Has anyone hange their name without getting married?

[Katzepatra]

I'm going to be petitioning for a name change and wanted to know if anyone had to deal with it while going through school, CLEPing and the like. I know that in my state (PA) it averages a 60-90 process so I'm curious about the "grey area" where I would be using my given name but legally it may have been changed.

For the record, I'm changing my last name, not my first or middle names. Just wanted to know if anyone has gone through it while testing and going through school.

[mrs.b]

On forms, you will fill in your maiden name section of the form with your birth surname. Whether man or woman, name changed at marriage or any other time, a maiden name is the surname given to you at the time of birth. Some forms no longer refer to it as the "maiden name" section because it is viewed as gender-specific, and in those cases, you will find a section that asks if you have gone by any other name; that's where your birth surname goes. (That section often makes me laugh; I feel like a felon listing aliases.)

And like any married person - man or woman - who has changed their name legally, you may still use your maiden name for professional or other dealings as need or want dictates. Quite a few people I work with still use my maiden name, and I answer to both without bothering to correct usage.