Legal Name Change In Argentina

My wife was able to use her married name for her DNI and it looks like that will also hold true for her Argentine citizenship (hopefully so all docs will match). Other than explaining that we're married and not siblings...it's been great to not have an issue. In Uruguay, we had temp residency and they required she use her maiden name on her cedula.

She had a hyphenated German maiden name. When we were married she changed a letter in her first name from a Z to an S along with changing her last name to my Italian...Spanish sounding last name. The county in the US where we applied for the marriage certificate (not the county we were married in) allowed both name changes under a liberal reading to the statute...only two of the seven counties in the metropolitan area allowed such a thing so we went to the closest that allowed it. Saved the hassle of getting a court judgment. :)

So I suppose if it were able to change your birth country first...you could do it in Argentina. Still sounds like too much effort at this point.
 
I legally changed my last name in my birth country before I got my DNI. It was a lot of working getting the name change certificate from the judge and birth certificate apostilled and then granslates, then certified, etc. I'm not sure it would be worth it go through that whole process in Argentina.
 
I legally changed my last name in my birth country before I got my DNI. It was a lot of working getting the name change certificate from the judge and birth certificate apostilled and then translates, then certified, etc. I'm not sure it would be worth it go through that whole process in Argentina.

Now that I think about it, I have a friend who had recently her last name changed due to serious family issue - she no longer wanted her father's last name and took her mother's, instead.
However, for what I know, in Italy you can change your name only for serious reason (i.e. it reads or look like a swear-word, or suggest anything of sexual nature, or serious family issues, in case of serious negative associations with the original surname for political reasons, etc.) and you have to go before a judge to do so. She was able to complete the process in under a year, however this proved to be a drawback for certain things (she is a researcher and had papers published under her former last name).

In the end, I don't even know I would be able to ask for my German surname. This is a thing interesting all of my family, also with other last names.
German sounds such as SCH (like in Schumacher) became Š in Slavic alphabet, but this letter is not found in Italian - they simply dropped the mark, and the sound changed to S (like in sun).
The same happened with CH (like in Chicago) > Č > C (like in key). My grandma kept adding the mark on the C because Italian printers weren't equipped to print Č in her documents, however everybody kept pronouncing her last name the wrong way!
 
Now that I think about it, I have a friend who had recently her last name changed due to serious family issue - she no longer wanted her father's last name and took her mother's, instead.
However, for what I know, in Italy you can change your name only for serious reason (i.e. it reads or look like a swear-word, or suggest anything of sexual nature, or serious family issues, in case of serious negative associations with the original surname for political reasons, etc.) and you have to go before a judge to do so. She was able to complete the process in under a year, however this proved to be a drawback for certain things (she is a researcher and had papers published under her former last name).

In the end, I don't even know I would be able to ask for my German surname. This is a thing interesting all of my family, also with other last names.
German sounds such as SCH (like in Schumacher) became Š in Slavic alphabet, but this letter is not found in Italian - they simply dropped the mark, and the sound changed to S (like in sun).
The same happened with CH (like in Chicago) > Č > C (like in key). My grandma kept adding the mark on the C because Italian printers weren't equipped to print Č in her documents, however everybody kept pronouncing her last name the wrong way!


My nonno's name was changed from Vitantonio to Victor Antonio when he came from Italy to Argentina, and I think it was changed again when he moved to the States .
 
It looks like I will have to keep my now Slavic-sounding surname. Thanks to you all for the info.

And what's wrong with having a slavic last name in Latin America?
Dilma Rousseff and Axel Kicillof seem to be doing quite OK.


My grandma kept adding the mark on the C ... however everybody kept pronouncing her last name the wrong way!

"C" is pronounced differently in Christina Ricci, Joe Pesci and Emir Kusturica's last names.
If it bothers you how people say your last name, just explain it a couple of times.

Or get a stage name like Lady Gaga :).
 
Despite being married for a couple years now, I still don't grasp how to use the "de ____" last name and have never used it.

Huh, do they still do that in Argentina? In Colombia, from what I can tell, the last generation of women to add "de [husband's last name]" was the generation of my 30-something husband's grandmothers. His mom (68) and her married friends didn't do it. It's been considered old fashioned here for some time. I read recently that something like 90% of women in the U.S. still change their last name upon marriage, which surprised me. I didn't because it seemed like a pain in the rear and I didn't see the point in this day and age, really. Plus, I am rather attached to my last name having used it my whole life! But sure enough, every female friend I have in the U.S. who is married changed her last name. Interesting how old traditions last in some countries, but not in others.

