Changing surname on membership record

juniper735w · #1

A woman was born with a given surname (e.g., Jones). The biological father (Jones) left before birth, and the mother remarried to a new surname (e.g., Smith). The womans birth and baptism certificates say Jones, but she has never gone by Jones in her life. All her family, ward, and daily business dealings are in the name Smith. She has tried for most of her life to change her membership record to Smith, but various clerks have said no, or that it can't be done. Can it be done? Can her membership record be changed from Jones to Smith? If not, what technical requirements must be satisfied to make this change?

russellhltn · #2

fortsill1954 wrote:If not, what technical requirements must be satisfied to make this change?

Is Smith her legal name? If so, then the clerk can do it. If not, then there's the problem. Church records are to reflect the legal name.

There is a preferred name field, but I don't think it accommodates a preferred last name.

juniper735w · #3

Thank you. We will pursue the information to establish her legal surname. Thank you for the help.

eblood66 · #4

RussellHltn wrote:Is Smith her legal name? If so, then the clerk can do it. If not, then there's the problem. Church records are to reflect the legal name.

There is a preferred name field, but I don't think it accommodates a preferred last name.

Yes, the preferred name does include a last name and can be whatever the person prefers. I've had members with a different preferred last name in similar situations. However, the online systems haven't always handled that situation well (but I think that's improved since the initial releases).