't in fear and awe of you, the great wizard Tim. You shoulda just blown them up.

  • Possible Problems (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Hank Reardon ( 534417 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:32PM (#9750414) Homepage Journal

    I've run into all sorts of problems with the short and long versions of my name on documents, not the least of which was credit reporting. I always sign the full name, with middle initial, on documents now, and leave the shortened version conversational.

    It's weird, but for some reason, the various credit reporting agencies seem to place different names on the reports depending on which "version" of your name you use to request a report. I've invested about 3 years in fixing everything, and I'm about 80% there.

  • NYC DMV (Score:3, Interesting)

    by amarodeeps ( 541829 ) <dave@dubi t a b l e.com> on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:33PM (#9750417) Homepage

    This may be a bit more extreme example, but a friend of mine was trying to transfer her driver's license from Texas or something to New York. It had her name like this: F. Middle Last on some of her stuff (like social security card and Texas license) and First M. Last on other stuff of hers. She was there for hours, but they wouldn't trust that she was who she said she was, even though everything else obviously matched up just fine. She actually had to do something ridiculous like get a signed and stamped copy of her birth certificate from Texas, I don't remember exactly what.

    While this example is a bit different, and I would imagine slightly more susceptible to this kind of BS, I would say, yes, it can happen to you! Get that sh*t standardized!

  • Yes, sort of (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tm2b ( 42473 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:33PM (#9750418) Journal
    You've got to make sure that documents that require your "legal name" all precisely agree. A real PITA, but it'll cause problems.

    I had to go to court and almost ended up fined or in jail because of a slight mismatch in my documentation. Because my insurance didn't match, some automatic notifcation system cause the state of Florida to think that I didn't have car insurance, so they canceled my driver's license without telling me. When I was pulled over on the highway, I was charged with the misdemeanor of driving without a license (the cop did not care about the reasons, he could only see that my license was revoked). I then had to have my girlfriend come pick me up, 6 hours' drive away from home, and I had to return later to answer the charges. The DA dropped the charges when I pulled her aside and explained what happened and showed her the documentation, but I still lost the day and a half that it took to drive to that jurisdiction and back for the 8am court date, and the driving of the day of the incident (6 hours there, 6 hours waiting for the girlfriend, 6 hours back).

    The good news is that non-legal documents like credit cards don't have to agree as long as you're not trying to dodge creditors. The rule is that if you're using a name in a non-fraudulent manner and it doesn't require your legal name, it's all fine.

    But really, really. Make sure "legal name" documents agree completely. The Bureacracy is not your friend, and you must appease it now or it will take its vengeance later.
    • Something sounds fishy.

      You don't need insurance to have a License, its just illegal to drive without insurance. Maybe Florida has some wierd laws about it, after the last election, shows how messed up the Florida DOL is.

  • Uh, duh... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Tom7 ( 102298 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:34PM (#9750431) Homepage Journal
    Yes, when you're filling out something important, you should use your real name instead of a nickname. Isn't this obvious?
    • Really, it doesn't matter what name you use, as long as it's all consistent.

      My SSN card has Joe, my driver's license has Joe, and my credit cards say Joe. Nobody cares that my real name is Joseph (well, except for maybe the government of Canada, it says Joseph on my birth certificate).

      Now, if I was to use Joseph for my SSN card, and Joe everywhere else, then I might run into problems.

      As long as you're consistent, you'll have no problem, even if you have to go to the extent of getting a legal name change
      • I dunno, I'd be reallly hesitant to not stay consistant with my birth certificate, that single magic document that begat all others. Seems like that's just asking for trouble when getting passports and that sort of thing.

        And I'm not a parent so I don't know exactly how I got my SS card in the first place, but don't they want a copy of a birth certificate for that...? Do they actually let you request one with a different name?

  • Credit Reports (Score:3, Interesting)

    by eunos94 ( 254614 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:36PM (#9750463)
    If you ever get to look at an actual of a commercial version of your credit report you'll find that any version or spelling of your name that ever was filed with ANY officail document will show up as reported under your SS#.

