What characters are allowable in a US name? Someone mentioned to me that they ran into someone with "Æ" (the AE grapheme) in their name, which got me wondering what characters are allowable in the US. I've done a bit of research and found that it seems like name changing, baby registration, (and maybe immigration?) are state specific forms, though do have to be followed by a federal request to get your social security card. All of the state specific forms and the social security forms I've been able to find don't have any information on what is allowable characters. They are all forms to be printed out and hand filled in so presumably any character you can write legibly can be submitted, though, presumably, may not be accepted. The only information I was able to find was california only allows the 26 letters and don't even allow accents or anything else. But that doesn't really answer the questions for other states or for social security. I would assume that the printers/software/process used to print out social security cards would only allow a specific set of characters that is probably far shot of all of Unicode, but I can't validate that. I understand the answer might be different by state, so don't expect an answer that covers all 50 states, though it seems like the social security answer would override other answers. NOTE: I'm just curious about this and don't actually want to change my own name or name a kid with numbers/symbols/emojis/etc.
There is ultimately no meaningful regulation of name choice in the United States, but failing to follow convention can be a pain. Many countries have far more rigorous regulation of names and often require that a name be on a pre-approved list or at least that it receive advanced governmental approval. For example, I changed my surname when I married from &quot;Willeke&quot; to &quot;Oh-Willeke&quot; but many private and governmental computer systems do not accept hyphens in names. Non-standard characters and different kinds of punctuation pose similar issues. For example, most databases cannot handle Greek/Cyrillic alphabet characters such as &quot;π&quot; so they would have to spelled out &quot;Pi&quot; for inclusion in many databases. For example, I am not certain that the databases of most government agencies, even in Colorado which has a large Hispanic population, are capable of distinguishing between ñ and n. Similarly, I am sure that &quot;Æ&quot; (the AE grapheme) would be recorded as &quot;ae&quot; in most computerized databases and on most identification documents. Likewise, few identification document systems or computer databases can process Korean Hangul characters, so my children's middle names are in a particular romanization of the true and correct Hangul spelling of those names. Various agencies such as vital statistics departments and driver's license bureaus have practical limitations on their ability to input information into computer systems, but that doesn't really limit a true name, which at common law could be changed without resort to the court system or any bureaucracy, something which remains the law in Colorado. The bottom line is that even if your name in its true form has a representation in symbols that a database can't process and that really and truly is recognized in the law as your legal name, as a matter of practical reality, many entities that deal with names will be limited to a romanization of those names. Consider the following excerpt from a court of appeals case in Colorado that explains the underlying law: Walter Knight, an inmate of the State Prison, petitioned the district court to change his name to Sundiata Simba. His reasons were 'to acknowledge the heritage of (his) past, and to Fortify (his) acceptance of (his) religious beliefs as required by (his) faith.' Nine months later, the request was denied. We reverse. The statute under which the petition was filed, § 13--15--101, C.R.S.1973, provides that the court must approve the change of name if it is 'satisfied that the desired change would be proper, and not detrimental to the interests of any other person.' Here, the court held that the change would not be 'proper' because Knight has a lengthy criminal record, is incarcerated, and an F.B.I. 'rap' sheet is extant which lists him under his present name. However, there was no evidence Before the court as to how the name change would be prejudicial to prison or police authorities. Therefore, we do not consider any of these reasons, without additional proof, as sufficient basis for the court to conclude that the change of name would be improper. In this day when a Lew Alcindor elects to be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Cassius Clay opts for Muhammad Ali, the desire of Walter Knight to reflect his African heritage by adopting the [36 Colo.App. 189] name Sundiata Simba should not be dismissed lightly. Cf. Petition of Rusconi, 341 Mass. 167, 167 N.E.2d 847. At common law, a person could adopt another name at will. Statutes setting forth procedures to be followed in changing a name merely provide an additional method for making the change. See 57 Am.Jur.2d Name §§ 10 and 11. It is more advantageous to the state to have the statutory method of changing names followed, Application of McGehee, 147 Cal.App.2d 25, 304 P.2d 167, and for that reason applications under the statute should be encouraged, Petition of Buyarsky, 322 Mass. 335, 77 N.E.2d 216, and generally should be granted unless made for a wrongful or fraudulent purpose. Application of Ferris, 178 Misc. 534, 34 N.Y.S.2d 909. See generally Annot., 110 A.L.R. 219. While a court has wide discretion in matters of this type, it should not deny the application for a change of name as being improper unless special circumstances or facts are found to exist. Included in these would be 'unworthy motive, the possibility of fraud on the public, or the choice of a name that is bizarre, unduly lengthy, ridiculous or offensive to common decency and good taste.' In re M., 91 N.J.Super. 