Changing back to a maiden name

[Mrsnewnames]

This is not really a relationship issue but I thought you lot may be a good source of info.

I regret taking DH's surname- 31 years ago- when most women did.
It's an unusual name and also foreign (his father was from another part of the world, not UK.)

By contrast my own surname is quite unusual too and rare- and I feel quite attached to it in a weird way. I now want to go back to my own name because I don't actually agree any more with women taking their DH's name. I'm a professional, working and although everyone knows me by my married name, I suppose they'd get used to the change.

The question is- how to do it?

Who do I need to tell and what do I do first?

There seem to be so many things I'd need to change- all bank accounts, savings, (ISAs etc), investments, passport, driving licence, Will, deeds to the house...I don't know where to start.

These days Ms is used by a lot of women who feel that their marital status is utterly irrelevant and want a title that does not depend on it.

After all, no one is bothered whether a bloke is married, and as he's "Mr" for all of his adult life regardless of marital status, why do people need to know a woman's marital status.

I use Ms and Miss interchangeably even though I'm technically still a Mrs.

I am divorced and have recently started to change my name back to my maiden name.

Work was easy
banks were easy - I just showed my birth certificate and my decree absolute

but my passport has another two years to run so I shall wait to change that - and as I had a flight booked in my passport name I couldn't change it anyway.

my drivers licence needs more documents and it "has" to be changed apparently into my legal name - so I am not using two or more names at the same time.

A few places have asked fr my marriage certificate - I have explained that I am divorced and therefore I had to hand my marriage certificate to the courts to obtain a divorce and therefore don't have one, yet official forms do ask for one. Sp perhaps this is for woman who want to change their name from their married name to their maiden name when they have not divorced.

Finally you do know people will assume you have divorced or remarried. I have been asked numerous times if I have remarried