    This is the #1 reason to never use a JR or SR in naming your children. You are dooming them to forever having their financial records mixed up with every person in your family. Good luck getting a loan if you son or dad has bad credit. You could be perfect and it won't matter.

    Unfortunately, your SS is your major ID number and however much it shouldn't be a universal ID system, it's become that without any real oversight or security to it.

    • Bah, Jr or SR isn't neccessary to screw up the credit reports. My Dad came to live with me for 5 months while his new house was under construction. It took 2 years to straighten out the credit reports (and I have a different brother who is a JR and he and my Dad never did get one company straightened out with some stock. They finally agreed to sell it and split the money on a given day to fix the problem.)

      Credit Reports - just say no!

      • True, Jr or Sr isn't necessary to send things to hell in a hand basket, but damned if it isn't a sure fire way to. Sharing addresses will do it too. Even small apartment buildings that list the same street address, but not apartment numbers will do it. Credit reports, while not all evil, definitely could use some more reform.

  • Similar situation, but not... ? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by HaloZero ( 610207 ) <protodeka@@@gmail...com> on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:36PM (#9750465) Homepage
    I have two legal names (as someone else above mentioned). My given name is Jeremiah, whereas, for as long as I can remember (unless I was in trouble, and that was only with my parents and grandmother), everyone called me 'Jeremy'. All of my school records, my health records, all of my tax returns, all have me listed as Jeremy. Of course, I just figured that this was how the government identified me. Then, while digging through a box of documents one day, I found a social security card paperclipped to a birth certificate, both with the name 'Jeremiah'. This confused me, as I have a social security card and birth certificate (dated one year after the original), with the name 'Jeremy'. Of course, by this point, I wasn't sure what to call myself. I wrote to, and called, the Social Security Administration and never got anything back. I've never actually had any problems with my name. I think it's because when you apply for anything even remotely official, and they ask for your social security number, so long as that's unique and you only use the one you have, the one bound to your name, then you should be ok. I'm sure there's a range of 'accepted variations' on names and such. Pat for Patrick, Sam for Samuel, Tim for Timothy, Tom for Thomas, Matt for Matthew, and so on. *shrug*

    Now, everyone just calls me 'Greg', anyway.

    • My girlfriend has a similar problem, except that she's from a different culture. (She's Irish, but has lived in Britain for many years.) She is "officially" called Brigid, and most of her paperwork has this name on it. Everyone calls her Breda, which is a kind of diminutive of Brigid. Most Irish people would know that these are forms of the same name, but not many British people do. This wouldn't be a problem, except that Breda is the name on her passport...

  • ... so that none of the other hundreds of people with your name says they are you. Who in the sane mind uses person names for identification purposes anyway?

  • Problems? (Score:4, Funny)

    by SpaceLifeForm ( 228190 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @01:43PM (#9750550)
    Only for those entities that want to spy on you, and track your every move.

    I'd change your name on some of the stuff to Timmy.

  • I hate to admit it, and to the day I die will hate my parents for it, but my middle name is Demetrius. That's fine if you have a similar name and it is ethnic, but I'm not ethnic. My brother's is Ashley and my sister is Eyre. I always sign with just a D, and the only people who insist on using the full middle name is the MVA (aka DMV).