To answer your question, the old school de ____ went like this, at least in Colombia where people have a first, a middle and two last names: Let's say a girl is born Daniela Cristina Fernández Restrepo. (Fernández is her father's last name, Restrepo her mother's last name.) For everyday purposes, she goes by her first name and first last name: Daniela Fernández. She marries a guy named Felipe Luis González Santos. (González is his father's last name, Santos his mother's last name.) So, Felipe González when they call for him at the doctor's office and whatnot. Daniela's full name upon marriage to Felipe would become Daniela Cristina Fernández de González--she drops her second last name (the one that came from her mother), and replaces it with de González, González being her husband's first last name (and his father's first last name....)

If Felipe and Daniela a son, he will be named, let's say, Juan Enrique González Fernandez (Juan González).

Whew, my head is spinning just from writing that haha.
 
Huh, do they still do that in Argentina? In Colombia, from what I can tell, the last generation of women to add "de [husband's last name]" was the generation of my 30-something husband's grandmothers. His mom (68) and her married friends didn't do it. It's been considered old fashioned here for some time. I read recently that something like 90% of women in the U.S. still change their last name upon marriage, which surprised me. I didn't because it seemed like a pain in the rear and I didn't see the point in this day and age, really. Plus, I am rather attached to my last name having used it my whole life! But sure enough, every female friend I have in the U.S. who is married changed her last name. Interesting how old traditions last in some countries, but not in others.

I got married in the U.S. and I am the ONLY woman I know who didn't/hasn't taken her husband's name. And I get asked about it ALL. THE. TIME. My grandmothers will even address envelopes to my "married" name... as if I'll someday change my mind. :huh:
 
You just append the de + marido's apellido to your last name.

ie if you're born Cristina Fernandez

and you marry Nestor Kirchner

you become Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner


I'm pretty sure all of her legal docs still say just Cristina Fernandez. Where it gets more confusing is when you already have a double barrelled name when you marry....

Here kids don't get the "de" they just get the double barreling: ie Florencia and Maximo could be, if they so chose, Florencia Kirchner Fernandez and Maximo Kirchner Fernandez where the patriarchal surname always precedes the matriachal surname.

If Florencia Kirchner Fernandez then married she would drop the Fernandez and add a de + husband's appellido. So she would become Florencia Kirchner de Queseyo.

Maximo Kirchner Fernandez would stay the same for life since he's a guy, but his children could take his patriarchal surname (Kirchner) and his wife's patriarchal surname (let's say Fulanadetal) so his kids would be Kirchner Fulanadetals and Florencia's would be Queseyo Kirchners, and if they were girls when they married they would drop the Kirchner altogether.

Verry confusing and it's late so I may have messed it up.

Crazy isn't it? So the matriachal surname can only survive one generation really.

Are Gabriel Garcia Marquez's naming of characters making more sense now?
 
I got married in the U.S. and I am the ONLY woman I know who didn't/hasn't taken her husband's name. And I get asked about it ALL. THE. TIME. My grandmothers will even address envelopes to my "married" name... as if I'll someday change my mind. :huh:

Yeah, I can see this happening to me, too, soon enough. My husband's spouse visa was approved and we're moving back after Christmas. Have you ever tried to correct anyone, or do they just ignore you? So far I've only had it come up twice during visits home: My best friend was getting married and her mom wanted to address the envelopes for the invitations traditionally, so even though she knew I hadn't changed my name, she told my friend to put Mr. and Mrs. Husband's Name. My friend mentioned this to me and I said, "Well, that may be traditional, but technically it's not correct since I didn't change my name." So they ended up putting Mr. Husband and Ms. Wife right under that, which is what you're supposed to do when the woman doesn't change her name or the couple lives together but isn't married. And it wasn't an issue, but they're family to me so it wasn't awkward at all. The other time was at the dentist's office. My dentist's wife was at his practice and I've known them both since kindergarten, so she came by to say hi to me and say congratulations. Then she asked, "What's your new last name?" I just said, "Oh, I didn't change it!" And she kind of blinked for a second and then moved on. She's actually Colombian, but has lived in the U.S. for many years. Oh, and my mom did mention that if we have kids it might get complicated, but if we have kids we are naming them the Colombian way (first, middle, his last, my last), so people are just gonna have to deal!
 
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