American history of name changes
Naturalization laws of the United States have provided that an immigrant
could formally adopt a new name through his petition for citizenship. In all the
states in the United States, with the possible exception of Pennsylvania, a man
may change his family name freely without court authorization if he is willing
to communicate the name change to all those with whom he conducts personal and
business transactions. In most other countries, name changes may be made only
with governmental approval.
In the past, many names were changed by immigrants while on the boat heading
for America. They simplified the spelling of their names - from Westinghausens
to Westinghouse, or from Rivoire to Revere. Many Poles added -ski to their names
to attain a higher social status, since such names were accorded more respect
from people of Polish extraction.
Since the first World War, family names in the United States have become more
stabilized because of the growth of government-sponsored programs. Veterans
returning from the war desired to share in pension payments and other privileges
from the federal government. With the advent of Social Security laws and
regulations in 1935, the requirement for a definite, fixed family name became
necessary because a birth certificate must be shown to receive benefits. Various
other laws and retirement schemes also promoted the use of fixed, unchangeable
names such as motor vehicle registrations, driver license requirements,
industrial pension and profit-sharing plans and the great expansion of life
insurance.
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