296, 219 A.2d 906; See Petition of Rusconi, supra. Likewise, there is authority to deny the change if the interests of a wife or child of the applicant would be adversely affected thereby. See Annot., 53 A.L.R.2d 914. We do not suggest that a court must grant every petition for change of name; rather, we hold that some substantial reason must exist for denying such petition, and that none appears in the record Before us. See In Re Ross, 8 Cal.2d 608, 67 P.2d 94. Before a court denies a request for a change of name under the statute, it should conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine if good and sufficient cause exists to deny the application. Cf. Henderson v. Industrial Commission, Colo.App., 529 P.2d 651. In re Knight, 36 Colo.App. 187, 188-189, 537 P.2d 1085, 1086 (1975). See also In re Cruchelow, 926 P.2d 833, 834 (Utah 1996) (at common law an individual had a right to change his or her name at will); In re Porter, 31 P.3d 519 (Utah 2001) (it was an abuse of discretion to deny someone's request to change his name to Santa Claus); In re Mokiligon, 106 P.3d 584 (N.M.App. 2004) (summarily reversing a trial court's refusal to allow a name change from &quot;Snaphappy Fishsuit Mokiligon&quot; to &quot;Variable&quot;). In 2008, when the Colorado DMV prohibited newlywed women from changing their middle names to their maiden name and then adopting the surname of their spouses, this regulation caused such an outcry that it was promptly dropped at the insistence of the Governor, but the state DMV still requires court recognition for more significant name changes. The offending rule is found in the Colorado Code of Regulations at 1 CCR 204-13 Part 2.3.5, and relies on Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-2-107(2) and § 42-2-302(2), C.R.S., for authority. But, neither statute actually purports to limit the means by which someone may change their name in Colorado. They simply require that your state ID or driver's license have your name on it. The replacement rule, which is still far more rigid than the case law which recognized a common law right to change your name at any time with or without a court application to do so stated: 2.3.5 A certified certificate of marriage, decree of dissolution of marriage or legal separation issued by any Native American Tribal court or an authorized government agency or court of the United States, any territory, or state of the United States, or any of their political subdivisions, or any court-ordered name change entered by any state or federal court may be used to modify the full legal name of the applicant. 2.3.5.1 Name change as a result of marriage shall be subject to the following conventions: (1) the existing last name is replaced with the spouse’s last name; (2) the existing last name is added as a second middle name and the spouse’s last name becomes the applicant’s last name; (3) the existing last name replaces the existing middle name and the spouse’s last name becomes the applicant’s last name; (4) the spouse’s last name replaces the existing middle name and the existing last name remains the applicant’s last name; (5) the spouse’s last name is added before or after the existing last name via a hyphen or space and becomes the applicant’s last name. 2.3.5.2 All non-court-ordered name changes will require completion, and submission to the department, of the Affidavit of Name Change for a Colorado driver’s license or identification card, form DR-2203.
Financial institutions in the US are subject to regulations that restrict what sorts of things non-licensed employees can talk about with clients and advice they can give about structuring accounts and payments in ways that might avoid triggering money laundering alarms. I think this employee was being cautious about getting into a gray area and phrased the reason they couldn't talk about it poorly. The reason they were restricted from giving you an answer could be a legality, but not necessarily because they are giving you legal advice.
If you are Donald Trump posting under an assumed name then it is illegal, because he is currently president of the USA and not supposed to run any businesses. If you are not Donald Trump, then be aware that Donald Trump owns a trademark for "Donald Trump" according to this site https://onlinetrademarkattorneys.com/donald-trump-trademarks/ so you will be infringing on his trademark.
Generally, no matter where you are, the answer to your question(s) is largely going to be a fact dependent analysis. Just so we're clear, I want to be sure you're using the term pseudonym in the way that it's generally accepted or understood to mean, being a fictitious name typically used by an author (this could be book, blog, a paper &ndash; whatever); but not as an alias or a false identity used to mislead people about your qualifications or official position. Assuming you are using a pseudonym in the way it would typically be used: as a mechanism to write and publish under a name other than your own so as not to have credit, or discredit be given to your actual identity, than I cannot see this being a problem anywhere, nor could I find any laws that pertain to this. (You've not asked about copyright/trademark, which poses different legal issues but is also not insurmountable if done correctly.) Generally, if you are publishing something, you have the right to publish anonymously or use a nom de plume (aka:a pseudonym or pen name)...this has been done throughout history and throughout the world by many famous authors. Reasons differ and the examples for such are endless. I have heard of a famous "pulp" fiction writer having used one when writing a children's books; people do it to overcome biases and exposure associated with their name (both positive and negative); during WWII Jewish authors used them to avoid being discounted or arrested based on their name and lineage. In the 1700's (when the U.S. was coming into its infancy) many writers and journalists used pseudonyms, and while the use itself wasn't illegal, they did so to write controversial and often illegal articles, papers, and even letters to the editor, that criticized governments or monarchies and their practices. Some of the most famous pseudonyms were for that purpose. Ben Franklin used to almost exclusively write under a pen name and create elaborate characters to go along with them. Famous authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King, both used pen names when trying out new genre's or to avoid over-exposure &ndash; especially when releasing at the same time. Many famous women authors, throughout history, used to write under male pen names because women couldn't be published or at least not as easily. Most famously was probably the Federalist (Federalist Papers), written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay (under the pseudonym Publius), who published 80 or so papers calling for the ratification of the United States Constitution. These were very dangerous writings for their time. When I read your question, however, I worry that you seem to be suggesting something other than simply a pseudonym for these various typical purposes. Maybe I'm wrong, but when you say hide behind, and you are talking about using Ph.D., or Dr., or some other title that would denote special education or training, you are treading