    I have actually considered a legal name change to drop it to just D.
  • This has got to be the least relevant Ask Slashdot I have ever seen!! I know people ask geeks legal questions here all the time, but is this crowd really any more authoritative than random people on a street corner?
    The answer, by the way, is that if you use a non-legal name in an official cpapacity you could be suspected of fraud. Your friends may call you Tim, but that is not your name, man.
  • You think you've got problems, Timothy? Try initializing your first name and spelling out your middle name as I do. It used to be quite common: F. Scott Fitzgerald, J. Edgar Hoover, etc. Now with computerized forms that insist on either no middle name or a middle initial only, it's getting harder and harder to keep it consistent. Some databases know me by first name "J. Christopher" and no middle name, others as first name "Christopher" middle initial "J" (though I never enter it that way myself), and still others as first name "Chris" with no middle name. And of course there are other variations but you get the idea. I managed with difficulty to get my drivers' license "J. Christopher Carr" when I moved to my current state of residence. Back when New Jersey forced me into "John C. Carr" I got quite a few hassles about my signature. I persevere with this because I'm the fourth of five (damn, I sound like a borg) John Christopher Carrs in my family, and I've lived in the same house with one of the others almost all my life. The confusion we've been spared among friends and family asking for "John" has more than made up for the difficulty of keeping the databases straight.
    • I am essentially in the same situation as you. I go by my middle name and sign all documents 'F. Middle' It's never been a problem for me, and, in fact, when telemarketers call, it's easy to weed them out, as they always ask for someone who goes by my first name.

      Sorry, he doesn't live here...

      I sympathize with your plight to have things listed the way you want 'F. Middle' rather than 'First M.' I have all sorts of things that list my middle name as my first name... never encountered a problem though. Perha

  • My wife handles it by... (Score:3)

    by DaoudaW ( 533025 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @02:02PM (#9750833)
    My wife, whom everyone knows by a nickname unrelated to her given name, has handled this situation by writing First Middle "Nick" Last on her IDs. This has never been questioned. It's been no problem even for international travel in the days of terrorism.

    On a related note, I have an illegible signature which many people have told me will get me in trouble. But it never has. If someone questions me I neatly print my name under my signature.
    • I don't think illegible signatures are ever a problem. Actually, some professionals intentionally make their signatures basically some kind of unintelligible scrawling mark that doesn't resemble a name at all--Sometimes you can make out the first letter. That is for the purpose of making it very difficult to forge. People can try to make their letters look like someone else's letters, but if you are used to making this unique kind of scrawl that is unlike writing other people use, it should be pretty eas

  • Western culture names vs. other cultures (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @02:03PM (#9750847)
    There are also conflicts with other cultures.
    My own uses the patronimic for naming.

    (fake example)
    My first name is Robert, my father's name is John.
    So my full name (on my Birth Certificate) is Robert John Powell.
    However, what is my "last name" (as asked by soooo many forms that you fill out throughout your lifetime)
    My last name according to my culture is "John" and my FAMILY name is "Powell"
    Do I put "John" or "Powell" on the forms?
    I mix and match.
    So various government agencies now know me as "Robert John" and others as "Robert Powell"
    Both are legit and I'm not trying to defraud anyone.

    Some other cultures have different birth dates too (I don't understand the details)
    There is the "moon" birth date and also the birth date that you actually came out of your mum.

    Trying to fit many many other cultures into Western cultures sometimes causes some interesting results.
    • Well I know a lot of people from Asia who came over here and they all dealt with it the same way: they picked a method and stuck with it. It may not remotely resemble what they use day-to-day, but they consistantly use the same form on every legal document. They certainly don't "mix and match". Why introduce that kind of chaos?

      For birthdays, use whatever is on the birth certificate: date of conception, date out of mom, whatever, as long as it's consistant.
  • They're right, it can cause problems. Mostly only people asking that same question, but it can be a pain. You can change your "official" name to Tim if you wish, simply by putting it on everything and using it consistently.

    OTOH, figure how often people will look at the disparity and realize it's your obvious short form for your name, and *not* question it.

    With me, it's my last name. It's hyphenated. I always use the long form on official documents, but when dealing with the people involved I tell them I u
  • So what you're saying is your real name is Timothy but there are some who call you... Tim?
  • My dad once had to get a passport, which proved troublesome. He was naturalized when he was a child, and he legally changed his name as an adult. He has no middle name, just an initial. The lady at the post office refused to take just a middle initial. It had to be a full name or nothing -- even though he didn't have one.
  • When I was 9 or so, my mom remarried, and I took his last name. I didn't officially get it changed, I didn't get adopted, I just started using it. Apparently it's legal to just take another name, use it for X years, and it will become yours (at least 15 years ago or so).

