S/O Spelling of name on passports, etc.

[porque]

So my plan was to get  a passport as my daughter will be going to Europe this summer and want to be able to get there in the very slim chance that there is an emergency. I went to pull out by birth certificate and realized that I only had the hospital record. So I  ordered a birth certificate from the records office and found to my surprise that my first name is spelled differently (one letter missing at the end) from how I have always spelled it. I asked my mom about it and she said she added the "e" when I was 3 or 4  because she thought it looked better  :001_smile: . My drivers license and social security card, and really, everything else in my life has the "e" at the end. 

So my question, if you made if this far, can I get a passport that has the spelling with the "e" at the end so that everything matches? Or do I need to do some kind of official name change?

Any advice or pointing in a good directions would be most appreciated

Thanks,

Carole (with an e)

[Lanny]

@Carole  I suggest that you call the Passport Office. You can probably find a toll free number for them on the Department of State web site.  Since your documentation, especially your Social Security, has the e at the end of your first name, hopefully they can issue your Passport with the e.  I suggest that you begin on this URL:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html

[EKS]

When I got my passport (admittedly this was 22 years ago), my birth certificate and my driver's license had different names on them.  The birth certificate has my full name and the driver's license has my nickname.  The person at the passport office insisted that I use the name on the driver's license because it was the one tied to a photo.

 

I'm not sure if that helps or not.

[Corraleno]

I actually had a similar issue with an e on the end of my first name, and had to use my actual birth certificate name (no e) for my passport, even though I had used my name with an e most of my life. How is your name spelled on your marriage certificate? Your DD's birth certificate? If everything *except* your BC spells your name with an e, and you want to keep it that way, then I would do an official name change with the court. 

[porque]

Thanks for the help! I am hoping I won't have to do an official name change....but I guess I'd better get started just in case!

[SKL]

I would probably do the name change just to have everything the same.

 

My dad discovered at age 30 that he was "John" on his birth certificate though he had always thought is name was "Bob."  How he managed to get through school, marriage, jobs, etc. without anyone noticing this I don't know, but he needed an accurate birth certificate for some purpose at age 30.  He did a name change and it was no big deal at all.

 

I have done name changes for my kids also - no big deal.  I would just get it done for the peace of mind.

Edited March 27, 2017 by SKL

[TechWife]

My mom didn't need her birth certificate until she was in her sixties. She was surprised to find out that she doesn't have a  middle name. She grew up believing her middle name was "Petronella." Her Social Security card had "Petronella" on it, but her passport is first name, maiden name, last name. 

 

I have a middle name on my birth certificate and the name on my passport is first name, maiden name, last name. 

 

How is your name spelled on your marriage certificate/license? 

 

 

 

 

[goldberry]

My FIL had a terrible time getting on Medicare because his birth certificate didn't match all his other documentation. It actually delayed his cancer treatment. (for anyone who would say that people don't die because they have no insurance. :glare: )  Took close to 6 months to resolve.  Take care of it now.

[porque]

Taking care of it sounds like the best thing to do.

And yes, it was a surprise!

[Tap]

Yes, I would do a legal name change so everything matches.  I bill insurance for a living and everyone once in a while we get a fussy company (especially Medicare/Medicaid) that requires that everything matches.  It is a nightmare that can not be resolved with some companies (esp Medicare), until the patient  legally fixes the issue. 

 

 

[Ottakee]

Names can be a nightmare. We had foster kids that were Hispanic. One had first name last name last name....Some documents with a hyphen, some without. Some with a junior, some without.

 

Then brother had first name, middle name, middle name, last name last name...So 2 middle and 2 last names...Again some with hyphen ,some without...And to keep it interesting , some documents had only first last name used, others had 2nd last name used, and some both.

 

It made tax time and health insurance stuff fun.

[J-rap]

I would pick up the phone first thing in the morning and call a passport office and ask them.

 

Actually, I just found this site on how to correct a birth certificate error.  It's a NY website, so I'm not sure if this is relevant to NY only or the entire U.S.

 

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/certificate-corrections.page