Name change after marriage

After marriage, you can choose to continue using your own surname, or you can start using your spouse's surname. Changing to your spouse's surname does not constitute a legal change of name under the Name Act.

A spouse by marriage may use the surname he or she had immediately before the marriage, the surname he or she had at birth or by adoption, the surname of his or her spouse by marriage or a hyphenated name consisting of both spouses surnames.

Changing a name from a married name to a birth (maiden) name

When a woman (man) takes a spouse's name after marriage, the name taken is considered an assumed name. In Yukon, by convention and usage a married name has come to be accepted as a legal name.

After a divorce or separation has taken place or a person just wishes to return to a birth name, Vital Statistics does not do a legal name change to return to the birth (maiden) name. After a divorce or if a woman or man is still married, but wishes to return to a maiden (birth) name, she/he may show a marriage certificate or a divorce document and a birth certificate. This should be enough to show how she/he got the married name and the name she/he wishes to return. A person must check with the agency where the ID is being changed if other requirements are necessary.

When returning to a birth (maiden) name, nothing is done to the birth certificate because the person is returning to a birth name.

Legal name change

• The birth name is changed and the birth certificate is changed to the new name.
• The client will have a change of name certificate and a birth certificate in the new name.