    I remember when I had my first part-time job, I received a letter from the SSA stating something along the lines of "Your social security number of XXX-XX-XXXX is not associated with the name Jeremy Pavleck. If this is an error, please cont
  • It only took me about 8 years. My first name is Matthieu, it's a French spelling, and no matter how legibly I write it some data entry moron always assumes I can't spell my own name and fixes it. There were a few cases where I had to explain it when applying for credit and such but I've never had any major problems. Unless you count getting it fixed, I had to send off for a copy of my birth certificate because the DMV here in Houston wouldn't take my word that they misspelled my name.

    On the plus side I c

    • On the plus side I could always tell who got my information from the DMV based on the spelling of my name. If you always slightly misspell your name with all companies and government agencies you can see who the biggest privacy violators are.

      My roommate in college had a system like that when he would give his information to some company. He would just use a different middle initial for each one. He kept a list of who got what initial and then when the junk started to show up, he could call the people and

  • Female, with a traditionally male name. And a relatively unusual male name- Solomon. My middle name is too long for most documents, so it gets shortened to an initial.

    It requires large amounts of proof when i show up for anything and use my full name, so i generally use a nickname for anything that doesn't require a full legal signature. However, if it's in writing, i generally assume that it requires a full legal signature. Using my middle initial has never been a problem, and it does not appear on my social security card. (it wouldn't fit.)

    So i just made the license match. There's nothing stopping you from using your name any way you'd like to, especially if it's bleeding obvious that it's similar. Do horror stories abound? Yes. But in almost every case, the folks doing the paperwork-accepting have a little leeway on what they accept, and the more documents you have, the better.

    I've asked. Here's why.

    I have been called on to help several people with lifestyle changes, including name changes, divorces, and once, that whole changing-the-gender-on-the-license question. the response that i have gotten from the DMV and the SSA in advocating for others has been this: That the social security card and license should have your full, legal name. Mene doesn't. They asked why, and i told them, and they said that's fine because it's obvious that it wouldn't fit. If you aren't happy with it, change it, but make those documents have that in the same form. Your license should ALSO bear any nickname you use in common day-to-day activities IF that nickname is not 'obviously derivative' of your name. For example, they don't think i need to put 'sol' or 'solemn' on my license (even though the latter, which my mum calls me, to me is not obviously derivative) as long as my legal full name with middle initial is there and it's pretty close. The SSA especially was very straightforward: They didn't care as long as they were close, because it was the number that mattered. Timothy and Tim should be fine. Your credit report will include them all, or it should, and you should check to make sure there isn't a timmy yourlastname down the street whose info is ALSO on there.

    In my case, the SSA person simply looked at me when i applied, and asked if i was sure.

    Sure what? That it's my name? That i'm me? I said, "Sure about what?" and looked confused. She took my paperwork for a replacement card (do yourself a favour. Laminate your social security card, it's rare that they won't accept it and they'll sure accept it better than if you hand them the wad of washing-machine-treated paper that used to be a SS card.) and let it go at that.

    Er... that's also how i get my username- solemndragon...

    the most interesting part is work, where my name tag on the desk leads people to believe that i'm a temp, because i'm not a guy. That's caused some entertainment, and is an example of why it's gone out of political correctness to begin letters with "dear Sir."

    Incidentally, it makes sorting my junk mail easy. Anything for "Mr." gets thrown in the shredder. *shaking head* administration appreciates paper. GO in with every scrap of ID you can find, including utility bills, and eventually they'll get tired of looking at them all. (This was also DMV advice.) As long as there was a cohesive paper trail linking the names, you should be FINE.
  • People coming from Afghanistan to N America frequently have one name. No last name. People are identified by their fathers name or place of birth, so Osama Bin Laden (not an Afghan), means Osama, Son of Laden. Therefore a person can be just his name, his name plus daddys name, his name plus city's name, or all together in whichever order.

