Last Name confusion in PR....

I understand fully. Had xrays n gave them my mothers name.....yikes, haven't used my maiden name in over 45 yrs. Now I just give them my husbands last name period. All legal documents have married last name so thats how it will remain. Although husband uses father n mothers last name as its done here......he was born here....I use my married last name even though I get some weird looks. Life is good.

No children so it's easier. ...

You can
a: bow to the custom and write your family name in the second
b: Do what I do and insist that it is not your cultural custom to use your mom's  maiden name. I rold one such office, "My mother's name was the same as my father's for 50+ years, and ypu want to change that!?"

I had the opposite problem. I changed my 2 last names for 1 and i just didn't bother giving people explanations. "I only have one". "This is my last name. Not through marriage (none of your business), I only have one. " They will ask if you don't have a mom or if you're american. I just tell them, I ONLY HAVE ONE. They let it go quick fast and in a hurry.

I'm pretty sure that in my case "they" are the confused ones. I have one those Dutch last names with vander in it ( like Vanderbilt) but I write it the Dutch way: van der Bilt.
Nobody ever asks my mom's last name. (which would confuse them even more because that one has two words)

Gary wrote:

I'm pretty sure that in my case "they" are the confused ones. I have one those Dutch last names with vander in it ( like Vanderbilt) but I write it the Dutch way: van der Bilt.
Nobody ever asks my mom's last name. (which would confuse them even more because that one has two words)

Oh gosh that's great lol I can imagine this happening though

Gary van der Bilt
van der Bilt, Gary
del bilt, gary van....
maybe even
Gary Bilt.

lol my uncle has one of those van der names. Mine was Kaiser Rodriguez and then changed to Fronapfel no more fussy

addicted.to.tights wrote:

Oh gosh that's great lol I can imagine this happening though
van der Bilt, Gary

Something like that happened with my driver's license: Van Der Bilt, Gary J
It took me quite a while to get that one fixed.

Because of that I still have no credit. As every foreigner when you move to another country you have no credit, even if you had a perfect credit in the previous country.
I bought a car on monthly payments and the loan was on the mixed up name. Now I fixed the license and that name has a credit history, but my real name has no credit history.
Oh well, I don't need credit anyway, I am old fashioned and buy only when I can pay something and if I would ever need a car loan I'm sure I'll get it from the same bank that gave it to me on the mixed up name.

Oh, my goodness, sounds very confusing, lol!

Schuttzie wrote:

Oh, my goodness, sounds very confusing, lol!

Not for me!

I think I'll just keep my two simple names, haha

On my PR Bar license, it reads [Paternal name] [Maternal name], as is customary. Same with my marriage license as my wife and I were married in PR.  I'm also a member of the Bar of a US State, which naturally only lists [Paternal name].  It's the name on the Bar license that comes up the most outside of PR but after an explanation, I haven't had any further hassles (fingers crossed that continues).

Traditionally, the Spanish surname extends even longer when the woman is married. Before marriage, her surname is [Paternal name] [Maternal name]. After marriage, the surname is [Paternal name] [Maternal name] de [Husband's paternal name]. "[D]e" as in "of", as in, "belongs to".

E.g., Alejandra Isabela Gonzalez Torres de Jimenez (with tildes).

I tease my wife about that every once in awhile.

I was also married here, but I have never bowed to the paternal/maternal naming convention thing... I always protest, and they always reply, "that is our custom" and I reply; "I am not Puerto Rican, and it's not the custom of my people, nor is it my legal name... My mother did not used her maiden name, in 50+ years, so if you want me to put something, I'll put my family name twice!". I have never, and will never use a name that is not mine. I don't care to blindly follow rules without exception; never have, never will.

Mac, good for you that you stand up for what you believe in~

I AGREE!