Most often, however, women take their husbands' surnames, so we'll work under that assumption. Women should take precautions against losing their credit rating because of a new name. This can be done by notifying credit bureaus of the name change and requesting that credit built during years of being single is included under the new name. However, it is not required that people change their names after divorce and a woman who changed her name for her husband's surname can continue to use it if she wants to. Other While much less frequent, there are other opportunities for an automatic name change, including becoming an American citizen and adoption.
Legal aliens can change their names in federal court when they become United States citizens.
However, if you are an illegal resident, going to court to get your name changed could alert authorities to your trespassing status and ensure your ejection from the country.