    Another guy I know from work is named Sivakumar. One name. Thats all. Some documents take him as Siva Kumar, others like his passport say Siva Sivakumar. My chinese friend
  • What's even worse than using a shortened version of your name is having two middle names. Try getting any company with a "fill in the blanks" form to accept two middle initials. I absolutely refuse to fill in any form that will not accept two middle initials with my full, legal name. If it doesn't take two middle initials, then all they get is a shortened form of my first name and my last name.

    I've fought with banks, credit card companies, employers, and a few other places to use one of the two forms: f
  • I have an uncle whose first name is Bruno. When he was younger, people called him names so he decided to go by his middle name, Marcel.

    Now, everyone in the family calls him Marcel, while the rest of the world calls him Bruno.

    But wait, it gets weirder.

    His wife (my aunt) uses the first name Sophie, but everyone in her family calls her "Claudette".

    Now thanks to this AskSlashdot thread, I feel compelled to ask them to see their IDs next time I meet them.
  • IANAL, but wouldn't a trademark registration be considered a legal document?

    Then instead of using a regual "first, middle, last, " name like everybody else (how bland!) you simply trademark the name you like, get a legal name change - and if the name gets popular and others try to use it - sue everybody for using it!

    Imagine the possibilities!
  • One problem my uncle kept running into was that his middle name was a single letter, E.* While many forms would ask for a middle intitial, there were some which would ask for an entire middle name. Almost always, he'd have to explain that his middle name was just 'E' because the person reading the form would assume that he accidentally wrote his middle initial instead of his entire name.

    * He had the middle name 'E' because my grandfather wanted my uncle to be a Jr, but my grandfather didn't like his mid
  • Just look at them mysteriously, and say,

    "Some men call me... Tim?"
  • Anyone who uses one name "Timothy" in one place and another completely unconected and separate name "Tim" in another place is obviously intent on creating an illegal alias and must be up to no good.
  • To a database you are two people, but I don't think there is a function out there that will equate Charles to Chaz, Charlie, and Buddy.
    Robert to Bobby, Tim to Timothy.

    They need propername matching. In theory it's simple - specify the first n characgers to match, and that generally work, except for Rob->Bob.
  • This seems to be a recent problem. In 1999 we got married and our new last name is 21 letters long. Social Security could fit it but the Mass RMV could not. After creative rearranging of our name order on the license they got it all to fit. Now my wife had to renew and the RMV got their panties all up in a bunch that it didn't match Social Security. So now the name has been changed such that the first name includes a space and as much of the last name that fit with the last name starting where the firs
  • So every thread in here goes like this, "Yeah it's a pain in the hiney but what are you gonna do?" Come on now. Are we humans just going to bend over and let the data bases run our lives. Screw them when the papers become more important then the person.

    Your papers don't match you're not a human anymore. The state will crush you now.

    Kind of like the Gestapo.

  • What a mess... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pclminion ( 145572 ) on Tuesday July 20, 2004 @06:15PM (#9754009)
    I don't understand why people consider the name to be some kind of sacrosanct, unchangeable moniker. I've had trouble cashing checks which were written out to "Joe Smith" but out of habit I endorsed as "Joe M. Smith" (including my middle initial). That isn't my real name, by the way. I got evil looks, apparently for daring to sign my middle initial. I find this odd, considering your signature doesn't legally have to look anything at all like the printed version of your name (I could sign my name "Sandra Cook" if I wanted). Yet they give me shit about an extra initial. Go figure.

    And Dog help you if you choose, for whatever reason, to change the way you sign your name. There are legitimate reasons for this (such as having an index finger amputated).