into different territory if the purpose is to mislead or misinform people: not about who you are, but about what you know based on who you are. There is a big difference. So, for instance, Dr. Seuss (who actually began his career writing and drawing political parodies and cartoons) wrote children's books using Dr. as part of his nom du plume, which was his prerogative as nobody was mislead or harmed by the fact that he chose to put Dr. in front of his name. He was not posing as a doctor or giving advice about medical issues, so nobody detrimentally relied on his writings based on that fact. However, if someone wrote a non-fiction book about life saving holistic cures for cancer (I'm just pulling topics out of my head), and the author called himself Dr. Doe, or you write a book about prevention of suicide and you put Ph.D. after your name, and people who read the books detrimentally rely on the information because you've mislead them about your expertise &ndash; that is not just a pseudonym and it could definitely leave you vulnerable to legal problems. You cannot hide behind a title to exploit people by suggesting you're qualified to proffer information in which you have no training or expertise; this is not a nom du plume, it is a fraudulent misrepresentation. With regard to whether or not you have a right to hide behind a pseudonym on the internet? E.g., assuming I don't break any laws, can an internet host/provider publish my real name? that really depends on the site you post on. It is your responsibility to read their privacy disclosures to find out. Facebook, for example, has a "real name" policy, which disallows this practice. Other sites may allow you to create any screen name you want, but require a real name for registration purposes for a variety of reasons, one being if they need to have it for law enforcement purposes. Regardless of the policy of the web host, if you do break the law, or end up getting sued based on your writings, all it would take to reveal your identity is a subpoena arising out of a lawsuit. While using a pen name is seemingly legal in and of itself, pretty much anywhere, whether or not doing so could lead to criminal or civil liability, or whether your real identity could be exposed, is largely dependent on how you undertake to use your fake identity. Impersonating certain licensed professionals, or government officials can be a very slippery slope, and could be illegal or lead to liability, in an of itself. Personally, I would stay away from using any.
If you are a citizen of Cyprus, you fill out the name change affidavit on a form available form your District Administrative Office before a notary, submit it with 80 Euros, and hope that the Registrar at the District Administrative Office approves your application. Your affidavit will state, among other things, your proposed name, which must be acceptable by Cyprus standards, and your reason for the change, which probably shouldn't be "to assist me in avoiding an outstanding warrant for my arrest for murder and high treason against the government of Cyprus" or "to steal the identity of my next door neighbor." If it is approved, you are done and can now go about the arduous process of changing your name with everyone you need to do business with from bank accounts to property registries to ID cards and passports to leases to car titles to professional licenses. If it isn't, you figure out why and either change your application accordingly or see if you can find an attorney to help you contest the denial in the appropriate tribunal. If you are not a citizen of Cyprus, you probably need to go to the country in the E.U. where you are a citizen, if there is one.
A trademark can't prevent you from using your own name. For example, see Canada's Trademark Act Section 12(1)(a): Subject to section 13, a trade-mark is registrable if it is not a word that is primarily merely the name or the surname of an individual who is living or has died within the preceding thirty years; However, marks that are "primarily merely" a name or surname can eventually gain distinctiveness in association with a product. In that case, the registration may be allowed. Even so, Section 20(1.1)(a) provides an exception that lets you use your own name, regardless of whether somebody else has registered the mark: The registration of a trade-mark does not prevent a person from making, in a manner that is not likely to have the effect of depreciating the value of the goodwill attaching to the trade-mark, any bona fide use of his or her personal name as a trade-name. The US is similar. See 15 USC § 1052(e), which precludes registration of a mark that is "primarily merely a surname." This relatively uniform treatment of personal names is due in part to the TRIPS Agreement. See Article 24, paragraph 8: The provisions of this Section shall in no way prejudice the right of any person to use, in the course of trade, that person's name or the name of that person's predecessor in business, except where such name is used in such a manner as to mislead the public.
Under 28 Pa. Code 1.6, The child of an unmarried woman may be registered with any surname requested by the mother. If no other surname is so requested, the child shall be registered with the mother’s surname Registration is the point at which there is parental discretion. Subsequently, a name change is possible by court order, however as maintained in numerous cases including in re: Niedbala, 36 Pa. D. &amp; C. 3d 397 When the court, however, is confronted with the question of whether to amend or change the surname of a child, lacking sufficient understanding to choose for herself, then the court must not consider protectible parental interests or whether the parents are married, divorced or never married or whether they are male or female, but rather the child's best interests As stated in that ruling, the court will then consider the child's preference; the effect of the change on the preservation and development of the child's relationship with each parent; how long the child has used one vs. the other name. Pennsylvania law on child support is rather long, but there is no provision whereby only a married father or mother can be held liable for support. It is probable that the father was legally established as the biological father, and that would, according to these guys, allow you to have your name put on the birth certificate and perhaps even gain custody.
I have never heard of anything like this. I guess when you say "registered in that place" you are referring to Russian resident registration. The US doesn't have such a system, so this sort of certificate wouldn't even make sense.