    Another big one: Do I use my middle initial when ordering things online with a credit card? The form says, "Must match the name on the card." Well, the name on the card is "Joe M Smith." WITHOUT the dot after the middle initial. So am I supposed to enter "Joe M Smith" or "Joe M. Smith?" As far as I'm concerned: who the FUCK cares?

    Oh, and get this. My girlfriend immigrated here from Israel. She has no middle name. She is of Russian descent. What does INS tell her? "You HAVE to have a middle name. All Russians have a middle name." Wow, I'm glad they know so much about Russian culture, but unfortunately, they're wrong as hell. So she simply made one up on the spot: she used her nickname (the name she actually goes by) as her middle name. So her name is now "Raisa Raya." How retarded.

    Oh, and on top of that, the INS thinks she's a MALE. She received her selective service draft card a few weeks ago! Fucking hilarious.

    The government is a decrepit pile of shit.

    • She has no middle name. She is of Russian descent.
      But all Russians do have a middle name. It is derived from their father's first name. For example, if your girlfriend's father's name were Yakov, her middle name would be Yakovlevna. Now, if she was born in Israel, then it is possible that she didn't have a middle name, but then why bring up her Russian descent?
  • For only $59.95 (+tax) I'll be happy to go around and correct everything that says 'Tim' so it says 'Timothy'.

    All you have to do is email me your bank account number, your credit card numbers (with expiry date and 3-digit security code on reverse -- for verification purposes), all social security numbers you have used, and the addresses of your last three residences.
  • But having to do with names being different in different places.

    This summer I got a new (uncomputer) job, and for direct deposit, I gave them my personal account information. Unfortunatly, Ive been using my computer "business" account 100% of the time for a couple of years - my personal account was closed. (hmm, would have been nice if they had told me).

    My first pay stub I get has my last name spelt wrong (no supervisor, I did not spell my own name wrong on the forms you gave me. I was not the one who typ

    • What the fuck happens to people with the name John Smith?

      (slightly OT)

      I knew a guy in high school whose name was Z Smith. No kidding. Z! (No period after the Z either.) In fact he was the president of our class. Great guy, too: smart, funny, cool. Years later I happened to see an article he wrote -- I think he was working for alexa.com at that point.

      But that *is* his real name. Quite possibly other posters have met him too, because he works in the computer field.

  • Here in TN, and elsewhere, the same kind of problem arises when various govt agencies get a bug up their ass about your signature not being a cursive version of your legal name. My name is [of the format] "John Quincy Public III", and that is what MOST of my govt paperwork says. But my signature is "J Q Public III", so thats what they put on my driver's license, so thats what they put on my car title, ... and so on in a domino effect. I am considering starting to sign things with an X, just to save a fe

  • Most of the comments here seem to be assuming everybody has their "real", "legal" name, and may also have other names that people call them. Legally speaking it's a bit more complex, or at least more fluid.

    Legally, your name is whatever people generally call you. There is no official register of names - such a thing would be impossible anyway. The only way to prove that your name is what you say it is is to show evidence that other people call you that name. The best evidence is official documents, su

  • All of my legal documents (passport, driver's license, employment paperwork, insurance paperwork, bank & investment accounts, vehicle registrations, credit cards, and so on) have my full, legal name, since that's why I was given a "full, legal name" in the first place. So, I am "William" on paper and to those to whom I am not known, but "Bill" socially.

    I have had problems with this in two instances:
    - When the people from EMC's support center call me , I answer the phone "Hello, this is Bill." They
  • My legal name WAS David, but I always went by Dave. It's now Dave legally.

    I also changed my middle/last name, as part of a marriage thing -- whereas my full name was legally "David Pseudo Longarsepolishname", it is now legally "Dave P Longarsepolishname Shortnewname".

    I have various documents (passports, licenses, credit cards, etc.) that have my name as:

    "Dave Shortnewname"
    "Dave P Shortnewname"
    "Dave P Longarsepolishname"
    "Dave P Longarsepolishname Shortnewname"
    "Dave Longarsepolishname Shortnewname"

    The onl

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